Return to the DMZ

This is how most people imagine the DMZ/JSA. Photo
taken at the museum just above briefing room in JSA.

It was almost 3 months ago that I first visited the DMZ.  There were 8 of us in the group, 7 EPIK teachers and 1 visiting friend.  I had been told from others that the DMZ should not be missed and while I knew I would probably be making the venture there when Kim arrived I somehow felt the need to visit sooner rather than later.  It seemed like an opportune time since Fall was beginning to fade and Seoul was hosting it's lantern festival.  This decision actually seemed to be a good idea since the first time I visited their Dear Leader Kim Jong Il was still alive and this time his son and great successor Kim Jong Un is large and in charge.  I began to wonder how the two trips would differ.  As it turned out, not as much as I thought it might.

Blue UN buildings in JSA... large building in background
is DPRK

Both of the visits to the DMZ were booked using the USO which after some research I was lead to believe is one of, if not the, best tour of the DMZ available and also reasonably priced.  These tours run about 70 USD or about 90,000 KRW (I still was never able to figure out the discrepancy in exchange rates which is why I usually just paid in USD to keep it simple.  They tried to explain it to me but to be honest I just stopped listening).  Since we booked with the same company we also wound up with the same tour guide, Honey.  It was quite nice since this was her last tour with the group as she was moving to Australia within the next week or so.  So same tour company and same tour guide, you can pretty much count on the same experience.  Is the DMZ worth the price of admission, twice? The answer yes.

North Korean Solider momentarily lowering
his binoculars. (photo by Angie Funk)

We began earlier in the morning this 2nd tour than we did the first time and we also headed straight to the Joint Security Area (JSA) which is truly the highlight of the tour.  Your passport gets checked approximately 3 times during this tour.  Once when you get to the USO, once on the bus before leaving the USO, and again when you reach the JSA.  When you travel to the DMZ you are sort of eased into the high security that surrounds the area as you move closer and closer.  First you simply see barbed wire along the river, then your transportation is checked when you cross a bridge and you are no longer able to drive straight but move in a smooth slalom course along the bridge.  The barbed wire increases.  Military presence increases and you are told photography is now at the discretion of your guide.  As you approach the JSA the military presence increases, the barbed wire increases and so do the signs that remind you that live mines are still planted just on the other side of that grassy knoll.

From inside MAC building 1st visit.
Sand is NK, gravel is SK.
(photo by Scottie Hoang)

After a quick "briefing" on the area, you change buses in the JSA to a military tour bus and you tour guide is now a US Army personnel.  You are escorted and told to stay in line, not to make any gestures toward the North Koreans and you are told when you may take photos.  Inside the JSA is one of the few places where you can actually step foot in North Korea or more formally known as DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).  In this area the South Korean soldiers, known as ROK soldiers (ROK = Republic of Korea but come on how cool is that!), along side the US, stand face to face with their DPRK counter parts. And while it is a myth that they stand all day in some surreal staring contest they are ever watching each other and you.  They definitely stress to you the severity of the situation even while they have a bit of fun with it... like when they tell you that there is a bounty on the DPRK flag in Gaeseong of $10 M for a 1 m X 1 m piece. You just have to cross the barbed wire, pass the mine fields, and snipers, climb the 160 m flag pole, cut a piece of the flag which weighs approximately 600 lbs and is reinforced with steel to keep it from tearing under it's own weight, and get back.

Me in North Korea next to badass
ROK soldier!

Now I'm not going to go into detail of the tour I'll let the photos speak for themselves but I'll share with you some of my reflections on the area and the situation as a whole.  When you are standing in the JSA and you see the DPRK soldier(s) watching your every move it is a bit unnerving and the reality of the situation slaps you in the face.  This isn't a movie.  This is real.  During the tour you are presented with some lighthearted commentary so that you don't want to crawl into a bottle at the end of the tour.  In some ways it seemed that with the death of Kim Jong Il and with the upcoming election here in South Korea a bit more cautious optimism is in the air toward the hope of reunification.  They are still not sure what sort of leader Kim Jong Un will choose to be, but they do hope that with these changes perhaps channels of communication can resume in the North.  There is hope but if you ask if they think it will really happen doubts seem to stay high. The fact is that the North Korean people are starving and are brutalized on a regular basis.  Korea was once known as the Hermit Kingdom and while the South is shedding that image the North is as hermit-like as they come.  The little information available comes from those people that have escaped to the South.  If you want to know what life in North Korea is like I highly recommend Kimjongilia - a documentary put together with testimonies of North Koreans who defected.  These testimonies don't get any more real especially after having been in the DMZ/JSA.

The Giant Flag in Gaeseong, DPRK. I think
they might be compensating for something.
(photo by Angie Funk)

Gaeseong or Propaganda Village in DPRK. It's basically
a large Hollywood set. No one lives here and none
of the buildings are finished... but it looks impressive.

From the first visit...Angie and I
sending our love to the PEOPLE
of North Korea.

My two trips to the DMZ reminded me just how precious and fragile peace is and how sometimes it is truly an illusion.  I was also reminded that we should NEVER judge a nation by their government.  While the South Koreans despise and loathe the North Korean government they send their love and sympathy for it's people which are it's victims and still in some cases members of their families.

A little more love from Angie, Me and Kim.

Alternative Korean Culture: Haesindang Park, Samcheok-si, South Korea

Warning! The pictures in this blog post may not be suitable for younger audiences or for those that lack a crude and childish sense of humor.  

Ok, so we had to do it.  We HAD to go see this Penis Park that is famous in South Korea.  For a country that is quite modest and conservative when it comes to explicit sex the idea that this park exists here at first seems a bit contradictory, but hey most countries cultures contain a plethora of contradictions so why not have fun with one.  Besides, while we were having our fun, we did come across a few Korean families with kids in tow out enjoying the sunshine and relatively warm-ish winter day.

A little background on the park.  The park isn't simply a crude haven for phallic fun! The folk story behind the park is actually quite interesting.  The park is located in an area of Korea that relies heavily on fishing as it's main revenue.  Within the park is a sort of cheesy but interesting fishing museum which illustrates the importance fishing has had to the economy of the area.  That said... the legend of Aebawi and Haesindang taken directly from the Official Site of Korean Tourism (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=626428)  – "There once lived a young maid who was engaged. One day, the maid took her husband’s boat out to sea to harvest seaweed. Her husband dropped her off at a rock that was at a distance from the beach. After promising to pick her up later, he returned to the beach to do his work. Later, the weather changed, and brought with it strong winds and pummeling waves. The man couldn’t rescue his wife and she ultimately drowned. Since then, the village people caught no fish and some said that it was because of the dead maid. To soothe the spirit of the dead maid, the village people made several wooden carvings and held religious ceremonies on her behalf. After a while, the fish slowly returned and the villagers were able to live comfortably again. The place where the maid died was named Aebawi Rock and the building where the religious ceremony is held twice a year was named Haesindang. The ceremony is still honored today as a traditional folk event."

The majority of the sculptures are really beautiful and others are quite humorous.  While we had fun letting our crude childish antics run amok, we were also in awe by the beauty of the sea that this park overlooks.  The views from the park are well worth the 3,000₩.  To get to the park check out the website above for most recent information.  It takes some effort to get there especially from Ulsan which is where I am but it is well worth the trip.  I might even have to return in spring when park is in bloom (yep that was meant to sound a little dirty)!

Yep, I'm a bit crude!

I really liked the cavities birds had made
into some of the sculptures.

I believe this is a statue of Aebawi

Temple for Aebawi

Inside the temple

Haesindang calling out to Aebawi

We make friends everywhere.

Especially cute furry friends.

Cultural Experiences in Busan and Samcheok: Kim's Visit Part 2

After the long and unexpected hike in Busan we headed over to the Cultural Arts Center for some free traditional Korean performances which included Korean fan dancing, singing, orchestra which included gayageum and geomungo, a monk dance and pungmul which is a traditional dance where the the dancers have long ribbons on their hats and play various drums.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos of these performances but I did manage to find a video on good ole YouTube of the Pungmul which was probably my favorite performance.  Afterwards we headed to dinner with one of my friends in Busan and he showed us some of his favorite places to grab a drink and hang out.  The next day we headed to a temple by the sea watched as locals continued to pay their respects to their ancestors.

Back in Ulsan, I had to go to work and Angie and Kim headed to Gyeong-ju.  I had gone there the week before with my friend Hannah so I didn't miss it but I did miss hanging with Angie and Kim... so it goes.  That evening we began the long journey to the north eastern coast of Korea a small town known as Samcheok.  From Ulsan there aren't any direct trains or buses so getting there can be a bit tricky.  We first headed to Daegu on Wednesday then woke up early for the bus ride to get up to Samcheok.  We were under the impression the bus ride was going to take 6 hours but it took far less.  We got off the bus, checked into a hotel, and grabbed some lunch before beginning our exploration of this small city.  First thing we did was head over to the tourist information desk and grab maps and guide books of the area. Travel tip if you don't already know this: visiting one of these booths/offices is extremely helpful and should always be one of the first things you do during any travel to a new location.  The maps they provide are almost always free and extremely easy to read and in your language or at least your alphabet. Also, at least here in Korea, they have guidebooks specific to the area which are also free.  Some of these smaller areas have lots of cool stuff off the beaten path that just don't make it into the major guidebooks.  Our main purpose for visiting this area was that we were determined to see a park famous for it's unique statues (which will be the subject of the next post).

Since it is winter and most everything is closed by 5pm or 6pm it was getting on to be about 3pm so we explored what Samcheok had to offer in the time left... we were not disappointed.  Samcheok is full of wonderful small museums and we chose to explore 2 cave museums.  As it turns out Samcheok is famous for cave exploration.  The museums were small and didn't take long to go through but in their beautiful and often cheesy displays lies a charm that makes me thankful I didn't miss them.  Even better was the fact that each of these museums was only about 3,000₩ (or about $2.66 USD).

After the museums we headed over to a pavilion that was close by and were treated to a lovely dusk.  We wandered the pavilion and found out one of its claims to fame is having been used in one of Korea's movies April Snow, which has now been added to the must watch list.  


As evening approached we roamed around the town but soon realized that there wasn't much to do and after the few days of crazy schedule and travel we needed a rest.  We spent the evening relaxing, eating chicken, watching TV, and preparing for our next days journey to Haesindang Park the next day... aka Penis Park.  Let the crude and childish fun begin.

We've been there! It's amazing!

In Korea even the bats and bugs are super cute and
apparently extremely LARGE!