Panmunjeom: The DMZ, and Nightlife in Seoul (6/22)

The day had finally come to see the Panmunjeom, better known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and tensions increased steadily as the day went on. We were all a bit easy from the outset, having had an orientation meeting before leaving for the illustrious site. We were told to wear decent to nice clothes, not to bring anything with us, to keep our hands empty and at our sides, and not to make any eye contact or gestures with anyone at the DMZ itself. The women in the group were given a special talking-to wherein our chaperones awkwardly danced around some sort of seemingly sexist point about the soldiers there not being able to see women often and that the women should cover their bodies to prevent provoking anybody at this intense intersection of interests. I'm all about challenging norms like these, but the boundary between someone else's country and another country with which they are technically still at war did not seem like the best front on which to make a stand. So I didn't. I just felt uneasy about walking into someone else's military and political mess, especially one in which such an orientation is necessary.

Military helicopters near the DMZ

Seoul got progressively more militarized as we approached the border. My first such sighting was the six helicopters flying in formation, presumably patrolling the area. I'd never seen so many military machines in action. I then began to notice the fences, the guard towers, the signs and roadblocks. I couldn't wrap my head around just what exactly I was getting myself into-- I mean, by essence of being demilitarized, this was probably one of the most peaceful points of contention I could visit, but the potential for that demilitarization to be broken, for the trap to snap shut and the tensions to ignite that loomed over the whole strange arrangement stopped me from feeling like just another tourist going to just another tourist destination.

The roadblock that separates Seoul from the DMZ

Bunkers and mortars just inside the roadblock

Some of the abundant farmland that acts as a buffer between these ex-belligerents

One of the most interesting aspects of the DMZ is how rural it is, as depicted above. There are acres upon acres of undeveloped farmland that, although mined, are otherwise devoid of the military presence that typifies the rest of the area. Rice crops are abundant here, and are allegedly some of the finest in the land. Rice farmers don't have to pay taxes on the land and get their land for cheaper (a small concession for being so close to such a tense geopolitical situation), and are able to charge a hefty markup due to the quality and cleanliness of the land. If you think about it, the DMZ has pretty much been left alone since the 50s, when much (if not all) of Korea's development and therefore environmental degradation has gone on. People claim there are species alive in the DMZ that are extinct elsewhere. Koreans make it sound like a pretty magical place, aside from the inescapable political shenanigans. Oh, and the landmines, which apparently wash out of their placements in the rainy season and wreak havoc on anyone brave enough to farm those lands. Allegedly animals don't set off the mines... perhaps they don't weigh enough or can smell or otherwise sense them? Who knows.

Our first stop was the border itself. Both North and South Korea have complexes on either side of an open area, in which several small buildings that serve as negotiation rooms sit. There was a smattering of guards from both countries staring intensely at each other, and the tension in the air was thick. As soon as we walked out of the South Korean structure, there was some mild commotion on the North Korean side, and out came a group of North Korean tourists. Apparently North Koreans visit the DMZ far less often than South Koreans, and their guards are only there when visitors are-- we were pretty lucky to see such a sight! I was very suspicious because of the synchronistic timing that this was no mere coincidence, but I have no evidence to indicate anything else. The craziest part was the general-looking gentleman with a massive ornamented hat and powerful, piercing binoculars staring at all of us from atop the North Korean building. The North Korean tourists, dressed in regular clothes, gestured and talked a bit (things we were explicitly forbidden from doing!), and soon left.

The heart of the DMZ, staring at the North Korean structure

The North Korean tourists, with the general-looking man in the olive drabs

Some of the intimidating soldiers on the South Korean side (note the shades-- they're part of the uniform. How intense!!)

After the North Korean tourists left, we were guided into one of the blue negotiation rooms pictured above. There, we saw the tables and mics and other adornments that facilitate communication between the two halves of this once unified country, and were able to cross from the South Korean side of the building to the North Korean side, technically crossing the DMZ into North Korea. Too bad they didn't stamp my passport!

Posing with one of the guards-- it's kind of a tradition/is encouraged, even though it felt really disrespectful of the seriousness of the situation.

After touring the negotiation room, we were taken back to the South Korean command facility, where we were shown the communication room-- the one place where North and South Korean officially talk to each other (when things are on good terms, of course). There was a very thorough exhibit of the history of the DMZ, with pictures of all the crazy crises that have come out of this perplexing situation. From civilians being kidnapped off beaches by covert submarines to an axe murderer, there have been quite a few strange happenings at the DMZ.

The South Korean command center

Our next stop was the tunnels that the South Koreans have found. For quite some time, the North Koreans were trying to tunnel through the solid granite under the DMZ to come up behind South Korean defenses. Three tunnels have been found, and to my knowledge no more are expected to exist. The South Koreans have built buildings around the tunnels and use them as tourist attractions! We were able to go down into the tunnels (they were quite tight), but weren't allowed to take cameras, for whatever reason.

More pillboxes between the DMZ proper and the tunnels

A diagram near one of the tunnels

Some of that famous DMZ rice I mentioned earlier

An awesome sculpture near the tunnels

A reminder that death waits in the wings almost everywhere you go at the DMZ

Our next stop was OP Dora, an observation post from which one can look into North Korea. Specifically, you can see the fake ghost town that North Korea made to look less terrible to the outside world!

OP Dora

And Kijong-dong, the fake North Korean propaganda city (it looked a lot better through the binoculars)

Our next stop was the Inter-Korean Transit Office, the only way by land to get to North Korea. I got to talk to a soldier there for a bit who explained that the office was a place of peace, not of tension like the DMZ. He said 73% of workers in N. Korea are ~20 yr old women who earn about $100/month. There are 123 S. Korean companies that operate in N. Korea, with 50,000 S. Korean workers and their families working and living across the border. It was fascinating to me that one of N. Korea's most profitable enterprises is a joint venture/exploitation by their capitalist enemies (but of course I was talking to a S. Korean to get this information, and would likely get a different picture if it were a N. Korean soldier I was talking to).

A sign for Pyeongyang, illustrating that the two countries aren't completely divided

We left the DMZ and headed back to the city of Seoul, where we got together to reflect not only on our experiences that day, but also to check in on the trip as a whole. It was crazy for me to think that within 3 days I'd gone from Hiroshima, the heart of the international peace movement, to the DMZ, the last vestige of the Cold/Korean War. The difference was chaotic. One was totalizing, conciliatory, peaceful; the other was tense, divisive, particular. It was crazy to think how few miles separated the two, but how much cultural, historical, and political difference there was. The world is fucking crazy.

Discussing our trip

At this point, I needed to get away/decompress, so that's exactly what I did, and my day took a radical turn. It's crazy to think that what came after these experiences was a part of the same day, but hey, that's studying abroad, I suppose! Hard to rival the diversity of experiences you find when you've got a limited time in an unlimitedly interesting new place!

BEST PLACE IN ALL OF SEOUL

My first stop was the Seogyo Art Space, which was basically heaven for me. I must have spent something like 5 hrs there! I mean that can't be possible considering all the other things I did that day, but hey, it felt like a good long time that I was there! The building was just open, which was really cool; I walked in, sat down, and just went with the flow of things! Nobody really questioned why I was there or tried to introduce me to the space or tell me to leave, all of which I appreciated. My first stop was the incredible community library; I forget what I read, but I remember loving all of it. Lots of art books, lots of theory, lots of magazines... and not all in Korean, either! Basically it was all extremely new and interesting, all of which I'm a huge sucker for.

I then wandered down to the basement, where an incredible video installation was running. It was a Pacific film festival, so I got to see experimental films from all around the region, and BOY was there a ton of diversity! I wrote down a lot of the artists and works, but unfortunately most of them aren't big enough to have bridged the culture gap just yet... which on one hand makes me sad, because their work is incredible and deserves to be seen, and on the other hand makes me frustrated that there isn't more cultural exchange in the age of the internet on things like these! Granted, there's arguably a lot more access to international art these days, but most of that still has to be filtered through gatekeepers such as blogs or journals or what have you, and that selection process not only limits how much makes it across the Pacific, but also what sorts of things, all of which I'm completely un-ok with! So at the same time that I was sad and frustrated, I was also excited that I'd found a niche that I could possibly one day attempt to fill! But I digress.

The video installation in the basement. SO CAPTIVATING!!!

A really badass sign that I randomly found lying under the staircase. Anyone care to translate the Korean for me?

And of course there was a super cool wood shop on the roof of the building! AGH, what an incredible community space!!! Why haven't I found one like it here in the states?!?!?!?!

After nerding out over art at the art space, I met back up with my travelmates, and ended up going out for some curry. Now, I grew up on some extremely non-spicy southern cooking-- maybe Appalachian is a better classification, because again, it wasn't spicy, and I know some of you southern folk get pretty stoked about spice. So I'm totally not used to eating spicy food, and often don't because of that, but of course I'm with some dudes and we all do that stupid dude thing where we feed off of and challenge each other, and against my best judgement, I find myself ordering the spiciest damn curry on the menu. Now, mind you, I'd had curry other times during the trip, and am a HUGE fan of Korean curry. Not quite sure what the technical differences are between Korean curry and, well, curry-curry, but... perhaps Korean curry is sweeter and more savory? Whatever the case, I'm a huge fan, but had never had it spicy... until now. And I'm probably exaggerating when I say this, but eating that curry was damn near close to a religious experience. I was shaking and sweating and I swear I entered another state of consciousness, not anything transcendent or enlightened (at least I don't THINK!), but my body definitely felt completely different, as did my mind and my emotions. I felt cleansed, almost, as if the spice had burnt something bad out of me. It was extremely interesting, and I'm totally looking forward to trying it again, but not for quite some time-- getting over the fiery death was not at all easy.

Walkin' around downtown

Some really crazy architecture

Gunpla at the curry place!

The curry crew

LOOK AT ALL THAT CURRY! IMAGINE ALL THE SPICE!

Another quirk of the curry was that it seemed to make me exceedingly susceptible to the affects of alcohol, so the rest of the night ended up being a rip-roaringly good time. I followed my friends (who did not finish all of their curry like me, for the record!) to a very cool bar by the name of Roots Time, which drew us in with its reggae theme. I'd never been to a reggae bar before, but it worked, was an awesome atmosphere, and was a really great time!

The entrance to Roots Time

 After Roots Time, I caught some live music outside in the square-- it seemed as if there was always music going on there, it was really cool! And somehow I heard of a metal show not far away and, being that I love metal but had not yet at that point been to a metal show, I set out in search of it. I ended up finding the bar just fine, but wasn't willing to commit to the door fee, so I had to scratch that idea off my list for the evening.
There's no music like free music, though, and when I passed back through the square in search of my travel mates, I ran into some more of it!

Always music, all the time

Another act

Now I don't quite remember how the next part of the story starts, but somewhere along the way I found or was given a ticket to a really interesting-sounding club called Cocoon. I hunted it down and, for lack of better things to do, decided to check it out. I'd done some other clubbing in Korea and had been pretty blown away by how intricate Korean clubs are, as well as the intricacies of the clubbing scene, but GOOD GOLLEY, this club was on a completely different level. I was only able to snag one picture, but it may give you an idea of the scene inside.

Hands-down the craziest club I've ever been to. Three levels of lasers and fog and music and people and... agh!

And that was pretty much the peak of my night. I wasn't really feeling up to the club scene, so I set out to wandering again, and at one point ended up coming across some sort of bar that I recall trying to talk my way into, but being denied entry because I was white. I just enjoyed wandering around and taking in all the commotion that is Seoul's nightlife. It's certainly something else!

Good luck, car! It spent what felt like an eternity trying to wade through the masses. Extremely ineffective.

And yet another jazz bar that I wanted to but was unable to check out!