The Demilitarized Zone and Welcome Dinner 6.23.16
At the Third Infiltration Tunnel
We started our day with our first breakfast at The Danube Western Restaurant on the fourth floor of the Koreana Hotel. I was so impressed with the excellent continental breakfast and the blend of culinary traditions I photographed the spread before any customers were present to disturb the scene.
Soon we debarked for a tour of sites in the DMZ. I felt both excited and anxious! While we were on our way the security situation at the DMZ was very tense as North Korea had been test-firing missiles that day.
Our tour guide provided very clear instructions about putting away our cameras and not photographing once we entered the military controlled area just south of the DMZ line. Interestingly once we arrived at our various stops photography seemed to be accepted by the ROK soldiers on patrol. So if you get a chance to go simply abstain from photos while in transit and at check points for security reasons.
Just outside of the check point we stopped at Imjingak Peace Park to see the Bridge of Freedom. The Peace park featured a few monuments, a train riddled with bullet holes, and the remnants of a bridge used to in the 1950s to exchange prisoners of war and later a place of reunion of families separated by the cease-fire.
Walking around the park I took several photos of artifacts left by those wishing for reunification. While the remembrance at the peace park was emotionally heavy uplifting messages gave the space a hopeful feel. Adjacent to the parking lot I noticed a Popeye’s at the visitors center. Running short on time I made a quick pass through the restaurant.
After Imjingak we boarded our bus and went to Observation Point Dora. This provided a clear view of North Korea. ROK soliders milled about with weapons in hand as tourists from around the world snapped photos and peered though pay-by-the-minute optics. At this point I was a bit jealous of my colleagues who brought proper cameras with them but I snapped these photos from the observation platform. As you can see below it was a warm and hazy day reminding me of Frederick Country, Maryland.
Below is a google map that shows the locations in this blog post. Take note at how the foliage changes along the border in North Korea. It was explained to me that North Korea is deforested because they burn their wood for warmth because of a shortage of other fuels.
Our next stop was the Third Infiltration Tunnel. The photo from the top of this post is from that location. The large DMZ letters seemed surreal; strikingly celebratory in a place dedicated to acknowledging war.
Wearing hard hats we rode a tram down an include 25 stories below grown. Once there we walked a under scaffolding supporting a rocky tunnel. I touched a wall and discovered a black suit intermittently present which was later addressed in an informational film. “The suit was an attempt by the North Koreans to make claim that the tunnel was a mine and that it was dug by the south.” Along the walls the South Koreans spray painted the bore holes where dynamite was placed and it is clear through the length of the tunnel that holes are southward facing. Once you reach the end of the tunnel there is a partial wall and observation window with a sign admonishing not to enter and that you are within 100 meters of North Korea.
On this part of the tour photos were disallowed but I was able to take this photo of our group assembling for a photo near tracks where the tram departs and also some of the park outside of the visitors center.
After we explored the tunnel, the museum, and the The 3rd Tunnel (DMZ video room) [which features an interesting film that is a mixed celebration of the DMZ as a nature preserve, tourist attraction, and war zone which seems to exist but is nobody’s fault (Eg. ‘honest disagreement’)] we traveled on to Dorasan Station.
Dorasan Station is a modern railway station which would be the last stop in South Korea along the Trans Eurasian Railway. This was built in the hopes of reunification and in the light of some progress in reduced hostilities being made. With tensions so high it is hard to see a path towards unification. From what I’ve learned at the DMZ it certainly seems that South Korea fully expects that it will happen.
Undoubtedly a unified Korea will face many of the outcomes that sill reverberate through Germany today. My question for Korea is “are you prepared?”
After Dorasan we departed the DMZ and stopped for lunch for at a restaurant in the country side which,best I can tell, is named “Houses.” The food was delicious! The farm to table concept was highly evident in this unassuming home-style restaurant.
We returned to Seoul and prepared to attend a Welcome Dinner. A block or two from the hotel we entered an office space and went down a spiral stair case to find room with tables, projectors, screens and podiums and name tents neatly placed. Integration between meeting space and banquet space was seamless and efficient.
