On the final day of the trip we visited the DMZ(demilitarized zone). The view of the DMZ is quite nice and the land scape is rather pretty. On both sides of the demilitarized zone there are small villages which spout propaganda at each other to defect to either side. Truly the songs they sing are horrific and seem as if they came from a horror game. The sound is normal enough yet the distortion and apathetic tone makes for a chilling experience. Once you’re in the building it’s very peaceful and there is a bit of information about relations and history. I do believe that the information is not enough though. There’s a lot of small interesting things about the DMZ which were not explained.

Extra Info

The DMZ was more peaceful a while ago, but due to recent tensions some things have changed. North Korea is expectedly poor, and to improve relations the very industrialized South Korea previously was providing electricity to North Koreas third largest city. Once tensions grew South Korea cut them off, in retaliation North Korea decided to take down the poles for the materials. Unfortunately, due to incompetence on North Koreas side this dismantling resulted in many civilian deaths and an eventual stop to the project.

The North Korean propaganda “town” which blares propaganda 24/7 has no residents. There are painted windows and other techniques to give an illusion of presence. Furthermore, to one up the South, North Korea installed a flagpole twice as high as the neighboring town in the South.

As another sign of peace, South Korea dismantled some watch towers which they previously had to monitor North Korean activity. As before mentioned, negotiations have broken down recently and South Korea have reassembled them for defense.

Current relations

One of the gaps in knowledge which I considered the most interesting thing is the current relations between North and South Korea. Furthermore, it’s not just an interesting thing but also a bit of a responsibility to know about the major current events happening in the country you are visiting.

Last year North Korea revised their constitution and designated South Korea as their principal enemy. Science then they have taken move, some mentioned in above and some not, to erase cooperation with the south. As North Korea has started to distance itself from South Korea they have on turn decided to strengthen their relations with Russia. Through these relations, Russia has promised to intervene for the North if war breaks out with the South or the U.S. In the end all previous diplomatic efforts have been lost and the relationship has stagnated.