Propaganda ... My Visit to the DMZ

“It is always a much easier task to educate uneducated people than to re-educate the  mis-educated.” ― Herbert M. Shelton

My Trip to the DMZ/JSA.
“Are you all scared or nervous?” asked the tour guide as we headed towards the DMZ. I’m thinking in the back of my head, if someone is on this bus and they are scared, they should not be on this tour. And that’s my opinion. On Saturday, December 2, 2017, I went to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is a border/buffer zone that divides North and South Korea. The DMZ runs about 250 kilometers long, and it is known to be one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world. Our guide told us the two nations are still in a “frozen war.” During this tour, I learned a lot more on the divide between the two countries.

Dates:
08.15.1945- Liberation of Korea

08.15.1945- Republic of Korea established (S.K)

09.09.1948- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (N.K)

06.25.1950- Korean War

07.27.1953- Armistice Agreement signed

So, our first stop was the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel (The third tunnel of aggression). The first of four tunnels identified was found in 1974. North Korea dug tunnels under the DMZ going all the way towards Seoul, South Korea in preparation for a surprise invasion. The tunnels are big enough to accommodate about 30,000 troops an hour. There are holes in the walls with yellow paint. Our tour guide told us that those holes were created to hold dynamite. [No pictures could be taken in the tunnel.] Next, we went to the Dora Observatory. From this platform, you could see off in the distance the Peace Village, or “Propaganda Village” of North Korea. The city looked disserted. The only creepy thing to me was the propaganda music and messages playing from the North Korean speakers. After that, we went to Dorasan Train station. It is located 56 km from Seoul, South Korea and 205km from Pyongyang, North Korea. The Dorasan Station is a railroad, that a one point, connected North Korea and South Korea. The freight trains to and from North Korea ran for about 1 year; the North Korean government closed it down. Today, only South Korea uses it for tourism from Seoul to the DMZ. The Peace Park was created as a symbol of “peace and hope for the reunification of the divided country.” This area had pieces of the Berlin Wall from Germany, as well as, a board with time. One side had the start-to-end date/time of the divide in Germany (41 years, 04 months and 11 days), and the other side has the ongoing time of the divide between Korea (72 years, 03 months, and 17 days). Finally, we went to the joint security area where the two nations meet. [Inside the building, I was technically on North Korea’s side.]

Only sign still existing with both nations' capital city.

North Korea's building across the street.

My commemorative stamp with North Korea's capital.

Propaganda. Defined by Merriam-Webster: n the spreading of ideas, information, or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

In North Korea, the country’s leader has the news fixed with positive views of the country and what their leader wants the people to know and learn. A while back, I was shown a video of North Korea being told they won the World Cup. Now in China, they  block certain information from their media and doesn't allow some media in their country. You can't access Facebook, Google, Instagram, nor Twitter, unless you have a VPN. China has created their own platforms to monitor what all is going in and out of their country.

Propaganda circulates through the media nowadays, and you must be careful to differentiate the truth from biased opinions. The news/media takes certain information and manipulates it to make a drastic story, resulting in worried and concerned viewers. I didn't realize this until my first trip abroad back in 2014. The news that you'd hear about certain countries verses being in those countries, it's not exactly the situation the news portrayed. This is one of the reasons why I love to travel, seeing the realities for myself and sharing it with others.

Living in South Korea.
Some months ago, I experienced conversations that I NEVER thought I would come across. Even at this moment, I still don't even know if I responded correctly. So, the week of 09.09, I had students say "Teacher, we're going to die." "Teacher, there's going to be a war this weekend." "Teacher, we might die this weekend, so do I have to finish this work?" One of my younger students drew a missile exploding as a way to express their concerns about the news. In confusion, I responded like "No, we're not going to die." "Let's not think like that, and let's finish this work." "Stay focused." I'm thinking in the back of my head like where are they getting this information from, and WHY haven't my Korean co-workers said anything about it? The second day after hearing about it again, I asked one of my Korean co-workers. She informed me that 9 September is the founding day of North Korea, and with the leader, he likes to "show out" on significant dates and moments. She said that she was a little nervous, but not too concerned about it. It made me think back to late April when North Korea’s leader made a scene and some people were nervous. But through it all, it's second nature to South Koreans. These people anticipate that leader to do something crazy. That talk had me thinking like, some of these people live in fear not knowing what North Korea is going to do but continue living their "regular schedule." My co-worker said that maybe the older generations that lived during the time when the North and South were at war, are the ones that may be a little paranoid of North Korea; the younger generations have heard and experienced this reoccurring "scare tactic" that is has become second nature. When they hear about these missiles and whatever else is got going on, they continue living with their normal programmed schedules. Me too.

Now, there have been several occasions where I’ve received messages asking how I’m doing and am I okay. My responses are like "yeah, I went hiking today, I’m tired. " "yes, I went to a spa and it was amazing." or "yes, how about yourself?" “Well I heard North Korea…” 🤦🏽 I’ve heard other foreigners telling me how they must reassure their family and friends they’re alright every time North Korea does something…even though we live in South Korea. We find out some wild news and stories from the other side of the world about a country that is directly above us. Now, I'm not naïve because if something happens, I do have some plans. But rest assure, there are so many military bases here, Korean and American. I have family and friends affiliated with the military. Once they start getting worried and making moves, you better believe that's when I'll be worried and making moves myself. I will say living here has opened my eyes to what other nations, in war zones, must do. I never thought about having an evacuation plan until now. But until then, I'm going to continue exploring this beautiful country.

Safety.
A while ago, I asked my sister “why do people say foreign countries are dangerous, but when you look on the news in our own country, it seems more dangerous than foreign countries?” She responded with, “People find safety in familiarity.” Basically, people are comfortable with the dangers that surround them daily. They are used to it, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to change. Going to an unfamiliar area, one can view the activity that occurs there as dangerous, opposed to the ones that live there and disagree with that.

Funny thing, I find it safer living in South Korea than I do living in my own country. I have my reasons. But, it’s crazy how people from the U.S. are concerned with this side of the world, but we’re more concerned about what is happening in the U.S. We constantly come across stories of shootings and killings occurring left and right, in just about any place. Us foreigners over here are more concerned for our family and friends in the U.S. I constantly pray to God for the protection of my family, friends, and loved-ones.

Guns in South Korea are for the military and private security guards. Civilians are limited to use guns; with that, police officers don’t have to be heavily armed. I’ve had discussions with my older students about visiting the U.S. A few of my students said they would go, but then the others said no. Why? They said they are scared. They wouldn’t come because they believe they would be in a situation where they couldn’t express themselves well enough in English with a cop or someone who has a gun and get killed. They questioned me about my country’s gun laws, wanting to know why people other than the military and special forces need to have possession of a gun. And why can’t police officers use firearms properly if they are trained to use them?

Be Properly Informed.
Sometimes you can’t believe all what certain foreigners that visit/live in a certain country, because they may live with their home country's mindset and how things should be like "home."

One thing I don't like is when a foreigner says things should be like this in this country because in my country… First of all, everything doesn't work the same for every country and culture. Go back home if you want things to be like home. I know the U.S. wouldn't like forced PROPAGANDA. Why can't the U.S. be like other countries?
In Europe, the government pays for health insurance for the people. Why is it that in the U.S. it isn’t seen as a privileged? I believe no one should pay for health insurance. 🤷🏽 Public transportation in foreign countries reach all areas (poor and rich). Why is it in some U.S. cities, the argument is the rich doesn't want the poor to have access to their areas or start "migrating" to their areas. What affects you, affects someone else in a different way. If you're not worried about poor people coming to your area, you could take public transportation and save money on gas, time on driving, and get around communities much faster. But, see how we let one small minute detail stop us from positive impacts on our lives?

We can’t approach everything with a negative attitude. We'll never appreciate things nor get anywhere in life. Open your eyes and mind. At the end of the day, everyone everywhere is struggling to fight a battle. As a Christian I'm a firm believer that if your life is right with the Lord, you shouldn't be worried. "He has His hands on you" and you're protected. Check on your family and friends often, don't wait until something drastic happens. Us foreigners living in foreign countries are adults, and we've made the adult discussion to take on this "foreign life" and all that comes with it.

Every country needs some work. Every person needs some work. No one/no country is perfect and will never be… My grandmother used to tell me this saying, “How can you tell someone else how to clean up their house, when your house is just as dirty?”

Don't allow your fears to interrupt someone’s dreams and reality.

"Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves." -Eric Hoffer