Visiting the DMZ - a rollercoaster of emotions
When we were planning our trip to South Korea, visiting the DMZ seemed a no brainer. If we were going all the way to Korea, we would definitely make the trip to the DMZ. We didn't think too much about it, apart from knowing that we had to dress well (aka no ripped jeans) and had to be up early for the bus.
On the way to the DMZ, we started to understand the day would be unique. It started to feel more real. The tour guide was prepping us on what to expect, the waivers we would need to sign, the rules on what we could and couldn't take off the bus, how we would need to get on a different bus to go the rest of the way. We hadn't fully thought this all the way through; that it was a bit more than just a tourist attraction, it wasn't something that had happened in the past, it was actually still a conflict zone.
We took the allowed camera, left the rest of our stuff on the bus and moved onto the bus of the DMZ. Safety precaution I guess to ensure our bus wasn't carrying weapons or worse. Then our tour guide took a seat and we were introduced to a US Marine who would lead us the rest of the way.
Signing the waiver was when it hit that this could really be dangerous. We were warned to not make eye contact with any North Korean soldiers, even if they engaged us. What?! There was a chance of coming face to face with a North Korean solider? That had never crossed our minds. We were told stories of occasions when there were incidents between tourists and the guards. They could spit at us. Again, what? And stories of North Koreans defecting and trying to run across to the US side, and we learned that the North Koreans shoot in these situations, apparently one had happened recently. I went from not thinking much of this day trip, to being scared, then a bit excited about the adventure. Of course, it is me after all.
Walking out into Panmunjeom, the Joint Security Area in the middle of the DMZ, we were told to stay in a straight line and stay along the building. We also were told to smile, as the North Koreans were surely taking our photos. We also were told in a few moments we could return the favor and take some of them. We took lots of photos, trying to capture it. At that point, I moved to the next emotion and was disappointed we didn't see any of the North Koreans up close. In fact, we only saw one soldier all the way across standing guard in front of the building, and we did see the curtains move a bit in one of the upstairs windows. There was no interaction, no need to avoid eye contact, no moments of fear. Of course I shouldn't have been disappointed that there was no international incident that put our lives in danger while we were at the DMZ, but maybe I was. Just a little.
I don’t want to discount the overall experience. It was intense to be there and intriguing to see. We were literally standing in a neutral zone in an ongoing international conflict. We crossed the line into North Korea, a country so isolated and one so few people enter. Of course, this stepping across the line and using the highest zoom on the camera to peak into the country hardly counts as being there, but we did cross the line. We stood in the building where the negotiations happened and fighting stopped. And we took photos with the guards who do put their lives in danger each day, not knowing when violence could spark. It was a once in a lifetime experience.