On our method dwelling from Mongolia, we spent a few nights in Seoul. The spotlight was a go to to the Korean Demilitarized Zone—a spot the place historical past feels unfinished.
The DMZ separates North and South Korea alongside one of the vital closely fortified borders on the planet. Greater than seven many years after the combating stopped, the armistice nonetheless holds, however a proper peace treaty was by no means signed.
Our first cease took us throughout the Unification Bridge, identified domestically because the “Cow Bridge.” Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung—who had fled the North as a younger man—despatched 1,001 cattle throughout the border in 1998 as humanitarian help and a symbolic reimbursement for a cow he had taken from his father many years earlier.
Then got here the Third Tunnel. We descended greater than 240 toes underground right into a slim passage secretly dug by North Korea, designed to permit giant numbers of troops to infiltrate the South.
What struck me most was that building of the tunnel continued whereas North and South have been engaged in reconciliation talks above floor. It was a vivid reminder that diplomacy and deception usually unfold on the identical time.
The statement deck was additionally unforgettable. Trying throughout the border into North Korea, the panorama appeared serene. You’ll be able to see villages, roads and mountains—however virtually no indicators of life. It is among the most remoted nations on Earth.
It’s tough to think about two societies with such a shared historical past ending up so radically completely different.
I’ve visited many locations the place historical past is remembered. The DMZ is completely different. Right here, historical past remains to be ready for its closing chapter to be written.
