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[
Economy > Koreana ]
Destination
DMZ
 The
Korean War, which began in 1950 and
lasted for three years, has left
as its legacy a 248 kilometer
(155 mile) truce line between
two Koreas officially known as the Military
Demarcation Line (MDL). Extending some
2 kilometers on each side of MDL
is the Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ). Spared
from development for almost half a century, the
DMZ has become a haven for species of
animals and plants threatened elsewhere
and dubbed living ecological textbook.
Despite the efforts of NGOs (non-governmental
organizations) to have this area
declared a world ecological preserve,
the increasing appetite to develop it commercially
indicates the complications surrounding
this matter.
This
year, which marks the 50th anniversary
of the beginning of the war, has
been marked by a number of groundbreaking
events. Together, they harbinger a new
era of peace and cooperation on
the Korean Peninsula. They include
the Inter-Korean Summit in June, the
North/South family reunions in
August, and the declared intention of
the two Koreas to re-link the severed,
Seoul-Sinuiju and Cheolwon- Wonsan railroads
that straddle the border between
them. The area where tension and
confrontation have menaced for
half a century has an eerie attraction,
beckoning visitors worldwide.
Below are some of the best locations
to witness this last division
of the Cold War.
Paju
Region
 The
Paju region is home to a number of sites
related to national security.
Among them are the Tongil Observation
Platform, Tongil Park, Imjingak,
Freedom Bridge, the truce village
of Panmunjeom, the Dora Observation
Platform and the Third Underground
Tunnel. With a telescope from
the 140-meter high Tongil Observation
Platform, it is possible to see Mt.
Songak in North Korea and North
Korean farmers working on their land.
The platform affords a spectacular view
of two of Korea's major rivers, the
Han and the Imjin. It features a Mangbaedan,
or memorial, where those who left
their homes in the North may commemorate
the memory of their departed family
members on national holidays
such as Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving
Day) and Seol-nal (Korean New
Year's Day by the lunar calendar). The
platform also has an enormous drum known
as Tongil-Giwon-Buk (Unification
Drum), which measures 2 meters
in diameter and weighs 600 kilograms.
Aircraft and tanks used
in the Korean War are on display in
Imjingak. About two million Koreans
and foreigners visit the site each
year, a number that is expected to increase
when the Bridge of Liberty to
the north of Imjingak is opened to the
public this year.
The
Truce Agreement of 1953 that brought
the war to an end was signed
in Panmunjeom. The village is frequently
the venue for North/South talks
and is famous for hosting the Military
Armistice Commission (MAC) meetings.
Within the boundaries of the village
is the officially designated Joint
Security Area (JSA) under the joint
administration of the United Nations
Command (UNC) and the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korean)
military. The UNC and the
North each maintain six guard posts
in which thirty-five guards from
either side face each other across
the JSA around-the-clock. No one
is allowed to cross the DML to
the other side. The military demarcation
line that divides the Korean peninsula
is even marked inside the building
used for the MAC talks in Panmunjom
by the microphone cables that
run across the table in the center of
the building's sole room. Here, one
can move freely between North
and South simply by moving from one
side of the building to the other.
From the Dora Observation Platform,
it is possible to look across
into Gaeseong, North Korea and see a
statue of Kim Il-sung, the former North
Korean leader. Other sights in
the North include the spectacular Mt.
Songak. The Third Underground Tunnel,
built for the purpose of attacking
the South, was uncovered in 1978. The
1,635- kilometer long tunnel has an
inner width and height of 2
meters, designed to allow the passage
of 10,000-armed troops an hour. The
tunnel is located just 52 kilometers
from Seoul.
Cheolwon
Region
 Traces
of the war are scattered throughout
the Cheolwon area. It is the site
of some of the bloodiest battlefields
of the Korean War since its position
was considered to be of great
strategic value. Relics of battle are
everywhere , including the rusted
frame of the Cheolwon Labor Party's
office building and the remnants of
the Woljeongri railway station.
The Samgak (Triangular) Observation
Platform overlooks other famous
battlefields including Baekma Heights,
the site of some 20,000 casualties and
which changed hands 24 times over
a 10-day period in midst of
the bitterest fighting of the war.
The
atmosphere within the old Cheolwon Labor
Party office building is strongly
evocative of the war, the bullet-scarred
frame of the three-story building being the indiscriminate
host of a variety of graffiti. The names
of American soldiers such
as "Stephens" and "Chally"
jostle with political slogans
like "Glory to the People Democratic
Republic of Korea!" Visitors
can see evidence of the destruction
of the war throughout Cheolwon City
in the remains of the agricultural
inspection office, the ice warehouse,
and the old train station. Nowhere,
in fact, is the reality of national
division brought home more forcefully
than in the Woljeongri railway station
where the railroad is severed
right before the southern limit
of the truce line and where a rusted
steam locomotive bears the epigram,
"the iron horse wishes to run."
A
broad view of the Demilitarized Zone
is available from the Samgak Observation
Platform near Woljeongri station. From
the platform may be seen the 500 Ridge
line battlefield ; the Baekma Heights;
and from time to time, North Korean soldiers
moving around.
The
Samgak Observation Platform is a must
not only for tourists interested
in the politics of division, but also
for those interested in the area's
bird life. A sanctuary for migratory
birds extends for 2 kilometers in all
directions from a lake that serves
as a natural habitat for wild
birds. Tourists visit the area in all
seasons to observe the many kinds of
birds that use the Korean peninsula
as a migratory route. They include white,
black and gray cranes, plus white
and common herons. The heroic feats
of arms performed by South Korea's famous
Baekma ( White Horse) Division during
the Korean War are inscribed on
the Baekma Heights Observation Platform.
The Second Underground Tunnel
discovered in 1975 is also located
in the area.
Hwacheon
Region
The
Hwacheon Region is centered on the Bukhan
River that flows through the DMZ
south to become a tributary of the Han
River. The river and the surrounding
rugged mountains form natural
barrier to any invader. The Dam of Peace
in the South was built to act
as a barrier to any onrush of flood
water caused by a possible opening of
the Geumgang-san Dam in the North,
and as such is a harsh reminder of the
years of national division and confrontation.
The
war memorial at Suri Ridge is bitter
testimony to the many lives from
all over the world that were sacrificed
in the defense of liberty
at this spot. Bimok ("wooden monument")
Park is the name given to a mountainous
area where the final resting places
of many unknown soldiers are indicated
by a simple wooden marker. Tourists
to the Hwacheon region can also
take advantage of views of the DMZ
afforded by the Ulji-Observation Platform
and visit the Fourth Underground
Tunnel discovered in 1990.
Goseong
Region
The
Tongil (Unification) Observation Platform
in Goseong stands 70 meters above
sea level where the eastern-most
edge of the DMZ meets the east coast.
From this most northerly part
of South Korea it is possible to look
across to Geumgang-san and Haegeum-gang
in the North. Close to the platform
are statues of the Virgin Mary and the
Buddha known as the Tongil-Mireukbul,
both erected in prayer for unification.
Also nearby is Beom-jong, a huge
bell 1.25 meters in diameter and 1.87 meters
high, cast in the hope of eventual unification.
By
Seunghee Lee(tree@kotra.co.kr)
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