Extreme tourism: Panmunjeom, DMZ

The visitor form they hand you in Seoul for DMZ tours begins as follows: “Visiting Panmunjeom entails entry into a hostile territory and includes the possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.” Panmunjeom, as you may or may not know, is located on the DMZ. My wife and I were planning to see it with our own eyes, so we had to read and sign this form.

My wife asked, “What we are we doing here?” What was all that about hostile territory and the possibility of death? Aren’t we on vacation? I consoled myself with, “If you’re going a truly unique place, with so much history and symbolic importance, there’s going to be some risk involved.”

 
It was the morning of our first day in South Korea and we were at the U.S. Army Visitors Center, as I mentioned, we were in downtown Seoul. They were filling us in on how we should act once we arrived to Panmunjeom on the border with North Korea.

A friend had told us that our clothes had to be conservative, preferably not informal. No tennis shoes or jogging suits. In fact, it is forbidden to take denim clothing. A few years ago the North Koreans accused the South Koreans of infiltrating the border dressed as Americans. Our friend told us that the North Koreans use photos of tourists to indoctrinate the people of North Korea against South Korea and the West.

Our behavior was supposed to be serious at all times. Hugs, demonstrations of affection, laughter (and especially loud laughter) were out of the question. Also, you are not allowed to make gestures that might be interpreted as a provocation. We were told our movements should be predictable and that we should stay with the visitors group at all times.

The journey of 40 miles on the bus lasted nearly an hour, but we travelled back in time to 1958.

We took the Unification Highway, which leads to the North Korean border.   The international road had little international features. It ends in a closed bridge (the so-called Bridge of No Return) at Panmunjeom. The armistice was signed in this little village in July 1953.

The place - neutral yet divided between the two countries -is guarded by troops chosen by their respective armies. They are in a permanent state of alert, protected by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, an agency of the United Nations.

This area is part of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), which is 256 kilometers long and two kilometers wide on each side, defines the separation line between the two Koreas and runs along the 38th parallel.

There is a large military complex At Panmunjeom on both the South Korean and North Korean side. Representatives of the two Koreas occasionally meet, assisted by neutral countries (Sweden and Switzerland, for example) and other interested parties (US, PRC). They discuss communications, business, sports, food, and family issues, etc. More than anything else, how to handle the everyday inter-Korea relationship; although a peace accord has not been reached because neither side will admit defeat.

It’s quite a strange place! Beyond the rural village of Panmunjeom itself, there are several prefabricated buildings that don’t look very military. Some are museums, full of photographs and military equipment. Two giant flagpoles, 160 meters high and flying the two nations flags, dominate the area. They say that the poles were once normal-sized in 1958, but have grown ever since, reaching their current, colossal height.

South Korean buildings are guarded by both Korean and American troops. Their tour of duty in Panmunjeom is brief due to the extreme tension in the area. We were surprised to meet some Puerto Rican soldiers. They guided our visit through the museum complex in Spanish.

The troops receive extra pay, whereas they are in a hostile zone. They are all black belts. When they are on duty, they must remain firm, standing with their arms rigid, fists closed, and staring at the North Korean soldier who faces them across the border.

Downstairs at the complex there are rectangular, prefabricated houses. Half are on the South Korean side and half are on the North Korean side. We were told that inter-Korean theatre is performed in these buildings.

In calm times, they are open to visitors and one can visit every room. However, few do. The bad vibrations on the north side of the building drive away most visitors. Perhaps the North Korean visitors say the same about the south side of their buildings!

A painted line that runs through everything, from one side to another, marking the border.

Above the line there are two flags, one South Korean, the other North Korean. One might think that flags are desktop sized. Not at all! They are both at least one meter in height. As with the flagpoles, they just kept growing since the armistice. Neither side wanted to back down on any issue with even the remotest symbolic value. To make a long story short, today we see flags on 1-meter high poles, which are definitely too large to be placed on a table.

From the visitor center one can see two houses. In the south is Taesong-dong (the nation of freedom), where dozens of families live in constant tension. In the north is Kijong-dong (the nation of peace), which was called Propaganda Village, because, in reality, the people living there are hand-picked by the North Korean regime, as a selected sample. They are rotated out every so often. (Maybe so they don’t run off?).

But in village after another, propaganda loudspeakers are blaring. Capitalist slogans cried out against revolutionary slogans. "Our leader will unite the Motherland!" is heard from the north, while “Reunification is closer than ever!" is heard from the southern speakers.