Plus3 South Korea was by far the most perspective-changing and thought-provoking day. On this day, we boarded our bus with our passports and made our way to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Not only was I able to capture pictures of North Korean territory, but I also had the chance to visit South Korean villages within the civilian territory line of the DMZ.

The Hope for Unity and the Memory of War

While I took away a myriad of feelings and lessons from my time at the DMZ, what I will remember most is the people’s optimism and hope in the midst of such a tragic history. It is a common misconception in the west that the DMZ is decimated land with little reason to visit, the truth is the complete opposite. Right before the South Korean military checkpoint is both amusement park and a solemn memorial of the fighting and the families that were separated after the war. As most direct relatives of the separated families are now in their 80s, they do not want their grandchildren and family to despair while they grieve. Thus, the elderly take comfort in knowing that their families are enjoying themselves as they reflect on their loss and the grief of the Korean war.

Inside of the DMZ on the Southern side of the demarcation line, there are several South Korean villages comprised of mostly farmers and small shop owners. Among these villages are many memorials and tourist attractions that display the history of the DMZ and the wonderful nature that has reclaimed most of it. During our time there, we had the chance to purchase and enjoy local goods as well as learn about the general sentiment of the villagers there. While I had assumed there to be a bitter rivalry between the North and Southern countries, the general consensus amongst the population was hope for reunification. While the South stands ready to protect itself from Northern attack, the South Korean population hopes to reunite the entirety of the country and eventually come to a democratic agreement together under free rule.

North Korean Infiltration

The specific relevant content for this request, if necessary, delimited with characters: Even after the Korean War armistice was signed and the DMZ was established, the North Korean government still had plans in place to invade South Korea. To avoid detection and remain under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the North Korean military dug tunnels below the DMZ wide enough to launch a full-scale invasion into South Korea. These tunnels were kept such a good secret that only four of an estimated dozen have been discovered. To those that have been found, countermeasure tunnels have also been dug so that the South Korean military could block the infiltration tunnels if North Korea decided to use them to enter the country. On the Southern side of the demarcation line, a tourism exhibit has been set up in tunnel four allowing visitors to see what it was like to make and use the tunnels. Having hit my head four times on the ceiling of the roof (with a mandatory hard hat thankfully), I can attest that those tunnels are incredibly small and would have been very difficult to use in a military operation.

After having had the chance to see some of the methods that North Korea would have used to invade the South, we had the opportunity to see some official Northern territory. From an observatory atop a large mountain in the DMZ area, we had direct views into a vacant border town on the Northern side of the demarcation line, as well as a chilling glimpse at the country’s national flag. In addition to the ghost towns, kept to provide the illusion of North Korean prosperity, also visible from the observatory is a signal jamming tower erected with the purpose of preventing any outside influence from entering the nation. Being so close to such an oppressive and poor nation of such legend in western culture was surreal. While I and some of my fellow trip mates felt despair for those trapped there, we found solace in the hope of the South Korean people and their desire to educate their children in the hope that they will some day be able to reunify the country.