A Glimpse into North Korea

symbol of partition

North Korea in the background

With much anticipation I embarked on what would be my favorite adventure in Korea thus far: the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone.  The name "DMZ" is a misnomer as the border between North and South Korea is one of the most heavily patrolled areas on the planet and a place where thousands of soldiers and weapons are placed in anticipation of attack.

To see the DMZ you one must sign up for a tour as civilians are not allowed on enter the zone.  The first place we visited was called Imjingak, a place built for Koreans to come and grieve for family members left behind in the North.  Many North Koreans have defected following the Korean war and are now living in South Korea with their families.  The most iconic symbol of the DMZ, the steam locomotive, is found here.  The locomotive is a symbol of the partition; a grim reminder of the violence that engulfed the peninsula in the 1950's.  According to the conductor, the train was heading north to Pyongyang when it was stopped due to the Chinese military intervention and destroyed.  The engine is riddled with over one thousand bullets.

Dorsan station is the last train station before entering the North.  The station is well maintained but has an eerie feeling as it is empty outside of a few tourists visiting it.  We were lucky to see an actual train with very few Koreans going to North Korea but we were told that trains going north are few and far between.

Another highlight of the trip came when we visited the Dora Observatory.  This observatory is perched high above the surrounding area on top of a small mountain.  A number of powerful binoculars were available and with the blessing of a clear day our group was able to get a very nice view of Kaesong, one of the largest cities in North Korea with a population of about 300,000.  It is interesting to note that many South Koreans have opened up factories in this city and run these industrial plants. While viewing from the observatory we noticed a convoy of trucks crossing the border.  This convoy carried the household appliances produced in these factories for sale in the South, sale of these items is prohibited in the North, as are all items from what I understand.  Other than the cars coming to the South the city looked deserted as I was only able to spot 3 people walking and zero automobile traffic.  Also, the mountains in North Korea are bare as they have been cut so that people cannot hide in their protective brush.  This is in stark contrast to the South where beautiful trees cover most mountains.

It is hard to believe that such complete government control of people still exists in our world and seeing this first hand really put into perspective what I have read about communism and oppression in countless history books, nevertheless experiencing this in person cannot equate with any amount of books the one person can read.

Dorsan Station; eerily empty

last train station before North Korea; Pyongyang 205km