For my second full day in South Korea, I headed towards one of the most tense places in the world: the DMZ. This is where North and South Korea collide, separated by so little distance but so much rhetoric. I unfortunately did not join the more extensive tour, which gains entrance into the actual Joint Security Area (JSA), but instead just toured the area.
Embarking on this tour, I was surprised to learn that the theme was 'reunification'. As a foreigner, it's easy to forget that there are still some South Koreans with family up north. It was also easy to see and feel the pride that South Koreans had towards their country, the democracy that has been established, and the immense economic growth they have enjoyed.
Before entering the area, each tour bus was checked by special members of the South Korean army, called the Military Police. We had to show our passports and do a head count before the bus was allowed to cross the bridge.
For our first stop, we walked down a tunnel that was found in the late 70s, supposedly dug by the North Koreans to infiltrate South Korea. At the very end of the tunnel, behind three concrete walls, lay official North Korean land. While there wasn't much to see (and cameras weren't allowed), it was eerie to imagine North Korea so close. Afterwards, we were taken to an observatory point where you can see into North Korea land, where a fake propaganda village with a giant flagpole has been erected. It was unfortunately a foggy day so pictures didn't come out clearly.
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| I was here |
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| Heavy on the symbolism, reuniting two pieces of a whole |
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Super hazy, but in the distance is North Korea! The black
line in the middle is the North Korean flag pole with its
flag flying on top! |
The final stop within the area was the Dorasan train station. This station is heartbreaking in its hope, for its rails run up north all the way to Pyongyang (the capital of North Korea). This was once a working train route, until the borders closed. South Korea has renovated and maintained the station and tracks, in preparation for the day when trains can leave northward. For now, only 4 trains a day run to this station from Seoul.
We were able to buy a ticket and go view the train platform itself, and see the train tracks run northward. The slogan on the ticket read "Dorasan. Not the last station from the South, but the first one toward the North".
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| One day this will be true! |
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Beautiful modern station. So spacious, but only serves
four trains a day. |
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| Train tracks, northward. |
I wonder if I will see reunification in my lifetime.
