Constant Vigilance

When North Korean soldiers fired artillery at Yeonpyeong Island earlier this year, I often heard an interesting phrase tossed around on facebook statuses, in conversations with Americans, and in the news media: North Korea's actions constituted an Act Of War.

An act of war, according to my friends at dictionary.com, is

“an act of aggression by a country against another with which it is nominally at peace. ”

It comes as a surprise to learn that North and South Korea never actually stopped being At War. Their agreement is a cease-fire, and not a peace treaty. North and South Korea have never truly been at peace. A peace treaty would recognize the opposing government, and give them some form of power in that way. Neither government wanted a permanent solution of a divided Korea- they wanted everything back together...But the Communist and Democratic forces each wanted it done on their terms. Many people have drawn comparisons to East and West Germany, split after World War II. The Communist East and the Democratic West were two halves of one country split by the Cold War. With U.N./U.S. aid and support, the country was able to bring itself back together and rebuild the land that had been the battleground of three wars running. This often-cited example shows that such a reunion is possible. There was, and continues to be some hope for a re-unification of the Koreas.

I have seen this hope in monuments built for the hope of a united future.

I have seen it in a railway built as late as 2000 to connect the two Koreas.

I have seen it in a wide range of conversations between American students of politics.

I have seen it in the wishes of the the older generations to reunite their split families.

I have seen it in a joint company where North and South Koreans work together.

I have seen it many many places. But there's one place I haven't seen it

In the will of the younger generations of South Koreans. I would have personally assumed that they, having been spared seeing what awful things Northern soldiers did in the war, and being young and hopeful would have less of a grudge and be more willing to reconcile. But that's thinking with with our hearts, minds, and our politics. Let's take a step back and look at this the way any young family would.

From our wallets.

North Korea is a country in dire poverty. Let's face it- a country whose refugees become a burden to its neighbors is probably not one with a high standard of living. Theirs is a country that has been surviving on the scraps of foreign aid that didn't get squandered by a wasteful government and military.

The South Korean life, on the other hand, is one that is reaping the fruits of innovation and business growth. Every family wants the newest model of car- the fastest cell phones-- the best schools for their children...but the world economy is in a downturn right now, and they all know that. The young South Korean families know that their country is growing strong, but it's not invincible. To suddenly tack on another HALF of the country, then ask these families to bail them out of poverty? Unsettling, at best.

Back to that German example I mentioned? Germany did in fact reunify successfully,as we all know. Many West Germans, however, had the same complaints. They didn't want the communist side back until it was fixed-- because they knew it would be THEIR pockets that were emptied to save the East. The world pooled its resources, however, and put the country back together ASAP anyway. Fairytale ending for them. Or it would've been, if that was the ending.
You see, even in the last five years, entire cities in the old East German areas still look like they did when they were abandoned by the Soviets decades ago. This is not hearsay, this is not wikipedian wisdom, this is what I personally saw in Saxony-- rows of burned-out warehouses and abandoned apartments decorated with the shards of what once were their windows. I'm not saying there's been no progress, on the contrary many in East Germany live normal first-world lives...but Germany is not finished. And Germany didn't spend half as long being bled dry by a dictator.

Is “We don't want to pay for it” a selfish reason not to reunite a country? Perhaps. But to everyone who calls for a Korean reunification, I ask you to consider at least this much: South Korea is a nation that has worked its way (with great effort) out of the ashes of a devastating war to find success, stability, freedom, and a standard of living that many around the world envy. Would you tell these people that they now have to put the needs of their families aside to pay for the misdeeds of a tyrant?

When the DPRK (northern government) falls someday as it's bound to (though some help from the US would be very possible, and very much appreciated wink wink nudge nudge), maybe the rest of the world (The U.S. included) should fix up the North before handing the reins over to Seoul. Maybe before using broad sweeping language about Glorious Unification and the elusive Right Thing To Do...we should stop and ask everyone involved

“Who's gonna pay for it?”

Because if we're not asking that question, the Southern families are.

Nowhere's ever really normal, as you get close to the border.  Even when the fighting cools, the expenses of defending every inch of coastline on the northen edges must be staggering.

This picture was taken from North Korean soil in Panmunjeom.  The unarmed MPs (obviously armed soldiers can't be stationed in a DeMilitarized Zone) stand unflinching guard, half exposed around the buildings to present a smaller target to Northern gunners that face them from 50 yards away.  They do not stand at attention, they stand in a modified Tae Kwon Do stance, so they are always ready.

I was informed that the MPs stand out here on a three hour shift, but only when the tourists come out to look.  "oh man," my civilian brain thought, "they're just here for us to see."

And then the reality of the situation set in.
They're not there for tourists to see.  They're there for North Korean guards to see.

Because without MP eyes on them, the tourists would be killed or captured as spies

Panmunjeom never feels like a tourist trap.  You don't get an informational meeting.

You get a briefing by an MP with the US Army.  He told us not to do anything that would interfere with the Korean MPs

"They will strike you if you come close," he warned repeatedly, "and there's not a thing I can do about it"

On a related note, the MPs stance is modified from the TaeKwonDo stance from which you train to punch.

Yes, there's a gift shop where you can buy Panmunjeom paraphenelia.  But even as you wonder if you're being suckered into a tourist trap, it hits you: 

This is a slap in the face to the North-- North Korean money is being sold as a souveneir  on a capitalist free market.  The almighty Won.

This picture looks ominous.  It's not the picture's fault.  This is the bridge of no return-

Korean war prisoners were allowed to cross it at the end of the war.

once

After crossing, the POW could never go back.

This is the station, built in Dorasan in South Korea.

The tracks run all the way through Pyeongyang in the North.
Then-president George W. Bush hailed the opening of the station in 2000 as a new era of reconciliation between the North and South, encouraging peace between them.
Korean relations never recovered far enough, and today the station stands empty. 
The tracks run off to the north, into the mountains and the empty towns beyond.
Let's hope someday they'll have a station to greet them on the other side.

'Til next time,
Jeff-Teacher