Day 241 - War Tourism

According to US History books, the Korean War was finished 50 years ago. In Korea, however, it is not over, but rather in a state of suspended animation. The 2Km swath of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) stands as a constant reminder that North and South have not reached an agreement, merely the world's longest running cease-fire. On each side, soldiers stand ready to spring into action should either show even the slightest provocation.

The result is one of the only divided countries in the world. And one of the world's strangest tourist attractions. Who would have thought that the symbol of war and division would be the top tourist attraction for both North and South. Yet visitors flock to see the Freedom Bridge, the 3rd Tunnel of Northern Agression, and to get a chance to peer into North Korea through telescopes. Those who are lucky enough to land a Panmunjeom tour actually may walk through the UN buildings and set foot in North Korea (unfortunately they were booked solid for the duration of our visit to Korea). Similar tours with similar itineraries run from the northern side.

Both sides use these tours as a chance to play propaganda games. The South proclaims its peace and prosperity, reviling the North as barbaric agressors who starve their people and constantly threaten the South's peaceful way of life. The North on the other hand reviles the South as having loose morals, and of losing its Korean traditions as a slave to the capitalist West. Visitors to the DMZ must follow a strict dress code - no jeans, no t-shirts, no flip-flops, no shorts or miniskirts, etc. It's all a part of both sides' propaganda war. The North watches and photographs the tours coming through Panmunjeom, so the South wants, on one hand, the groups to project and air of prosperity, and on the other to prevent a scruffy Westerner from appearing on northern propaganda posters as symbol of South Korea's 'corruption by the West'.

The dress code also has a more sinister purpose. Remember, this is a cease-fire, not a signed peace treaty, and both sides still have itchy trigger fingers. At any moment either side could turn the DMZ into a RE-MZ. Visitors are not alowed to gesture, wave, talk loudly, or in any way act in any manner that could be construed as provocative. Clothes and shoes worn to the DMZ should not hinder running away.

Though we did not get to enter the DMZ we did see most of the major tourist attractions of the southern border. One of the most important duites of the oldest child is to care for thier aged parents, and when the parents die, to honour their sprits with 3 years of bi-monthly rituals. Furthermore, Lunar New Year, and Korean Thanksgiving are celebrated primarily by re-unification of families. Our first stop, Inminjeom Park, opened as a place where families divided by the war can come to honour their ancestors and relatives in the North. A stone monument faces the North, and families who cannot actually visit the homes and graves of their loved ones come here to lay flowers and make offerings of food and incense.

The park is also home to the Freedom Bridge, which was used to repatriate POW's from both sides of the Korean War. The South gave the POW's from the North the option to remain in South Korea, and many of them opted not to return. On the flip side, the North may not have released all of its POW's to the South. Some men are still missing, leaving families to wonder what happened to their loved ones. As of today the bridge terminates in a high fence topped in razor wire and festooned with prayer flags, mementoes, and wishes for the families on the other side.

Our next stop was the Third Tunnel of Northern Agression (or Infiltration - depending on your level of propaganda). Since the ceasefire was declared the North has made many atempts to infiltrate the South, both by submarine, and by tunnels under the rock. The discovery of four such tunnels have been made public knowlege, and the existence of dozens more is hinted at. When the third tunnel was discovered, the North smeared it with coal and claimed it was an abandoned coal mine. They also claimed that it had been dug by the South - a strange claim considering that its opening was on the northern side, and all the dynamite bores faced south. We apologize for the blurry picture, this taken at the termination point of the tunnel where the DMZ begins, but photography was strictly forbidden so Cz had to take this on the sly.

This third tunnel has been made open to the public as a tourist venue, and also as a reminder to the South that the North is still dangerous and agressive. According to the South's line, the cease-fire has gone on so long that the South is getting soft, and needs to be reminded of the 'perfideousness' of the North. I suspect that there is also an element of covering from old embarassment. When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, its army did have superior numbers and equipment. However, the initial siege was aided in no small part because many of the South's border patrols and front lines had recently been granted short and long-term vacations, leaving the border practically unguarded.

Next came the Dora Observatory where one can (heavily supervised by Royal Korean Army guards) look through telescopes across the 2km DMZ into North Korea. Through the scopes, one can watch a North Korean guard standing at his post on his respective tower, see the UN buildings at Panmunjeom, and the propaganda villages of both North and South. The propaganda villages came into being when the country was divided, it split an existing village in two. Each side built up their respective village as model for its country's prosperity. The South's half consists of a highly subsidised farming community growing rice and ginseng. The North's side is built up to look like a booming industrial town. A booming industrial town which has never been occupied, and whose factories have not turned out a single product. It does, however boast the world's tallest flagpole and the heaviest flag.

Also visible form the Dora observatory is the Reunification bridge. Opened in approx 2000, the main bridge re-connects the highway of the South to the Highway of the North. Currently, it is only open to vehicles serving the reuinifaction industrial park, located in the North, and heavily subsidized by the South, but there is hope that it is a first step towards a re-unified Korea. As of today however, the pedestrian bridge joining it to the park, and either end of the highway bridge, terminate in high fences topped in razor wire and festooned with prayer flags, mementoes, and wishes for the families on the other side.

Finally, we stopped at Dorasan Station. Until 2002, this was the last station in South Korea. In 2002, the track was re-connected with North Korea, though, like the highway, it is curently only open to cargo trains serving the reunification industrial park. Supposedly plans are underway to open the line to passenger traffic as a gesture of unification for the Bejjing Olympics. Once the full length of the track is open, it will connect Korea with both the TransChina and TranSiberia rail lines, making it possible to ride from Western Europe, through Korea, and into Eastern China entirely by rail. It's a nice thought, though I have my doubts if it will be accomplished.

Both sides play lip service to wanting re-unification, and I believe that many genuinely do want a re-unified country, and I beleive that reunification, or at least an open border, would be a good thing. Should there be re-unification, howwever, it will not be all sunshine and roses as the the South promises. Among other things, the North is devastated economically. Should re-unification happen, much of the burden of rebuilding would fall to the South, likely causing an economic crisis. And it is likely that the North would be unhappy about receiving the help. The countries have been divided long enough that there is a generation and a half of North Koreans who have been taught since infancy that capitalism is evil and that economic growth fueled by the South will take away their identity. Similarly the South has had its own fifity year propaganda campaign declaring North Koreans 'backward' and violent. I can't imagine that much prejudice can be erased easily with a simple tearing down of the fences.

All along the highway to and from the DMZ sights, the dividing fence bordered the highway. Just on the other side lay the DMZ and border. It was a 50km reminder of the country's division. The fences runs the entire breadth of Korea, maintaining a minimum 4km distance between them. This 2km-wide no man's land has remained untouched for over 50 years and covers seacoast, wetland, and mountains, making it, in essence, the most heavily fortified nature preserve in the world. Species long driven extinct in other regions maintain populations within the DMZ. On the one hand, the trees, birds, and butterflies living there can be construed a symbol of hope and of peace. Should reunification happen, both sides agree that the former DMZ should be maintained as a nature preserve. On the other hand, it is a reminder of the brutality of both sides of the conflict. It is a refuge only for only animals under a certain weight. Any species larger than a fox has long since been driven out or killed by the blanket of landmines that still pock the area.

On returning to Seoul, the bus passed the War Memorial Museum. In keeping with the day (and having heard it was one of the not-to-be-missed museums of Seoul, we decided to pay a visit. Inside, comprehensive exhibits chronicle the history of Korean involvement in warfare around the world, with focus on early warfare, the UN, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. What struck me most was that ever since people invented national or territory boundries, there has never been world peace. Ever. Every year, without exception, there has been some conflict, somewhere, in the world. Sometimes the war is civil, sometimes international, sometimes it is listed simply as a 'skirmish' or 'unrest', conflict, in varying degrees, is constant.

Some choice exhibits included the UN wing of the Korean War. I had no idea so many countries were involved, and how extensively. Over 2 large rooms, mannequins representing the different uniforms of each country stood next to models of their respective monuments erected all over Korea and placards detailing their involvement in the conflict. In the center of the room a giant tear contructed of dog tags and wrapped in barbed wire hung suspended from the UN seal. It represented a mourning for the losses of war, and a hope for peace. Several such monuments, illustrating hope for re-unification, or of world peace dotted the museum and grounds. For a war museum, there were a surprising number of monuments to peace.

The peace monuments are a positive example of Soputh Korea's propaganda campaign. On the other hand, every exhibit has a strong nationalistic bent. In each document of a battle whenever the South Korean army is pushed back, it is called 'A Strategic Retreat'. Whenever the other guy gets pushed back, he 'runs away'.

The central hall of the history wing was dominated by one of Admiral Yi's 'Turtle ships'. Admiral Yi has the most successful record of any naval captain, having defeated a Japanese fleet of over 300 with only 13 of his turtle boats. The small ironclad boats were far more maneuverable than the massive Japanese boats, and furthermore, they could shoot in all directions simultaneously. Admiral Yi would navigate his little ships into the middle of a cluster of Japanese boats, and then open fire, decimating them.

Popular with kids, big and little, was the wing filled with North Korean war machines. Nearly every vehicle had a set of steps leading up to it, so one could climb in and out of the driver's seat. It was almost as much fun as the bronze stegasaurus outside the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

As we left the museum, the sun was setting behind a statue of two brothers, North and South, embracing. I hope someday in the future it is more than just a hope.

After our big day of war tourism, we decided to have a nice dinner. Yesterday I found a little back street packed with tiny restaurants. Surprisingly, I was able to retrace my steps to a traditional Korean barbeque joint with floor seating, and individual grills on each table. We were the only non-Koreans there, but the menu had pictures, and the waitress spoke a smidge of English, so there were no surprises, which though less exciting, did mean that we were guaranteed a delicious meal.

After dinner, we queued up for the most popular street treat, a kind of donut filled with cinnamon syrup and nuts. Keeping with the theme of the day, we then went across the street to the arcade to shoot zombies. Afterwards, we stopped for tea in an adorable tea shop designed to feel like an old-fashioned rail car.

Finally, we decided to indulge in a form of nightlife particular to Korea - the DVD Bang. For about the price of a movie ticket, one gets a DVD and little room with a couch and large-screen projector TV. Throw in popcorn and drinks for a few extra won, and you have your own private theatre experience. We opted for Curse of the Golden Flower, though not Korean, it was at least Asian, and neither of us had seen it yet.

We finally returned to the guesthouse at about 2AM, having been out since 7:30AM. It was a thoroughly satisfying day.