DMZ!

We were kept busy the last week and a half in Korea with a trip to the DMZ, a special Q&A with Seoul's vice mayor, a night out to celebrate our 1st anniversary, attending Korea's largest church, making one last trip around Seoul, and saying our goodbyes to friends. Whew!

For our trip to the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone), I joined Kraig, the interns, and his boss, Chewynim (not sure about the spelling, but it means leader). We took an hour long train ride up to Paju and then a quick taxi ride over to Imjingak, the tour bus home. Imjingak had an interesting vibe; as we walked from the taxi we passed by a mini carnival that had dark, creepy paintings on the wall. Hmm, not sure what to say about that. Also at Imjingak are many monuments and the Freedom Bridge, where South Korean POWs returned from war. Imjingak is very popular to South Koreans who still have family in the north, as they can come here and bow to their parents or family members during the holidays.

After exploring the place and grabbing Popeyes for lunch, we jumped on a tour bus with about 30 other people. Before entering into the area with all the tour stops, our bus had to stop at a Military check point (all our passports had to be checked) and then weave around street barriers across the bridge. Our first stop was Dorason Station, the last stop on the only line entering into North Korean. It's only for cargo, but still a great sign of progress between the two.

Our next stop was the Dora Observatory. From the outside deck, we could look upon the DMZ, which was very lush and beautiful. If we leaned over the edge of the deck, we could see North Korea. But unfortunately for us, it was a very hazy day, so we couldn't see very far. Inside the observatory, there was a room with theater seating facing a wall of windows and at the base of the windows was a small 3D map of the DMZ, pinpointing all the important places. I was very sad to find out we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, as I really liked that map and the view we had.

After a short stop at the Observatory, we headed to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. Before entering the tunnel, we watched a short video about the war and it's affects on the Korean people. We then stored our stuff, loaded a little tram, and put on our hard hats. A former North Korean man told officials about the tunnel, so they started poking holes in the ground and filling them with water until they found the tunnel. The tunnel wasn't completed, so the South had to build a tunnel from the surface to the stopping point. We rode the tram up to the meeting point, where we got to leave the tram and walk in the actual tunnel. The tunnel was built for a surprise attack on Seoul (it is only 30 miles from Seoul and about 30,000 soldiers could make way through the tunnel in just an hour). But being sneaky Northern folk, they smeared coal on the walls and claimed the tunnel was for coal. But of course, no coal has been found in the area. The tunnel is 2m wide and 2m tall, but it felt a whole lot shorter than that since half the time we walked with hunched shoulders. There are 3 concrete barricades in the tunnel, and we were allowed to walk to the 3rd (or the 1st one we came upon) before we had to turn around. Once again, we weren't allowed any pictures, but Kraig took one on his phone!

The trip was very educational and saddening, but surprising hopeful. Each stop had a monument expressing how they feel the North is not enemy, but family, and how they hope to one day be unified.

I'll be posting pictures soon!