The Korean Demilitarized Zone was the focus of day three in North Korea, May 2nd, 2016.
Roughly straddling the 38th parallel, the Korean DMZ is the final result of the Korean War, one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. The heavily-armed and high-tension borderline between the two Korean nations is open to tours in both Korean nations. It was a three-hour drive from Pyongyang.
Editor’s note: Names in this blog post do not reflect reality.
My profession of teaching English to Japanese kindergarteners is coming to a close. Before it does, a brief reflection on the honor and privilege I’ve had to teach kindergarteners in this country.
In the past few months, my Japanese listening skills improved. Students are required to only speak English in my lessons. But they are kids, and kids usually say what’s on their mind, the way they like to say it. In my role as teacher in these closing months I could understand not just what the students said to me in Japanese, but also what they said to each other, and to themselves. Today I share those moments with you.
Editor’s note: continued from Day One in North Korea.
Part of Day Two in North Korea.
“No mercy for the enemies! That’s why our NATIONAL ANIMAL is the tiger!” exclaimed Mr. Hang, our tour guide, staring me in the face. His tone switched instantaneously as he smiled at the group at large and calmly asked, “can you understand?”
“Yes!” we affirmed.
It was early on Sunday, May 1st, May Day, and our tour bus was barreling through Pyongyang, North Korea. On passing the Pyongyang Zoo, the tour group oo’ed and ah’ed at the massive tiger head surrounding the door. A tourmate had asked “Why is it so big?” and that’s how Mr. Hang responded – to me.
Thirty minutes later, in shirts and ties, we were dropped in a group of what must have been almost every foreigner in the country, and caught our first glimpse of today’s destination.
Formerly the home palace of Kim Il-sung, it is now he and his son’s final resting place, the host of authoritarian communism’s favorite pastime: deifying bad people by lying them in state.
The only major lesson to take from this experience was to truly internalize the depth of love many North Koreans have for their leadership, and to acknowledge the challenge this portends for democratic nations, either before or after the potential collapse of the North Korean government.
Here is my story of visiting this most unusual place.
The Arc of Triump
No turning back now.
Stepping out of the gate at the small Pyongyang International Airport, there was no indication of what to do next. For a moment this felt like a gross oversight.
Luckily it only took a few seconds to spot what must have been the Koryo Tours group (read: white people). Within a half-hour I was onboard a bus with the first eight of my ‘tourmates,’ my two North Korean tour guides, Mr. Hang and Ms. Jeon, the first talkative and jovial, the second patient and informative. We also had a Western tour guide, a German woman. I was too glued to the window to consider being grateful that most of them were young people like me.
It was the weirdest bus ride I ever took.
