The DMZ and Korea's History: A Lesson

After a few more relaxing days of hanging out in Seoul (translation - sleeping and eating room service) I decided to tackle the DMZ. Now don’t tell my mom, because I know she was nervous about my going. Also, this might be boring, so if you’re easily bored stop now.

We met our tour guide in the lobby of our hotel at 7:45 am, which was a feat for me. I was so nervous about being late and missing the tour that I was actually the first one to arrive. Our group consisted of 6 of our SOM people, two South American guys who were tourists in Asia, and two girls from the military base. We started out driving North from Seoul (the capital of South Korea) while learning more about the history of Korea, and the battle between North and South.

From what I learned, beginning around 1900 there was Japanese occupation in Korea. The Koreans still hold a grudge today, because a lot of Korean women were forced into prostitution by Japanese soldiers at this time. When WWII ended in 1945, Japanese rule in Korea was over, and the country was divided by the US, USSR, and Great Britain. The USSR got the land above the 38th parallel (North Korea), while the USA and Britain governed the land south (South Korea). In the North, the Soviets set up a communist officer as dictator, whereas in the South, government officials were elected. Between 1950 and 1951 there was battling between the North and South, which finally calmed into a stalemate between armies that lasted until 1953. At that time, an armistice was signed that still exists today. No peace treaty was ever signed.
What exists today is the De-Militarized Zone, called the DMZ. Technically, it is two meters each direction from the 38th parallel where no one is allowed to set foot. The interesting part of it is that it has made a four meter wide strip of land that is one of the best nature preserves in the world, since it hasn’t been touched for over 50 years. It is one of the last vestiges of the Cold War, and one of the most secure boundaries in the world.

As we drove North, we could see the water to our left behind a giant barbed wire fence. The fence is there for protection today, but years ago it was actually put up because spies from the North were constantly trying to get into the South. Apparently today it’s not as much of an issue because Northern spies can get into the South far more easily by flying through China. The fences have special triggers that look like rocks that tell the government if anyone has been near them or touched them or tried to climb over them. From one spot while driving we could actually see North Korea with the naked eye. Since the line drawn at the 38th parallel curves a bit, one small village is obvious when you are driving closer to North Korea. The girls in our group from the army explained that a lot of Americans think this town is a fake town, set up by the North Koreans to distract South Korea.

Apparently a lot of these fake cities, distractions, and other strange war tactics are pretty common between North and South Korea. When we got to the army’s observation deck that looks out over the DMZ we could see other villages, not all of which were real. The North and South also played a silly game with flag poles, with the South putting up a hundred meter flagpole only to wake up the next day to see that the North had put up one that was a hundred and ten meters. This led to North Korea having the tallest flag pole in the world on its side, before South Korea gave up.

One of the coolest things we got to see on our tour was the third infiltration tunnel. Even though the North and South appear to be at peace, both sides are constantly preparing for war. Our guide showed us tons of bridges with dynamite in them, so that when North Korea invades they can blow bridges and buy themselves some time. One thing that North Korea has done is to dig secret tunnels that go underneath the DMZ. So far over the years, four tunnels have been found by South Korea, and they expect that there are as many as twenty that they haven’t found. All the tunnels lead toward Seoul, and all are capable of transporting up to 10,000 soldiers in a hour. We actually got to climb underground and walk in the 3rd tunnel, which was fascinating and pretty scary. When the tunnels were discovered the North Koreans claimed that the South Koreans had dug them, even though they originate in the North and have digging and dynamite marks that prove they were blown from the North. It’s pretty ridiculous.

Aside from preparations for war and scars from the ones that happened, we also saw all the preparations that the South was making for reunification. The plan for reunification is slow and well though out, but if it happens will be very difficult. South Korea is a booming metropolis, a capitalist country with a lot of wealth compared with the rest of the world. North Korea is a communist country that has been slowly getting poorer and poorer over the past 50 years. South Korea has adapted Western words into their vocabulary, like computer, while the North Koreans reject anything Western. Some common Korean words have grown to have two completely different meanings between the two halves. Recently it was found out that the North Koreans exaggerated their census by over 5 million people, because of so many deaths from starvation. When and if the two halves come together it will be a difficult, long road.

Overall, it was amazing to be able to see the DMZ. I was so clueless about this part of history, and it’s a shocking part of the world. My heart aches for the people in the South who haven’t been able to communicate with their relatives in the North for fifty years, and have no idea who’s alive or dead. Plus, now I understand the need for so many US soldiers to be positioned in South Korea. It’s pretty scary, but the DMZ is a major defining part of Seoul.

P.S. If this is totally boring and doesn’t make sense and my history is all wrong, I apologize profusely. I’ve never been good at history or geography, but this was very interesting!