With our first line of defense at the DMZ, Korea

They stand this way so that they create a smaller target, should they be shot at
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For a moment, I was standing in North Korea. As an American, and especially as someone in South Korea, this is something few people get to do. Of course, I was in a heavily guarded room in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and the South Korean guard by the door would not allow me past him. Why? Because there were two North Korean guards on the other side of the door, on their side of the demarcation line...and they've been known to kidnap or give a good beating to trespassers from the South side. Thankfully nothing happened and I was not the cause of an international relations crisis. But, I must confess, I think everyone in our USO tour group was half hoping someone would piss of a guard and sparks would fly. Hey, we're only human.

South Korean Guard
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The DMZ is a fascinating aspect of the divide between the two Koreas. The Korean War was brutal and millions of lives were lost on both sides. As a result of an armistice agreement, the two Koreas were split in half and a line was drawn at the 38th parallel. Most people know this from their history class or the background given during recent news broadcasts about Kim Jung Il and his crazy dictatorship. The North is under a very frightening communist dictatorship under Mr. Il and the South is America gone crazy (i.e. uber capitalist). Obviously there is a literal and figurative divide here. The DMZ represents the pain of both nations, whose people wish to reunified. The dream of unification continues, despite the growing chasm between the lifestyles and values of the Koreans.

South Korean Guard faces a North Korean guard on the steps of teh opposite building
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It was pretty strange looking through a telescope at Dora Observatory and seeing a North Korean city, so close, yet so far. There are millions of people starving over there while here, in the South, food is thrown away and everyone owns a cell phone and wears the latest fashions. From the observatory, you can see the huge North Korean flag on a still-larger flagpole. The flag itself weighs over 600 pounds. It is across the line from the first flag that was put up, that of the South Koreans. Of course, the North Koreans had to have a bigger flag and so that is why theirs is of rediculous proportions. It was a flag-wagging contest, to be sure. This is actually a good example of some of the unreality that lends itself to the DMZ tour. There's lots of barbed wire and men with guns, but you kinda get the feeling that a lot of it is for show and that the real danger is that some people will defect to the South (if you defect to the North, then your stupidity justifies whatever you get that's coming to you). You wonder if all the hullabaloo is really necessary.

another guard on the base
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The whole thing reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book, The Butter Battle Book, about two nations that fight a war over which side their bread should be buttered. It just seemed strange among the quiet and the hills and the fact that the situation has been relativly peaceful over the years (despite a few aggressive acts on either side to show who's boss). I just kept shaking my head at the stupidity of war and of people in general.

lovely mountains of the North and obscene North flagpole
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Of course, the concerns of the North and South Korean people are heart-wrenching. I had an older student tell me that his parents were forced to leave his baby sister in the North, as there was not enough food for the whole family. His mother assumed she would be able to go back for the child (that had been left with a family with food and shelter) as soon as the war ended. They never heard from her or saw her again and his mother was not allowed to go and search for her baby daughter. They assumed she must have been killed during the war. Mr. Lee hopes that he can search for her once the country is reunified, even though his mother and father have long since passed away. This is the history of many Korean families. The hope for reunification is discussed at a small museum near one of the tunnels that were discovered in the 1970's (and some even more recently) that were dug by the North in an attempt to invade the South. On the tour, you can actually go inside the tunnel and see for yourself the labors put into it by North Korean soldiers and laborers. Of course, their dream of invasion remains unrealized, despite the fact that the two countries are technically still at war.

Reader's Poll: can something this big really be camoflauged? This is rediculous!
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Of course, the only part of the tour with actually going on is the visit to the Joint Security section, where you can see the famous guards of South Korean and North Korean soldiers staring one another down across the small demarcation line. The South Korean soldiers are incredibly intimidating, especially since they have begun wearing enormous Ray Ban aviator sunglasses (which have proven to be an effective intimidation technique against the North Korean guards). They are also unusually tall for Korean men and have Black belts in Tae Kwon Do. They don't move a muscle or crack a smile. It's pretty rad.

Dora Observatory...we look through these telescopes at the North
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I have to say, though, I was pretty peeved that everyone wanted to take pictures with the soldiers. My friend did, as well as everyone on the bus. I can understand why they got the pictures, as the tour guide encouraged them to do so and it is part of the experience. But, to me, there was something wrong with all these white people nervously standing and smiling next to these guards, who seem to be the best of the best in the Korean military. It just didn't sit well with me, these tourists getting their photo op with these men who are putting their lives on the line for their country. The poor Korean soldiers were being put on display, as if they were some guy in a Mickey Mouse suit that was there to entertain everyone. I wanted to tell people, "Have a little respect for where we are and who these men are. Do you think they like having to stand there at attention while you get your picture taken?!" I find it interesting how differently we all react to situations as travelers (or, in this case, tourists).

The tour was led by an American soldier, who answers questions and gives background info. I was pretty curious to see these guys (who are really not much older than high school kids). Especially since Iraq, many people have begun to formulate certain opinions of American military personnel. The young man who was our tour guide was hilarious, a real wise ass. I wanted to be annoyed with him because of his relaxed attitude and careless comments, but I couldn't be because he was so funny. While there was a part of me that wished he had represented the American forces a little bit better (perhaps showcasing more maturity, gravity, and intelligence), I couldn't help but be a little proud.

I am very antiwar, anti-occupation, and anti-killing, but I have to say that this young man really opened my eyes. It was clear that being stationed here was beyond boring, that there really wasn't much to do and he was far away from home. No families, no women, no bars, no restaurants. They are only allowed to leave the base three times a month. The area around the DMZ is pretty desolate and I thought, here is someone who must really believe in what he is doing and is here to do a job rather than rape, plunder, and pillage. He was a nice guy, just a kid representing his country.

Obviously the situation is quite different in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this is the first time I have thought that maybe the military isn't as bad as I have always portrayed it. Maybe their mentality is simply that someone has to do the job, since the cycle of history shows us that war will never be completely eradicated from our list of ways to solve a conflict. On the bus ride back, someone asked him if he had been in Iraq. He answered in the affirmative and had been there for a one-year tour of duty. Since then, he has lost may friends and said that he longs to go back and that being in Korea is driving him crazy. He wants to go back with his former unit that is there again, so that he can be with his buddies. His comment reminded me of a friend of mine who was in the ROTC. When I asked him why he wanted to stay in despite the fact that he didn't believe the war was right and that he did not enjoy the work, he simply said he wanted to back up his friends, be there with them when the bullets start flying.

I think a lot of Americans and people all over the world forget that this is often the main reason why people stay in the military. Of course there are the sick ones who really do want to "raise hell," as my former-Marine Dad once said. But then there are those who believe in America and just don't want their friends to come home in a body bag. And, you know what? That takes a bit of character, I think. So, for me, the DMZ, while it revealed an important aspect of Korean history, also illuminated my country a little bit more.

As I went back to our bus, I gazed at the mountains of North Korea. They are stunning. The DMZ itself is full of lush vegetation, very bright green as it is Spring right now. Because the land between the two Koreas has not been touched by a human hand for fifty years, they bodies of fallen soldiers from both nations can rest in peace, the beauty above and around them a testament to what life can be like when the soldiers put down their guns are there are no more borders.