- Stanley Sandler, U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Today, after ten months in Korea, I got to see first hand the immense wound searing through the nation: The separation of one people by two political ideologies represented by DPRK (North Korea) and ROK (South Korea). The quote above displays the emotions of both sides: neither side feels like there was a side that won the war. A separation of the nation could not be classified as a victory by any stretch of the definition. It breaks my heart to see this one people with a shared history that stretches over 2000 years divided and hostile towards one another. The DMZ is the most visible evidence that this division is alive and well, and it will take many years to be resolved.
Joining me on this trip to the DMZ was Alison, a fellow student at SCH, and like me passionate about East Asia, especially the dynamics between the two Koreas. The tour was through the USO and the USA military, so we met the tour group at the large USA base located downtown Seoul. This base houses a portion of the 28,000 USA military personnel that are stationed in South Korea. We then took a bus from Seoul to the outer portion of the DMZ.
I have never gone north of Seoul, so the bus ride up to the DMZ was interesting. I don't think I really fathomed how close this tense border is to Seoul. It is unbelievable that the most dangerous border in the world is only 30 miles from one of the largest cities in the world. About every eight minutes up this road to the DMZ, the cars on the road would diminish to about half of the previous number. By the time we were ten minutes from the border, there were about a dozen cars including several military vehicles driving along this four lane highway lined with barbed wire on each side. There is no place like this on Earth: Such a contrast of extremes in such a short span of time. From an urban hub to a dormant war zone in 40 minutes. When we arrived at the DMZ, we received a briefing on the history of the area. After this presentation, we proceeded to the JSA.
The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is the 250 km long, 4 km wide buffer zone between the two Koreas. It is monitored by the North, South, and the UN. In the middle of this 4 km border lies the JSA (Joint Security Area). This is an area of the DMZ that is shared and owned by both Koreas under the supervision of the UN. It is where leaders from both sides meet.
Only 30 troops from each side can occupy the JSA at one time. In addition, each side owns an equal amount of buildings in the JSA. For a time, the troops from both sides could freely walk about the grounds of the JSA, but this was discontinued after the Ax Murder Incident. In 1976, North Korean guards attacked two soldiers routinely pruning a large tree that was obscuring the view of one of the South's outposts. The Northern troops took the axes the two American soldiers were using and killed them. Three days later, the south initiated Operation Paul Bunyan. This operation was to chop down that tree that the Southern allies were trying to prune. The North threatened the South not to chop down the tree, but they finished their mission, removing the tree from the premise. After these two incidents, the UN initiated a division of the JSA. A concrete slab about a foot wide is the indicator of each side. The only area that both sides can occupy is the Conference Room.
The Conference Room is where the joint meetings between the two Koreas would take place. When a meeting is not scheduled, each side receives an equal amount of time in the room. The room is built on the line used to divide the two Koreas.
Along with the Conference Room, the JSA includes the North's "Peace Building," which is its main building in the JSA where they watch the South troops and tourists via video cameras and audio recorders. Another building is the North's "Recreation Building" which has been given the name "Monkey House" by the South because the only recreation they do in that building is making rude and threatening gestures towards the Southern troops. On the South's side is the "Freedom Hall" which was built in the hopes that meetings between separated families could take place. Unfortunately, the North refuses to bring any of its people that far South. The building currently is used as an educational facility for visitors of the JSA, with many meeting rooms ready and waiting for the approval of the North.
We were able to view the exterior of all these buildings except for the Conference Room and Freedom Hall. We first went to Freedom Hall, then to view the other buildings, and finally inside the Conference Room.
I think the reality and severity of the situation really hit me when we stepped out in the JSA square. There were four troops standing in a Taekwondo defensive stance, staring intensely at the Northern troop lurking about the viewing area of the "Peace Building." The ROK's (Southern soldiers) stood halfway exposed behind the buildings because it would provide a more difficult target to Northern gunfire. The Northern Soldier stared at us the entire time, occasionally bringing out his binoculars for a closer look at this mass of foreigners. Behind the Northern troop were several built in surveillance cameras and speakers. We were also told that the North uses microphones as well to pick up anything said in the JSA.
It was an experience unlike anything I have ever had to be in the one place where the two Koreas can confront one another face to face. You could feel the tension in the air, the troops staring one another down, unable to speak to one another except through their dominant stance towards one another.
I can't imagine what it must be like as troops for both sides stationed at the JSA. Here are two sides separated by political and economical ideals, yet at the end of the day, the enemy is your brother. The two Koreas may have different governments, but they are one people. This feeling is prominent in almost every Korean I have spoke to. Knowing this, it must be very hard for ROK troops to stand facing their countrymen everyday, knowing that they hate them solely because of political reasons. At the same time, it must be difficult for Northern troops, who think that the South is a bunch of evil Capitalist pigs destroying their country standing there day after day. Their perspective is probably similar to the South: the other side is ruled by evil men and they must be liberated from their strife.
After viewing the square, we went to see the inside of the Conference room. The room housed one long table with about a dozen chairs. There were two soldiers inside: one at the head of the table the other in front of the door on the opposite end. Our guide told us that the room was divided by the table as North and South territory. Standing on the opposite side near the guard by the door would technically mean you are standing in North Korea. It was wild standing in territory belonging to the North and to stand in a room that is occupied by the North for half the time.
Following touring the JSA, we went to an overlook where we saw the Propaganda Village. This village was built by the North to try to convince South Koreans to defect to the North. It is a good sized village that has been around for about forty years. However, not everything is as it seems. It has been discovered that this village is much like a cardboard cutout, fake buildings that are not inhabited. In the center of this artificial village is a 160 meter tall flagpole with one of the largest flags in the world. This was built in response to a 100 meter flagpole built by the South near the DMZ. From this overlook, we also saw some of the speakers used by the North to play propaganda and radio towers used by the North to jam signals from outside of the country.
Oh, here are a few random facts I learned about North Korea:
1. There is one TV channel that is broadcast from 4pm-10pm everyday.
2. There are several radio channels. Every home in North Korea has a built in radio that cannot be turned off, only turned down.
3. There is a 3 generation law in North Korean prisons. Basically, if you are imprisoned (almost always for life) and you have a child while in prison, they will incur the same prison time (aka life in prison). This would continue to your grandchildren born in the prison as well.
4. Folding an image of Kim Jong-Il or stepping on an image of Kim Jong-Il equals life in prison.
5. Kim Jong-Il has the largest library of Western movies in the world with over 20,000 movies. It is said that his favorite movies include "The Shining" (makes sense to me) and "Scary Movie," especially the third one, even though in this movie he is mocked. He even wrote to the creators of this franchise expressing his admiration for the films.
Nearby this area was Kaesong industrial complex, which is a South Korean run factory located right over the border in North Korea that hires North Koreans. It was founded by Chung Ju-Young, founder of Hyundai corporations. He was born in North Korea in poverty and moved to the South after the War. He devoted his life to improving relations between the two Koreas. With his help, Kaesong was established, improving cooperation between the two Koreas and employing impoverished North Koreans. He also helped establish tours for South Koreans to Kumgangsan Mountain, which unfortunately has been discontinued since 2007 when a South Korean woman was murdered by a North Korean soldier. Today, there are several hundred South Koreans that are given permission into North Korea to work at Kaesong.
After this observatory, we went to Dora observatory located on Dora mountain. It is one of the most strategic lookout posts for South Korean soldiers to view the activities of the North.
The next stop on the tour was the Third Tunnel. This tunnel is one of four that have been found thus far built by North Korea to invade the South. The four tunnels would be capable of bringing over 50,000 troops to Seoul each hour. They were found by the South after defectors from the North informed the South of their existence. The North claims they were coal mines, which is completely ludicrous. They covered the tunnels with coal dust, but the surrounding rock is sandstone and granite, in addition they built all the tunnels in the direction of Seoul. Today, these tunnels are open to the South for about a kilometer, after which it is blocked off by several walls 3 feet thick.
The last stop was Dorasan Station, the last train station in South Korea. It has two trains come from Seoul per day. When it was being built, there was the possibility that it could cross the border to several North Korean towns. However, this idea has been suspended as tensions increased under the most recent president of South Korea: Lee Myun-bak. However, the hope that it will someday soon become a hub station for North/South Korean travel remains. It was eerie to walk around a station so desolate. I hope the next time I visit this station, I will be traveling to a free Pyongyang.
This concluded the tour, but it only sparked my interest in inter-Korean relations even more. The dynamics between the two Koreas is a unique relationship. Seeing this relation first hand has only intensified my wish for the Koreas to be united. I believe that I will see the unification of Korea in my lifetime, I only pray that it comes very soon. The suffering of the Northern people under an evil narcissistic dictator must be brought to an end. It would be anyone's guess at this point in time how that downfall will occur, but it is inevitable.
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