Poised and Ready for Bad Things: Soldiers from South Korea Face Off with Their Counterparts in North Korea
Travel is an opportunity to see the world up close.
I think it’s important to step out there and get a firsthand impression if you want to really get an understanding of what happens in the world. This is especially true about controversial places.
I’m not suggesting you should take your next vacation in a war zone, bit I think it’s important to stand in a clear-cut rainforest to understand that it’s a good ten degrees hotter with no shade. It’s important to visit a big city in a poor country to know just how noisy and stinky they are. And can anyone really understand the conflict between Israel and Palestine without talking to an actual Israeli or Palestinian?
I’ve been thinking a lot about North Korea lately. When I took a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) a few years ago, it was a fascinating look at the border between two nations that are still technically at war. Standing (for a short time) inside North Korea and walking through one of the invasion tunnels unearthed by the south, made it one of the most fascinating pieces of real estate on the planet.
One of the things that struck me the most, was how ridiculously close Seoul is from the border. In fact, you can see the DMZ from some of Seoul’s suburbs. It was during a period of relative calm, yet even then, the mood in South Korea was full of fear and distrust towards the unpredictable neighbors to the north.
Before I went to the DMZ, I had no sense of distance. But more than that, I didn’t have a vested interest in what happened. Now, when I see the news reports about rising tensions, saber rattling and possible nuclear warfare, it feels personal. I care about the people who sold me a packet of dried octopus. I care about the young men who drove my bus, and I can imagine the baby-faced soldiers sitting on the front lines waiting for bad things to happen.
Knowing someone involved really does change everything. Now I care about what happens to my world, and I want cooler heads prevail.
School Children Decorate a DMZ Fence with Pleas for Peace