DMZ: Imjigak

Date: 1/3/2011

Imjigak is an interesting place.  I think I can best describe it as a tourist education center.  I believe it is part of the unification village, but I could be wrong about that.  It has a bunch of monuments, an observation desk, and temple.  Also is a bridge/train tracks that lead to North Korea.  So it a little bit of everything.  Oh and it also has an amusement park…Yes, that's right, an amusement park. 

The DMZ is a major part of the history and life of the Koreans  But it not something that many Koreans really go see.  Granted, it's not the happiest place to be, but it is full of culture and history.  But how do you convince kids to go see a place full of culture and history?  (As it was explained to me) they have enough things that are much more awesome in their living room: the computer with StarCraft mainly.  So, they built an amusement park (complete with korean food stands and a Giant Viking Swing Ship Ride).  And, to complete this image of "entertaining the kids" when we pull up, the first thing we notice at Imjigak is not DMZ related--it is that th giant hill has been transformed into a sledding ramp. 

I'm not kidding!  See:

Here are some pictures showing that one side you have Korean temple, train tracks and observatory, while on the other ow have the amusement park, with aparking lot separating the two:

That was looking one direction.  On the other side of parking lot is the temple for unification:

Sarah rings the bell --or at least she poses for it.  I think it's suppose to be rung for the first time at the official reunification:

The temple is faces North Korea:

I blame dumb foreigner card when I read the sign that says "Do not take pictures."  And frankly, everyone else was taking pictures. 

There is a sign also, pointing out some of the outposts and roads.  But they are too far away for one to really see by the naked eye--which is why there's an observation deck on top of the "museum/coffee shop/suviner shop".

This is one of the many monuments

We came on an interesting day because some people were releasing "propaganda balloons"  when we pulled up.   One of the tour guides managed to grab one and was reading it.  He was explaining some of the things that the propaganda message was saying:

There was a picture of Kim Jung Ill (North Korean Ruler) trying to explain that he was dead.  Showing a picture from 5 years ago and a picture that had just been printed/put out and attempting to show how it was the picture of Kim Jung Ill from 5 years ago, and the guards surrounding him have changed.  Apparently Kim Jung Il hasn't really come out in public in a long time, and with his ailing health, fears being seen as weak.  

The point of the paper was to cause a questioning of the North Korean ruler, if not even an uprising.  But, from everything I've heard, Kim jung Ill is still alive--and this paper was saying that he was dead.  I agree with giving the people information that would not have been available--but not wrong information.  That bothered me.  

The people releasing the balloons were, by the looks of it, an older American or UK soldier and a Korean (along with a group of Koreans about 10 ppl in total).  There were camera crews and some reporters on the scene.  

When we were leaving, There was a Korean man walking around asking people to sign a petition to increase the number of propaganda balloons released (or something to that effect).  He had stopped a couple of the people in our tour.   And this got a strong response our of the owner of Adventure Korean, Saekjin.  Saekjin actually went over to the guy and started ushering the tour members away from the activist. 

I was really surprised to Saekjin so visibly upset by propaganda balloons.  I asked him about it, because it was  rare insight to the life and mind of a Korean's perspective of North and South Korea.  (Rare because he was quiet opinionated about it and expressed said opinions quiet easily to our queries).  He is not a fan of the current President's harsher line of dealing with North Korea.  The last president was very pro-unification, always sending rice and aid to the people in North Korea.  When the new president took over, he started asking questions about where the aid was going.   Apparently a vast majority of it was going to the soldiers (who are much MUCh better off than any of the people who actually need the aid).  So the new president stopped doing the aid.  And because of that, most of the other countries that give aid, also stopped.  They followed his lead.  Saekjin said this really was wrong because the average people in North Korea need (NEED) that aid--even if a chunk of it is going to the soldiers, well, some portion of it is going to the people.  Now, no portion is going to them.  

He also totally disagrees with the propaganda balloons because "it is just cruel." (direct quote.)  It is almost a shoving-we-are-living-better-than-you in their faces.  He said, in this case, ignorance might just be blissful.  They are starving--literally starving--but maybe their demented (my word) view of their leader keeps them strong.  Manipulatable, but at least they aren't ?unhappy?  with their life because their esteem-able leader is watching over them.  

And this is where I disagree with the propaganda balloons because, if the whole point is to have them realize their leader is a corrupt, evil man, and that spurs them on to an uprising.  What happens, then when/if they win the uprising and find out that, hey, wait, Kim Jung ill is still alive?  How did we help them? That would just turn them against the information provider. 

Okay...that alone was worth the trip to the DMZ to see and learn about propagnada balloons and the differing views of the situation. But there was more to see in Imjigak. 

I love these statues.  They are people slowly walking up the hill to see into North Korea, in a prayer-ful stance.  Probably symbolizing the idea that peoples ancestors and family are literally divided by the 38th parallel and they cannot see/communicate with each other because of this stupid war.

We walked beyond the first monument and saw the view/tracks into North Korea: 

There was an old train:

Further down the trail is a place where you can buy ribbons and write a message of peace.  There were thousands: 

I love the contrast of peace ribbons on a barbed wire fence.  Talk about a symbol...

Next we went on to the top of the building to do some Observation Deck stuff.  We were going to a bigger and better observation deck next so we didn't spend a lot of time or effort to view North Korea, but did take a couple peeks:

But, more in line with our usually goofiness, we took the opportunity to have some fun: 

The American Beat up The Korean (The sign does warn people of the danger of falling....)