My friend and I booked a tour through the USO in Seoul. The cost was about $90 and we had to reserve our spots at least a week in advance, as many of the tours sell out. (In fact, both the Saturday tours were sold out that day, despite less-than-ideal sightseeing weather.)
With our reservation receipt, I received a dress code so extensive it reminded me of my Catholic high school, where we had a choice between only two kinds of shoes. Nothing could be seen as threatening or used as propaganda against the U.S. by North Koreans. Realizing this made me a twinge uneasy.
Uneasy but excited, I woke up early Saturday morning to a steady downpour of rain that refused to let up all day. We took a bus and then the subway to the USO office and made it there by 8:30 a.m. After having our passports checked, we (about 35-40 foreigners from the U.S., Ireland, and other countries) loaded onto a tour bus. There, we were given necklace passes identifying us as USO tour participants and our passports were checked again. I'm not sure why they checked our passports multiple times, but I've been told Korean citizens aren't allowed to go on the USO tour.
Our tour guide was a Korean man who adopted the English name Vincent. As is par for the course, it was impossible to tell how old he was (maybe 15, maybe 37?), but he said he has been on this tour "hundreds of times." He began by giving a brief itinerary of the tour: We would start with the Third Infiltration Tunnel, then visit the Dora Observatory and Dorasan Station before lunch; after lunch, we would go to Camp Bonifas, which is part of the Joint Security Area, for a tour given by the U.S. military.
Our first stop was the third infiltration tunnel, which is one of four tunnels discovered (so far) that the North Koreans dug in anticipation of an attack on the capital of Seoul. Vincent explained that although the ground around the tunnel is completely composed of granite, there is coal powder coating the tunnel walls because the North Korean soldiers feigned digging for coal as an excuse when the tunnels were discovered. Vincent, and later that night my friend Ethan (who served his military service at the DMZ), laughed at this excuse, saying the North Koreans were terrible liars and a few other choice adjectives*. They also like to point out that all the evidence of dynamite blasts point toward the south, making it obvious who was doing the excavating.
*I should note here that any animosity South Koreans have toward North Koreans is directed explicitly at the soldiers and those in power leading up to and during the Korean War. Now, attitudes seem to be a mixture of apathy and "I wish we could all just get along, but oh well," which is also a bit apathetic now that I think of it. Mostly, they (I'm over-generalizing for simplicity's sake) just don't think about North Korea. They certainly don't think of them as much as Americans, and specifically those in the U.S. media, seem to. There are very few South Koreans who are legitimately afraid of North Korea. Which begs the question: If they aren't, why are we? But I digress... To the tunnelof love!
Donning bright yellow hard hats, we trekked the entire length of the tunnel, occasionally awakening the contortionist within due to low ceilings or to squeeze past those heading the opposite way. At the end of the tunnel, there were barricades and strict instructions about where you can stand. No photography was allowed anywhere near the tunnel, but that was especially enforced at the end point. There, I was able to peer through a window and actually see the Military Demarcation Line, which is the exact boundary line separating North and South Korea, and is surrounded by the Demilitarized Zone. It was quick, but surreal.
We trudged through the rain and back onto the bus for our next stop: the Dora Observatory. This is an observation point situated on top of Dorasan (Dora Mountain), from which you can usually see two North Korean villages and a propaganda village, which was set up by the North Koreans to flaunt their "prosperity" to South Korean and foreign tourists, but was discovered to be completely fake and uninhabited. Again, there were restrictions regarding photography, and our view was honestly not great due to the rain, but here's a photo of me (taken from behind an unmistakable, bold yellow line, as directed), with North Korea in the background.
After the observatory, we visited the Dorasan Train Station, which was the last stop on its line before North Korea. The railroad hasn't been operational since 2008, but is also famous for hosting former president George W. Bush back in 2002, where he gave a speech about solidarity between the U.S. and South Korea.
Like the tunnel and the observatory, the station was not as physically remarkable as the history and events it has come to represent to the world. It was sobering to be in the presence of such history and to imagine the things that had been thought, said, and done in each of these places.
Although the rain was logistically inconvenient, it added a layer of eerie quiet that I appreciated as I attempted to take in everything we saw and heard. I was also thankful for the bus rides between sites and the time these rides afforded for digesting all the information -- sensory and otherwise -- being thrown at us.
After lunch, we took the bus to the United Nations Command military post Camp Bonifas in the Joint Security Area just 400 meters south of the DMZ.
As this post is on the border (no pun intended) of being excruciatingly long, I will write about the JSA and Camp Bonifas in a second post. Apologies for my wordiness! Thanks for your patience!
*I should note here that any animosity South Koreans have toward North Koreans is directed explicitly at the soldiers and those in power leading up to and during the Korean War. Now, attitudes seem to be a mixture of apathy and "I wish we could all just get along, but oh well," which is also a bit apathetic now that I think of it. Mostly, they (I'm over-generalizing for simplicity's sake) just don't think about North Korea. They certainly don't think of them as much as Americans, and specifically those in the U.S. media, seem to. There are very few South Koreans who are legitimately afraid of North Korea. Which begs the question: If they aren't, why are we? But I digress... To the tunnel
Donning bright yellow hard hats, we trekked the entire length of the tunnel, occasionally awakening the contortionist within due to low ceilings or to squeeze past those heading the opposite way. At the end of the tunnel, there were barricades and strict instructions about where you can stand. No photography was allowed anywhere near the tunnel, but that was especially enforced at the end point. There, I was able to peer through a window and actually see the Military Demarcation Line, which is the exact boundary line separating North and South Korea, and is surrounded by the Demilitarized Zone. It was quick, but surreal.
We trudged through the rain and back onto the bus for our next stop: the Dora Observatory. This is an observation point situated on top of Dorasan (Dora Mountain), from which you can usually see two North Korean villages and a propaganda village, which was set up by the North Koreans to flaunt their "prosperity" to South Korean and foreign tourists, but was discovered to be completely fake and uninhabited. Again, there were restrictions regarding photography, and our view was honestly not great due to the rain, but here's a photo of me (taken from behind an unmistakable, bold yellow line, as directed), with North Korea in the background.
After the observatory, we visited the Dorasan Train Station, which was the last stop on its line before North Korea. The railroad hasn't been operational since 2008, but is also famous for hosting former president George W. Bush back in 2002, where he gave a speech about solidarity between the U.S. and South Korea.
Like the tunnel and the observatory, the station was not as physically remarkable as the history and events it has come to represent to the world. It was sobering to be in the presence of such history and to imagine the things that had been thought, said, and done in each of these places.
Although the rain was logistically inconvenient, it added a layer of eerie quiet that I appreciated as I attempted to take in everything we saw and heard. I was also thankful for the bus rides between sites and the time these rides afforded for digesting all the information -- sensory and otherwise -- being thrown at us.
After lunch, we took the bus to the United Nations Command military post Camp Bonifas in the Joint Security Area just 400 meters south of the DMZ.
As this post is on the border (no pun intended) of being excruciatingly long, I will write about the JSA and Camp Bonifas in a second post. Apologies for my wordiness! Thanks for your patience!
Sounds so interesting, Laura----the propaganda village reminded me of your explanation of "Gangnam Style"! That is strange that we believe there is such a strong "hatred" between North & South Korea---is there still a strong military presence from both sides?
ReplyDeleteYeah the propaganda village was one of the most interesting parts for me. That they would go through all that trouble to build a fake community is indicative of the misguided values of the leadership over there. There is absolutely a military presence from both sides, which includes U.S. troops -- you'll see some photos when I finally get a chance to finish Part Two of this post. There hasn't been action along the DMZ for years, though.
DeleteThat is bizarre....glad to hear about the "no action"!!!!
Delete