Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Seoul, South Korea
Breakfast on the 19th floor of the Ibis hotel with window seat enjoying my brew looking out over the other tall buildings adjacent the hotel. Spot a young man in a suit and tie walk out of a door on to the roof of the building opposite me. Assume it’s a maintenance manager or someone having a crafty fag. He walks along the flat roof past the mechanical equipment. A wide parapet wall a few feet high and wide runs around the perimeter. Young man climbs on to parapet. There are no safety barriers. Just a vertical drop of about 18 floors.
It’s at this point I stop enjoying my brew. He’s not there for maintenance or for a crafty fag.
No.
It looks like he’s about to jump.
Crap.
Can’t do a thing about it.
He walks along the parapet to the corner of the building and stands right at the edge.
Teetering on the brink.
Contemplating jumping.
Head down.
In thought.
Hands in pockets.
Has the look of being fed up.
Will he.
Won’t he.
Keep watching.
He just stands there for a few minutes.
I’m holding my breath. Wondering what is about to unfold before me.
A few more minutes pass.
He’s staring down at the traffic below. People looking like small ants on the pavement 18 floors below.
A few more minutes pass.
And then.
He.
Steps.
Backwards.
He’s not going to commit suicide. Not right now.
And I can start breathing again.
He’s now about 3 feet from the edge.
Still pondering.
And then.
He turns.
And slopes off back the way he came and off the roof.
And I continue with my brew.
On approach to the DMZ, about an hour away from Seoul, see what looks like concrete bridges over the motorway but which are actually a mass concrete slab that slams shut to act as a blockade against tanks should the North Korean army invade.
The DMZ (De-Militarised Zone) is the 250km long, 4km wide, border between North Korea (DPRK) and South Korea. Running from the Yellow Sea in the west to the Sea of Japan in the east. Established following the Korean War armistice in 1953, after three years of war between the communist north and the democratic south. Within this DMZ is a meeting point where the two nations negotiated the armistice. This meeting point is called the Joint Security Area.
The Joint Security Area is at Panmunjon. You can visit the JSA as a tourist from both the DPRK side and the South Korean side. Within the JSA is an assortment of buildings including a row of blue huts called the ‘Conference Rooms’ in which the actual border runs straight through the middle. My visit to the JSA when touring North Korea in 2017 can be found on this blog post: https://touringtaurean.com/2020/04/02/nk-7-help-screamed-the-girl/
Due to current tensions with the North, no visits are allowed inside the JSA from the South. Only to the Southern Civilian Limit which is 5km from the DMZ line which in itself is 2km from UN agreed border in the JSA.
Plenty of barbed wire as we have to change buses and go through security checks. A nonchalant and cursory look at a passport by some disenfranchised soldier.
Once inside the Southern Civilian Limit we go to the brand new Dorasan Railway Station which hopes to form part of the great Eurasian rail network and provide a rail link between the North and the South. A huge map on the station wall shows that it may be one day possible to travel by train from Scotland to Seoul. Standing there looking at it makes me realise just how far I have come on this my 30th day of travel.
The Southern Civilian Limit is as far as we can go and the Dorasan Observatory provides the only point that we can observe North Korea 7km away. For some inexplicable reason, there are very strict photography rules to try and prevent you taking photos of North Korea. Only able to take photographs from behind a yellow line 5m from the parapet wall which means that ordinary people can’t take a photo over the wall of North Korea.
However.
I am not ordinary.
With my arms stretched upwards I’m approaching nearly 3m. And at that angle I can grab a photo overlooking the parapet and towards North Korea. Under strict instructions not to take photos over the yellow line otherwise the guards will take the camera off you and delete the photos. I can see there’s absolutely no reason for this. It’s just a stupid rule.
And as we all know, dear reader.
Rules are for fools.
Always up for a challenge, endeavour to take a photo across the yellow line at the parapet wall. Try and do it surreptitiously under cover of my large hands hiding my small compact camera.
However.
I am spotted. And instructed by the guard to hand camera over. But he’s called away for something more important. Hurriedly switch camera off and put in pocket. As he’s walked away think I’ve got away with it so amble off.
But.
Am collared by another sodding guard and have to hand over camera.
Far too quickly he masters the settings and immediately deletes the photo from the memory card.
North and South are currently preparing for war according the media. Minor issue of the North torpedoing a South Korean warship recently. Doesn’t feel like it here though.
Having enjoyed the view above ground head off underground.
All Womble like.
To the Third Infiltration Tunnel. One of four discovered in the 1970s, North Korea tunnelled under the DMZ for a mile to try and invade South Korea. The tunnel was designed to take 30,000 men in an hour. Obviously not 6’5” men. More 5’6” men. Passing through a minefield to enter the tunnel, have to wear hard hats and soon realise why. Bumping along as I do.
It’s a steep incline 300m down to the end of the North Korean tunnel. Once in the horizontal tunnel it’s another 270m along a low tunnel carved in the rock to the Third Blockade. The actual border is a few more metres along at the First Blockade. A concrete wall now blocks the tunnel. Between the First Blockade and the Second Blockade is a tank of water set to explode and drown potential infiltrators. Blockade 3 which is the limit of our foray into the tunnel has a door with a CCTV camera trained on it to also check for North Korean infiltrators.
Fascinating insight into the North and South politics and at the time of my visit in 2010, little did I know that in 2017 I would be standing in the North looking out to the South.
Returning to Seoul have a brief stop at the Imperial Palaces at Changgyeong. Typical Korean style buildings most of which are empty of furniture apart from the Throne Room which has ornate chandeliers. The Secret Garden is not so secret as it is well signposted. A large glasshouse looks like a Victorian structure that wouldn’t be out of place in Kew Gardens.
My whistle stop tour is in need of something to wet my whistle. Where better than Seoul Tower. The Namsam cable car whisks you up to the tower. A high speed lift whisks you to the observation deck 200m up. Lift doors open out onto an awesome panoramic view.
WOW.
Complete 360 degree view of Seoul and the surrounding mountains.
A cold beer.
Whilst watching the sun slowly simmer and set over Seoul.
