KF뉴스레터-Visiting the DMZ

Visiting the DMZ

Having heard years ago that visits to the ‘DMZ’, the Demilitarization Zone between North and South Korea, was a popular excursion for foreign visitors to Seoul, this trip seemed like an opportune time to fulfill this unusual travel ambition. Actually, I scanned all available tourist brochures and I noted no fewer than four companies were offering this ‘adventure’ as either a half-or full-day trip from Seoul.

▲ It is estimated that over 5 million Korean families are divided by the DMZ.

Freedom Bridge
So a few days later I found myself on a tour bus with approximately 20 like-minded tourists who were curious to see for themselves the 38th parallel. Before entering the DMZ, we first stop at the ‘Freedom Bridge', a simple wooden structure no more than 15 feet wide that was the access to freedom for the thousands of North Koreans who poured over this tiny structure at the conclusion of the fighting.
It is estimated that over 5 million Korean families are divided by the DMZ. With no method of communication available for South Koreans with family in the North, this simple gate represents their only avenue to reach out to loved ones that they have not seen or heard from for over 50 years. With no chance of these messages being read by the intended recipients, this act is more symbolic than practical.
After changing buses, passing a simple checkpoint where our passports are viewed, without fuss or fanfare, we are taken into the DMZ. Here we are taken to view the newly constructed Woljung Station, the northern most train station in South Korea. In an act of ‘Field of Dreams’ optimism, this modern, spacious station has been constructed in preparation for the day that trains can run freely from Seoul in the South to Pyeongyang in the North. The platform signs already direct passengers to the “Track for Seoul/Pyeongyang."
Our final stop on our bizarre DMZ tour was the Unification Observatory at Mt. Odu. After coming so far and braving bitterly cold weather, it appeared that a view-obscuring snowstorm was going to rob us of a view of the actual North.
We filled in our time at this stop by taking in the displays in the Unification Exhibition Hall, a collection of exhibits featuring North Korean electronic goods, clothing, food, and school books. As well, we could observe in the distance two villages: one under the North and the other by the South. Daeseong-dong, found on the southern side of the DMZ, is a traditional village and strictly controlled by the South Korean government. For instance, you must have ancestral connections to the village in order to live there. These restrictions serve to limit the population of the village. In the North, Gijeong-dong has only a small caretaker population. Although from afar it appears to be a modern village, you can see with binoculars that there is no glass in the windows of the buildings.

Korea should be unified by the Koreans themselves
From my point of view, I can say finally, that under the prevailing conditions today and circumstances that can be conjectured in the future, Korea’s unification is only a very remote possibility. When and how it may be achieved is a question that can be addressed only in a world of fantasy. But I also think that Korea should be unified by the Koreans themselves, without any foreign intervention. It could happen if both Koreas become economically more powerful (especially the North), and the internal division in both halves comes to an end, thus cutting off any room for foreign intervention or manipulation, so that Korea is no longer seen or exploited as a vital, strategic instrument in furthering rival powers long-term ambitions. This latter possibility is likely only if Korea becomes a neutral state with a convincing military “deterrent” capability ° an Asian version of Switzerland.

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Visiting the DMZ

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