Seoul-ful Moments...

After a heavy dose of emotions at the DMZ earlier today, we need to chill. Once we were back in Seoul, the crazy crowds, the frenetic pace of life uplifted our mood. 

We roamed around Myeongdong for an hour or so, feeling the pulse of Seoul every moment. It is in places like these that one can actually feel the spirit of the city. And Seoul has lots of it. It throbs, it pulsates with an indescribable energy - you can feel that in every step you take in Seoul. And that energy literally makes you "flow" through with ease. 

That is why I would rate Seoul very high amongst the Asian cities I have visited, in fact would rate it at the very top (tied with Mumbai), followed by Georgetown, Taipei, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Beijing, Singapore, Shanghai and the last Kuala Lumpur. In fact I have come around to love Seoul a lot. 

And there are those weird moments, in Seoul, like this one, where I had a tough time figuring out why the heck would the lady wear a dress saying "Sick And Tired"...

And there are some delightful surprises around the corner as we discovered tonight - we figured out that a restaurant in Hanamdong serves dosas. There we had to go, for a taste of home, a taste of South Indian cuisines that Neeti and I are so crazy about...

Indeed, this amazing meal made me love Seoul even more!

The Line That Divides A Nation - The Bridge Of Freedom...

As we complete our round of the DMZ area, we headed from the JSA to Imjingak Park, passing by the location where the infamous murder of Captain Bonifas took place. 

We also passed by the "Bridge of No Return" that crosses the MDL. The bridge was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War in 1953. The prisoners could either remain in the country of their captivity or cross the bridge to return to their homeland. However, once the prisoners chose to cross the bridge, they would never be allowed to return, even if they later changed their minds - this gave the bridge its name.

On the way to Imjingak Park, we got a glimpse of Daeseong-dong (Tae Sung Dong), a unique South Korean village, the only civilian habitation within the DMZ. Residents of village have some unique benefits and restrictions. They are exempt from conscription and taxes. Residents are also leased large plots of land by the government for agriculture. 

However, residents of Daeseong-dong are subject to some severe limitations. Visitors invited to the Daeseong-dong must apply for a military escort two weeks in advance. There is an 11 PM curfew followed by a headcount - all this because in the past, North Korean soldiers have crossed the border and kidnapped citizens. 

Outsiders are not allowed to relocate to Daeseong-dong. To maintain residency rights, residents of Daeseong-dong have to spend at least 240 days in the village. If they don't meet that requirement, they must explain why they are unable to do so. Most unmarried youth are forced to look outside the village for their spouses. 

As we approached Imjingak, I shuddered thinking about families divided by the DMZ. A Korean friend told me she recalls her grandmother used to cry thinking about her siblings on the other side of the frontier - she had no clue about their fate - whether they were alive or not. Communication across the DMZ is strictly prohibited. That's why a lot of separated Koreans often pray "Let’s meet again in the afterlife".

Recently, a reunion of broken families was organised in a North Korean resort. A particularly poignant story emerged from this reunion. Soon-gyu Lee and In-se Oh were separated six months after they got married. Back then, Lee was pregnant when Oh left, planning to return in 10 days. Lee wished Oh a safe trip, not knowing this would be their last conversation for for decades. The DMZ was demarcated and Oh was trapped on the other side. And they finally met about 10 days back (probably their last meeting), and this was the first time Oh met his son. 

The local press reported that Oh told Lee to sit closer to him during the shortlived reunion. Lee gifted Oh a wristwatch, a gift she always wanted to give him. Lee mentioned she always saw Oh in her dreams.

There would be so many painful stories like the one of Oh and Lee all over this land that could make any person cry. But that generation is dying. The young South Koreans would have little affinity for what lies beyond the DMZ. Indeed, time changes everything....

At Imjingak, the Freedom Bridge was fenced off and separated by barbed wire with prayers for peace and notes left for family members on the other side stuck to the fence...

This train is a relic of the war...

The train was heavily damaged during the war...

The train is rusting away, just like the way the ties across the DMZ have rusted with time...

Imjingak is particularly beautiful. This the only place where locals can get this close to North Korea...

An underground bombing shelter...

Perhaps some day, better sense will prevail in the North...

Comforting a pained lady...

Till the day reunification happens, there will be tears here, there will be prayers said...

...and there will be some smiles of hope!

The Line That Divides A Nation - The Home Of Freedom...

From the eerie silence on the MDL, we headed back into the Home of Freedom, to visit the museum on the second floor, and the souvenir shop on the first floor.

This exhibit described the Axe Murder Incident of August 18, 1976...

On that day, officers of the United States Army led a Korean party to cut down a poplar tree within the JSA that was blocking the view of United Nations observers. As the work began, 15 North Korean soldiers led by a confrontationist Senior Lieutenant Pak Chul (who was nicknamed "Lieutenant Bulldog") appeared on the site told the Americans to cease work "because Kim Il Sung personally planted it and nourished it and it's growing under his supervision". The American Captain Bonifas ignored the North Koreans and turned his back on Pak Chul. 

Pak Chul sought reinforcements and after a North Korean truck with 20 soldiers arrived, he again warned the Americans to cease work. Bonifas again turned his back on Pak, who then removed his watch, carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief, placed it in his pocket and instructed his men "Kill the bastards". 

The North Koreans used axes dropped by the workmen and attacked Bonifas and his colleague Lieutenant Barrett. Bonifas was hacked to death by five North Koreans, while Barrett, who had sustained injuries escaped, only to die a day later.

The next day, with a show of force, the Americans, led by Paul Bunyon, cut down the poplar...

A depiction of the incident...

The entry point into the JSA is now named after the martyr - it's called Camp Bonifas...

A certificate to honour Paul Bunyon who got the poplar cut the next day...

Press clippings on the incident...

A display on the repatriation of POWs of the Korean War - this was an effort that was spearheaded by the Indian Army...

Provocations on this frontier are constant, that wouldn't surprise Indians... 

A display on another provocation by the North Koreans - the Major Henderson Incident...

An old rusty helmet found on the DMZ...

A signpost from the MDL...

The hats of Bonifas and Barrett...

North Korean caps which were retrieved after an incident in 1984. On November 23, 1984, during a tour led by the North Koreans, a Soviet journalist Vasily Matusak suddenly dashed across the MDL into South Korea. The Soviet national was chased by North Korean forces, to be repulsed by the United Nations Command...

The Soviet national was resettled in the United States...

A Korean soldier, Corporal Jang, was martyred during the incident that followed the defection of Vasily Matusak...

North Korean People's Army Senior Captain Byun surrendered here on February 3, 1998...

Incidents on the JSA...

A plan of the MDL...

National symbols...

Honouring the nations who assisted South Korea during the war...

The Indian flag on display, as we head back!

The Line That Divides A Nation - The Eerie Silence At Panmunjom...

This morning, we headed back on the DMZ trail, this time to the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom.

I first heard about Panmunjeom in the 1989 Billy Joel superhit Grammy nominee "We Didn't Start The Fire", which went something like this:

"Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television

North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom

Brando, The King and I and The Catcher in the Rye..."

And today was our date with Panmunjom, finally! We headed out from Seoul city early in the morning to head towards the DMZ and after about an hour we entered into the heavily guarded frontier through Camp Bonifas, which had an overwhelming presence of the United States military, a remnant of the Cold War. 

At Camp Bonifas, we had to present our passports for identification and verification. One cannot visit the JSA all by himself. One needs to go through a tour operator. A scanned copy of the passport has to be provided for security clearance by the United Nations Command 72 hours prior to the visit. Certain nationalities are prohibited from visiting the JSA - these include nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan (And the Pakistanis call themselves the "indispensable" allies of the United States! Ha!), Sudan and Syria! Access of South Korean nationals to the JSA is severely restricted for obvious, emotional reasons.

The JSA itself is a 800 metre wide circular enclave which is nearly 800 metres from the North Korean farming village of Panmunjom, which today is uninhabited, after its destruction in the Korean War. Today the term JSA and Panmunjom are used synonymously. This was the site where the Korean Armistice Agreement was negotiated and signed in a hastily constructed pavilion.

We were ushered in, into the Home of Freedom. We were under strict instructions not to carry any purses, bags and not even camera cases. We were warned that if the Northerners went berserk (which they could, at any moment!), we would have to run and bags could be a big hassle, in such an event!

And then we had to sign a form of indemnity!

And then we walked across the Home of Freedom, to get the first glimpse of the the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and North Korea beyond...

The blue buildings are those which are under the control of South Korea and are used as conference rooms for talks with the North Koreans, if at all they happen! Both sides have access to these buildings...

The North Korean buildings on either side are a drab grey, and those buildings cannot be photographed...

South Korean forces remain in a constant state of vigil, in a Taekwondo pose, with clenched fists to intimidate the aggressor...

A glimpse of the North Korean building, on the right...

A North Korean soldier is on vigil...

At a time, only 30 tourists are permitted into the conference room, and we await our turn to get in...

And there he stands - a South Korean soldier in the Taekwondo pose, with clenched fist and the classic DMZ Ray Ban mirrored glasses to prevent an eye contact with the North Koreans...

I remember visiting the Wagah border between India and Pakistan, near Amritsar, where there is a lot festivity and patriotic fervour. But the JSA is a lot more serious and the eerie silence here said it all. We were not allowed to touch or point at anything, as Northerners may take it as an act of aggression. One soldier always stands at the door on the Northern side of the room because the North has often tried to drag visitors into the North.

That's the MDL...

The South Korean soldier was as still as a statue...

Standing on the other side of the MDL, technically in North Korea now...

The soldier blocks the door towards the North...

These are the flags of the nations (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom) that had helped South Korea militarily to repulse the North Koreans who were then assisted by the Soviets and the Chinese...

Till a few years back, fabric flags of these countries were placed on the table, but the North Korean soldiers used the flags to wipe their boots. Ever since then, the flags were displayed on the wall...

With our ten minutes inside the conference room over, it was time to head back to the Home of Freedom, to see the JSA museum...