"In Front of them All": My Trip to the DMZ

Really excited to write about this; yesterday (the 19^th of October) I was able to visit and see the DMZ and the surrounding area. My program had a meeting with the governmental touring company that we were going to use to see everything that morning around 10:30 am where we were given a very quick introduction to the Korean War and the policies and history that have happened since the signing of the Armistice on the 27^th of July in 1953.  The leader of the group was a man named David Thorp. He had actually been in the Korean War, at the tail end of the war, and had been in Korea under Military order to study the language and protect the border. Even now that he is retired, he works with the Joint Security Alliance to run educational tours to the DMZ. He even told us that they do not usually take non-Korean students on this trip and it is only because of our head program director and their history together that we are able to go on this trip and get to actually go to the border.  

After the talk, which I was already pretty familiar with thanks to my North Korean Politics class, we took a bus to the DMZ which took about an hour and a half. Most of us slept , but woke up when Mr. Thorp pointed out thing on the road that were created to stop North attacks that I was not even aware of. These included large concrete blocks that were elevated over the roads by pillars. If you did not know that they were created to stop tanks if the pillars were blown out you would have just thought that they were advertisement signs over the road. He also pointed out barbed wire fences that surrounded the river in parts and told us that they were monitored by soldiers at night and by cameras by day to stop any spies from swimming into the South.  There were also nets, hooks, and I think a few small mines places in the water to hinder any attacks/spies from the North from entering the South (last time that happened was in the late 1960s).

When we actually got there we had to go through a few military check points in order to actually get to the site. This was because in order to enter the area, you need governmental approval to enter. Thankfully we were there on an educational “visa” so we were allowed to enter the area.  Since we had not eaten, we went to have lunch at the Immigration Building that was located on the premises. The dinning style was self-serve cafeteria style and was really good. But it was just cool being in the building. The Building is used as the immigration center for the workers in the South who are part of the joint Korean factory in the North. It is also used as the processing and quarantine center. We also met up with a group of foreign student form Kyonghee University that was also in our tour group for the day.

After lunch we were taken to Tunnel #3. This is one of the tunnels that the North dug in order to pass into the South. It was discovered in 1978 after a North Korean Officer defected to the South and told the JSA that there were tunnels being built in the area. In order to figure out exactly were the tunnel was being build, the South made a few early warning system that would tell them the location of the tunnels. These took the form of tubes of water that were placed in the ground, so once the tunnel was built by the tubes, the water would shoot up and blast into the air. After about three of them went off, the South was able to dig an interception tunnel and stopped the progress of the twenty North Korean workers.  We actually used the interception tunnel to enter into the cavern. The Tunnel is 73m below group and the interception tunnel is 212m long and very steep.  We were not allowed to take photos in the tunnel, so sadly I can only tell you about it with my words. In the parking lot, we were given a brief lecture about the history of the tour by South Korean JSA private Choi. HE was fairly young, probably a few years older than me and spoke pretty good English, even though his presentation was obviously memorized. But it was interesting to see the map hat he showed us showing what everything in the tunnel actually was.

When we walked into the building that we created at the opening of the tunnel, we were told to put all bags and jackets into the provided lockers because it would be very cramped and wet inside the tunnel. We were then given hardhats and led down the tunnel. Thankfully I was up front next to our program guide so I was able to hear all of his stories of his military service where he was stationed in the tunnel to stop the North Koreans from using it again. When we got into the tunnel, we all had to bend over in order to actually go down the path. The walk was very cramped and small, we were only able to go single file (the tunnel had the width or two people standing abreast of each other) and crouched over.  The tunnel was actually smaller than its original size because the South had put sand on the floor to make it easier to walk and had added a ventilation system to being air down into the cave to make sure that what oxygen was there was not used up by the visitors, and had added scaffolding to stop cave ins from happening. On the walls, they had spray painted the hole were the Northern Workers had placed the dynamite that they used to blast through the granite bedrock that most of the area is made up of. You could actually reach out and touch the holes. The tunnel ended in a concrete wall that the South had constructed that had a tiny door and a tiny window in order to keep watch on activity for the other side. There were two more of these walls on the other side that we were not given access to.

Our guide, Ahn Chong Hyoung, who had finished his mandatory military service a year ago told us that he and his fellow platoon mate were actually stationed inside the door and were instructed to keep their guns pointed to the other side and instructed to shoot at anything that moved. He then pointed at a CCTV camera that was put up right behind us and told us that the army used that now instead of people and that we were being monitored right now through it. He also told us that if the CCTV picked up on any unusual movement that any of the soldiers outside of the cave had a button on them that would set off the live C4 that was placed on the other side of the wall that would blow up anything in the tunnel; that included our group that was standing there). That was the first time that I started to feel the amount of tension and the seriousness of the place where I was.  I was in a small tunnel next to active weapons and could have died there if the North had decided to do anything that day. I still have goosebumps thinking about it now. After he told us about the chamber and what was in there, we turned around and went back out of the tunnel; it got pretty cramped because a few more groups had come down while we were there, so the tunnel was very crowded. I am not a claustrophobic person, nor do I mind being in small caves underground, but I suddenly did not want to be in the tunnel unless I really needed to, and the crowds did not help.

After the tunnel, we went to one of the observation towers that looked over the actual DMZ and into North Korea.

 There we were given another lecture of what we were seeing but a young South Korean Soldier who had grown up in Kansas and gone to University in Illinois. He attempted to make a few jokes on his presentation, especially when we did not react to the information that he was telling us about. I just enjoyed looking out the large panoramic window that we were facing form our seats that opened up to the whole area. I could clearly see the North’s propaganda village, the joint Industrial village and the Northern village that was just in sight from where we were. I really wish I could have taken picture, but the only place we could take pictures was outside on the deck, but behind a line a few feet back form the wall (I was too short to get a decent picture).  What was really interesting to see was that the North was so barren. There were not any trees on any of the mountains or on the ground. Because the North has no access to any natural resources, they are forced to cut down their tress for fuel during the harsh winters, so there was not a tree in sight because they had been all cut down.

After the presentation, we were taken to Camp Bonifas, with is right outside the DMZ to meet up with our JSA US military escorts and to have a presentation from the United Nations Command about what their job was and the rules we had to follow while on in the DMZ.  As we drove into the camp, it really looked like any of the bases in the US. There were soldiers out on the main field doing PT and there was even a US soldier who was skateboarding on the basketball court that was there. Since by the time that we visited the camp it was around 4:45pm, and we were the last group to go, everyone was just winding down and getting off form their duties that day before going out on the night shift if they were instructed to. Again no pictures were allowed with in the camp.  

Our military escort was PFC Laise from Chicago. He was on the last leg of his tour before he was to be sent back to Fort Bragg to be trained for his next security deployment.  After he gave us the presentation we were loaded onto a bus that took us to the boarder. When we were there, we were told that we had to either wear our jackets the whole time or we had to leave them on the bus because we were not allowed to carry them. We also had to keep our cameras in our hands and not to take any pictures until we were told to do so. We were taken into the South Korean Peace hall that was constructed to house the meetings of the split families (it had only been used once) and taken out the back. We were told to stand in two single file lines and to not leave the line unless told to by our escort.  Outside we were told to stand at the top most step and to not step down.  It was then that we were allowed to take pictures of the North and the buildings that were there.  PFC Laise told us to take as many pictures as we wanted to because the North had already taken our images and that they were taking just as many pictures as we were. 

It was interesting to see the buildings, because they were right next to each other, the blue for the JSA/South and grey for the North.  

The grey building to the right is operated by the North and is called the Equipment Room, even thought there is nothing inside. PFC Laise told us that when there are not group touring, some time the North Korean soldiers move the curtains aside and make rube and obscene actions to the Southern Soldiers.

There was a soldier on the North’s side who would occasionally watch us through binoculars and just stared at us the whole time. 

A picture that my roommate took using her camera of the North Korean soldier that was stationed when we were visiting. His replacement was just inside the door. Affectionately named "Bob" by the soldiers on the Southern Side.

As for soldiers on the Southern side, they were all in their “ROK Ready” formation (a variation of the taekwondo ready stance that the army created especially for the Boarder soldiers) and all on high alert. There were mores soldiers than normal   because our group was there. There were about 10 in total, six in front of us (not including our two US escorts) and four behind us flanking our side.  You could really feel the tension in the air; each side ready to pounce if needed to.

After our picture session outside, we were taken into the only joint meeting room that is used to show on the tours. We all shuffled in and were told to make two rings around the central table. PFC Laise then told us about the room and about how sometimes the North would sometimes send solders to look through the windows at the groups inside and take picture (did not happen to us). 

Laise giving his talk and the South Korean Soldier in the ROK Ready Stance. If you notice their eye wear, they wear these so that they are not giving the North the option of starting an attack because the JSA soldiers shot them an aggressive look.  THis also allows them to control their expressions and can also be used as an intimidation strategy.

After the talk, he pointed to my side and said that we were actually standing on in the North; I had crossed over to the North without even knowing it! After the talk, we were allowed to walk around the room and take pictures inside.

In the North

Straddling the Line between the two. Interesting thing about this flag was that there used to be the flags of all the JSA States and also a huge UNC flag hanging in the room as well. But because the room is used to show tourists by both the North and the  South, the North would allow people to walk on the tables and blow their nosed int he flags and pretty much disrespect everything in the room, so the flags on the wall were removed and the flag on the table left after we left and the soldiers in the room with us left as well.

From the South

The interesting thing about the two soldier in the room was that 10 they were there as extra protection for us and 2) they were two of them, because in the past there was only one that would stand by the door to the North, but on time, the North opened the door by surprise and tried to forcefully drag the soldier over into their territory, thus not there are two guard to help prevent that from happening again.

This was the position that the soldier in the past was almost taken to the North in. If we were to go through that door, then we would be in North Korea.

We were then escorted back to the bus and taken back to the camp to get back on our bus to head home.  While making our way back to the camp, Laise was telling us all of his experiences while guarding the boarder. He told us that usually there would be more North Soldiers positioned if there was a high ranking individual visiting and even then they would be watching each other rather than the South.  Two would be facing each other and one would be facing the other two; all watching to see if the others would defect to the South.  Any way wouldn’t they? Well because if they defected, then three generations of their family would either be killed or sent to the labor camps, so the North only recruits people with close family ties to work at the boarder for that specific reason.  

Back at camp we were allowed to go to the gift shop were we could buy goods that the people living in the Peace village (a small yet wealthy village located in the DMZ under the protection of the JSA) had made. I got a 100 won note form North Korea and then went outside to wait until my bus needed to be loaded up. Outside, I was able to talk to PFC Laise some more about his life in the military. Like I mentioned before, he has only a few more months left before he goes back to Fort Bragg, but when he does go back, he wanted to start training at the Officers’ school so he can become an officer and not an enlisted man anymore. He also wanted to join up with the US GSF (the US Global Security Force) and do security work (what he is doing now) but all over the world. OS maybe someday we can see each other at an Embassy when I join up to the State Department!

Laise also talked about how he liked the Bulls and really enjoyed the new line up that they had, since he is from Chicago. It was this relaxed spirit and udder detachment from what was going on around him that I found interesting, because I saw it a lot in how the soldiers that were stationed there, US and Korean. The Korean soldiers that I talked to and heard from all were joking about how when they got out they were going to meet up with heir friends who were out of the military and drink the whole night away, or like the guard making jokes during his presentation at the observatory, or even PFC Laise and his jokes about how we should take pictures of the North because they were taking a million of us. Everyone, obviously, were very serious about their job and I would not doubt for a second that they   were not prepared to fight at the drop of a hat, but  at the same time there was a since of lightness outside of the main border area that seemed some relaxing. I guess if you are constantly surrounded but they threat of war and death that you would need to have this form of lightness (the jokes and the calmness) just to make since of things and to not go crazy from the seriousness and stress. Shoot there was a freaking marine skate boarding who was smiling like a fool and waving goodbye to us when we were leaving! At the DMZ!

But at the same time the solders there are just young men. Albeit very attractive young men in uniform; I thought that I had died and gone to heaven, because not only were they all tall (a requirement form the SK army that the guys stationed at the DMZ must be Black belts, six foot or taller, and physically fit—all intimidation factors), but many of them, US include were all young, maybe a few years younger or older than me. This is because since South Korea had the mandatory military draft for the males, many choose to serve their time after high school before they go off to university. For example here at Yonsei, more than 80% of the male population has already served their time in the military before they came here. Let’s just say that if a war broke out while I was at the DMZ,  would feel pretty safe knowing that there were a large number of young fit men who know what they are doing making sure that I was safe.

But in all seriousness, the DMZ was a very emotional trip for me. I could really feel the tension in the place, especially when I was looking at the meeting houses. I can never be more thankful that I live in a country that is not split and in a contestant dead lock with the other half. I really want a chance to go back and not rush through everything, but rather take my time (or as much as they will let me) and just take in everything; really get to process the emotions there and to watch and see the way that the soldiers are living their lives so close to the line drawn in the sand; living so close to the thin line between war and peace.