North Korea. Oh yeah.
Well, not really North Korea. Just a little bit.
We'll get to that.
I started my day taking the metro and this catched my attention
They are in every metro stops. In case, you know, north neighbors decides that today it's a good day for bombing.
That is actually going to be the topic of this blog episode, they way South Koreans adapt their lives to the situation with North Korea.
The possibility of war it's just an everyday fear that they learned to ignore. At the same time, every korean male has to spend 21 months in the army for training (nothing compared to the 6 to 9 years of N.K.)
There some kind of hate/love sensation in the air, S.K. dreams of a day in which S. and N. could be reunited, but it also keep itself ready to fight it. 2 brothers in war.
I personally think it's quite a unique situation for a developed country.
Growing up with the fear your neighbors could just decide to bomb you anyday...
Here instead, we have an "asian toilet". It's...weird. There things coming out from hidden places spraying a variety of things at your genitals...not good. But the warm seat? That itself it's worth the trip to Korea!
So today I decided to visit the DMZ, the strip of land that devides S. and N. Korea.
Basically the DMZ it's a strip of land of 4 Km (2 on each side) in which is forbidden to have military activities. But it's all a lie, both countries has hidden military bases all along the border.
Due to the lack of human activities in this area, the area became a natural reserve.
There's only a one Joint ara in which exchanges between the 2 countires can be made, we'll get there later.
Each of the closest villages of each country has a flat. North Korea cares to have the tallest one the world.
It's incredible to see how also only on the way there, there's military posts everywhere.
Also there's hidden dinamyte in every S.K. overpass or bridge, in case of invasion.
From here on there was only very few areas in which it was possibile to take pictures, so I did what I could.
This war stones wall it's quite impressive.
So then we visited quite a cool underground tunnel. It was builded buy the N.K. to invade Seoul
It was impossible to take pictures, so I'll just take one from the net
N.K. Claimed it was just a coal mine. It was such an experience to walk all the way to the border with the North.
It's impressive how the S.K. managed to transform a border, sign of war and division, in a turist attraction. And not only, sign of peace and reunion are everywhere. Personally I found that quite silly. This place it's exaclty the oppposite of peace and reunion.
And here we are looking at N.K. It was forbidden to take pictures over a yellow line. Apparenlty the N.K. might just decide you are spying on them, and one of their snipers (all over the border) might just decide to shoot you in the head if you take a pic.
I took one anyway while i was pretending to make a phone call.
Here we are at the train station that takes you to Pyeong Yang. But it's closed now, since in 2008 a S.K. woman turist in N.K. was shot because she decided to go look at the sunrise on the beach and so go over the permit zone.
Let's take a train to North Korea!....Or not!!!
Here we are in the Joint Area. So cool.
S.K. soldiers are just staying there all day not moving and staring at their North Koreans friends.
That's the line between S. and N.
And I like to think that dude over there, next to the door, is my first N.K. friend <3
Next to him there's a hidden camera. Only one North Korean is outside,but many inside are looking at you...
It's interesting thinking that this two enemies spend all their day just looking at each other. So I mean, they probably recognize each other very well. But they can never spoke to each other. I wonder what they think of each other all day long. Hate? Curiosity? Pity?
Here I'm standing on the N.K. side. There's little houses where talk can happen between the two sides. It's possible to get in.
On the other side of the line...
A way to North Korea.
S.K. village flag. People are paid gold to live there.
Then I came back to Seoul city center and had a stroll around. That's the city hall.
Here there was some kind of protest.
Then I visited the villa of Deoksugung
Eh...what?
After that I went to the Namsangol Hanok Villange. Hanok stands for "old style houses"
After that I visited the Seoul Tower for a panoramic view of the city
Ai Koreani "3 metri sopra il cielo" gli fa na pippa...
Home, this way!
This is the south gate of the old city Namdaemun
Shopping streets at night
And this is the suvenir I got from the border. Some North Korean Liquor made with deer horns, they promised me it's disgusting!
Next episode, History History History!
