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.
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| 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.
