Another event from the G50 K-Academy program, created and funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, which aims to promote Korean culture and history in the international context, took place in South Korea from August 22 to 24. In this way, they selected foreign residents from 50 different countries to represent their home country and embark on this journey. In the context of this program, the second trip was to the DMZ, known as the Demilitarized Zone between South Korea and North Korea, which, despite what its name suggests, is one of the areas with the largest number of armed forces and weapons in the world. world. all. Every day we encounter news of missile tests or threats from North Korea, but it is difficult to know for sure or experience firsthand the severity of the situation. As Portuguese and Europeans, we are so used to being able to travel freely across borders without major formalities, that we almost forget that they exist, not to be obvious, because of the immediate language difference when entering another country or another region. But what about South Korea and North Korea? The reality is that despite sharing much of the same language and culture, these two countries have such a well-guarded border that they are considered complete strangers. We set out to discover what life is like for the people living on this border, the dangers they face every day, and embarked on a journey that revolutionized the way we see South Korea.
The journey started in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and went via the International Crane Center next to the DMZ. Surprisingly, in Korea, herons are mainly seen in the DMZ, as is the case with certain species of plants that thrive exclusively in the area and malarial mosquitoes that are common in the region. At this center we received instructions on how to operate within the demilitarized zone and what security rules we had to enforce. From here we then go to the DMZ and here we immediately notice a complete difference in the environment. After long minutes on the bus to the DMZ area in Cheorwon, we arrived at a military checkpoint where our cell phones were confiscated for security reasons and to prevent private government information from being made public. They counted every person on the bus and accompanied by 2 military vehicles and an ambulance we entered the DMZ. Alone, in what seemed like desert land, we looked out the windows and all we could see were fields and mountains. Highly developed Korea, always full of life and movement, now consisted only of land and military posts, empty roads and streets without people. I felt, and I believe my colleagues would say the same thing, that it was an extension of North Korea, because it was a completely and incredibly separate world. Even though they are well guarded by Korean forces and accompanied by government officials, there is a certain fear and awareness of the danger and severity of the situation.
This demilitarized zone is only visited by soldiers who work in the area or by farmers who have been farming there for decades. Interestingly enough, agriculture had a strong influence on the current layout of the region, because it was thanks to the farmers that the area extended over so many kilometers. In the past, the area was much larger, but farmers started planting at the beginning of the demilitarized zone and gradually occupied more of the land, leading to a decrease in the DMZ area. This strong interest in agriculture, which even crosses borders, is somewhat similar to what we have often seen in Portugal, especially in the dispute over agricultural land in the Trás-os-Montes area.
Within the demilitarized zone, we visited Weoljeongri station, the closest train station to the DMZ border (southern front). At this station we see a stationary train of which only the back remains. This is where a large-scale battle took place during the Korean War, leading to the withdrawal of North Korean soldiers, but not before taking the convoy’s front with them. So only the rear remains of this vehicle, which is constantly stopped at the station and which is strongly representative of the history of the division of Korea. In addition to this relevant historical element, we read “The Iron Horse Wants to Run”, a reference not only to the train in question, but also to the area known as Miradouro do Triângulo de Ferro.
The next visit point was the Ganghwa Peace Viewpoint, which opened to the public in September 2008, in the northern part of the Line of Civil Control, with the aim of promoting peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula. At this place we can observe the Kaesong Reception and Transmission Tower, Songaksan Mountain and a North Korean propaganda village from a distance. It is one of the few places in South Korea where it is possible to observe the lives of North Korean residents in the nude. eye. One of the most memorable visits on this trip was the Second Tunnel, an experience almost worthy of a movie. Discovered in 1975, this tunnel was used by North Korea to invade South Korea and has the capacity to move approximately 30,000 soldiers per hour. Before entering, we were given helmets and safety equipment and kitted out as the height of the cave, although it varied, was approximately 160 centimeters. The entrance started steeply, followed by stairs that we walked down for several minutes until we reached the ground, which took us maybe 15 minutes, but what seemed like an eternity. The rain outside increased the humidity in the cave, causing the floor to be covered in puddles, the walls to be damp, and the sound of threatening water to be heard. We crouched carefully through the narrow tunnels, amid the sounds of people banging their heads against the ceiling, until we reached what seemed like the end of that cave. There was a wider section of the tunnel, almost similar to a small room, with plastic benches for us to sit on and a metal door that aroused the curiosity of young minds like ours. The soldier leading us through that challenging route then said something that sent a shiver through our bodies: “If we go through this door, 300 meters from here, there’s North Korea. You are the people closest to North Korea right now. Korea. Northernly throughout our country. If you run, you’ll be there in less than five minutes.” The voice that told us this sounded so calm and relaxed that you would never believe it could cause so much tremors and unrest among all of us who were there.
Finally, in what was the most memorable place of the visit, we went to Inje, inside the DMZ, to 1052 Goji, a place that opened to the public for the first time in 70 years in September 2022. Until our visit in August, only a thousand people had been allowed in since it opened. This place was closed for two months during the summer and opened so we could visit and we were the first foreigners to get entry permit as well as the largest group. The persistent rain made visibility from the vantage point quite limited, making it difficult to see North Korea in the distance and making it impossible to take a full tour of 1052 Goji. However, the entire group of 50 representatives managed to feel the importance of the place where we were and were extremely grateful for the effort and time spent by the Korean government so that we could visit not only this extremely symbolic place, but also all the others places. that it has enabled us to acquire a much deeper and more lasting knowledge of Korean history.
Being able to safely experience all these elements first hand was not only the experience of a lifetime, but also a moment of self-reflection for all of us. The idea of the impact of war decades after the event and its influence on hundreds of thousands of lives created in us a strong sense of compassion, but also of fear. The way this area stood still in time is perhaps the most representative and symbolic element of all. Violence and war succeeded in creating a shock that could capture the most ephemeral element of all, time, in that zone we call the DMZ. An almost empty land of farmers and soldiers whose appearance has remained so well preserved and unchanged over the past decades. When we think of the people who lived forever separated from their families, separated by a great barrier, symbolic not only of man’s ego, but also of man’s two faces, we reflect on the pain of those who died without being able to be reunited with their loved ones, your loved ones, without even knowing any news since the separation, and with that a strong desire for peace grows within us. It would be easy to think that all the soldiers and people living there would hold grudges or just talk about pain and suffering, but from the tour guides, to the soldiers, to the farmers, all the words we heard were of hope for a safe, peaceful and no war. Their eyes shone with the dream of pacification and unification, of a Korea that regains its history and culture in its entirety, stronger than ever. We can only hope and believe that this will be much more than a dream, but rather a step forward towards a future of peace and prosperity.
Source: DN
