Dams, the Army, and Otters- Oh My!

Hi All,

I am feeling a lot better than last week- both physically and mentally. I'm not 100% better- I still have a small cough, but I am leaving for Seoul/Daegu feeling pretty good. The transition is a bit funny from orientation (which feels like summer camp) to actually working again. I may even have to start as early as next Monday! However, before I leave I wanted to write about a very interesting experience I had yesterday. I cannot promise the next time I will post because of the move. I am not sure when i will have access to the internet.

My surreal foray into a small aspect Korea's foreign policy:

Our group was privileged enough to be invited, through the personal contact of an orientation coordinator, to visit a part of the DMZ. It was not the typical place most tourists/nationals see when they visit the DMZ, which is north of Seoul. This was an area north of Chuncheon (which is north east of Seoul, by about two hours). Not only were we invited to visit this part of the DMZ, but we were also invited to see the Peace Dam (who knew) and an otter research facility. Stay tuned (keep reading) to see how otters factor into South Korea's foreign diplomacy.

We began our trip by visiting the Peace Dam. We took a quick pit stop at the town hall and we were greeted by the mayor of the town. It turns out that the Peace Dam was constructed in response to a dam that was built in North Korea. If the dam in North Korea broke or was opened, the water from the dam would flow into Seoul and flood the city. The water level would be as high as the 33rd floor of a high rise. The dam was built beginning in 1987 and completed about a year after. However, there was a lot of suspicion about political corruption and South Koreans lost interest in the dam. In 2002, I think, the Peace dam was expanded due to concern that the dam in North Korea might be structurally unsound and break open, thus releasing the water into South Korea (and Seoul).

Following the Peace dam we went to the DMZ where we were told that we could not take any pictures in the general direction of North Korea. We had a brief talk by a military man(Sargent?) about the area they guarded. The military area they guarded was about 10 kilometers. The area has barbed wire dividing South and North Korea and there are a few kilometers of open land between the two countries with barbed wire on the other side. From our vantage point we could see across the DMZ and into North Korea. They had those binoculars you see at tourist sites (like the Empire State Building or something). Through the binoculars we could see two men standing on a bridge in North Korea. The area of the DMZ looks really pretty- however the environment around the DMZ and other places in Korea are littered with land mines. The environment is completely damaged- almost irreversibly so. I'll post some of the pictures of the area (South Korea only) soon. Actually, as we were walking back to the buses we saw some barbed wire with a sign on it labeled MINE.

Next we went to the otter research facility. Before we left on our trip we heard that otters were the only mammals/animals that safely travel between South and North Korea on one of the main rivers between the two countries. However, when we got there it seemed that the otter that was sent to North Korea with a GPS tracking device in its stomach may not have actually made it to North Korea. Besides that interesting information, the otters were super cute. The research lab may not have successfully traveled to North Korea, but it does provide researchers from both countries to work together and make contact.

As a whole the trip was very interesting. From a foreign perspective the places we got to see and experience seem very strange. I feel that a lot was lost in translation and due to the cultural differences. Korea has a long history after the Korean war and the DMZ is an integral part in the history. We had tour guides on the trip and our guide told us we were visiting one of the most dangerous places in the world. However, and he seemed quite serious, I did not feel like that before our visit or after.

The Peace Dam was also pretty interesting and something I do not feel most people know about. It is actually an internationally recognized site and there has been a "world peace park" with a bell and everything. Nobel Peace Prize laureates have endorsed the effort and have even sent letters and bells of their own for the museum. I was looking through the material and I was surprised to see I had met two of the laureates who have supported this project. I was able to meet Adolfo Perez Esquivel and Rigoberta Menchú through PeaceJam in high school.

Uh...it's late and I'm going to continue this at a later date...