© DMZ, Awaiting a Train to Europe, 2009, Planet Media Publishing Co.
© DMZ, Awaiting a Train to Europe, 2009, Planet Media Publishing Co.
Barbed wire fence dividing the North and South; an unused bridge between the North and South
A Special Land, the Secret of the DMZ Jeon Yeong-jae YeaRimDang Publishing Co., Ltd. 2004, 232p ISBN 978-89-3023-515-0
The DMZ stands as a significant symbol of modern Korean history. The existence of a demarcation line indicates a past violent military conflict that has yet to be resolved, and continues to have impact. In particular, the DMZ on the Korean peninsula reveals the pain of being the only remaining divided nation in the world, for it is the result of a war between the people of one nation. The lexical definition of the DMZ states that it is a “demilitarized, non-combat zone cutting across the Korean peninsula from the east to the west, established to prevent recurrence of war through antagonistic actions between the North and the South, in agreement with the ceasefire of the Korean War.” From South Korea’s point of view, the east end of the DMZ lies in Goseong-gun (district), Gangwon-do (province), and the west end in Jangdan-myeon (township), Paju-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (province). It is a paradox that the DMZ, a symbol of Korea’s turbulent modern history, is emerging as a sign of a new hope and optimism for the people of Korea. The DMZ has paradoxically come to mean a place of peace protected by non-peace. A great feast of flora and fauna can be glimpsed in a place scarred by war, a place taut with military tension. As the old Chinese saying goes, an evil may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. A place of death has turned into a place of life; a place of abandonment, into a place of resurrection. The changing interest in the DMZ has naturally had an impact on the publishing world. Seeing a place of volatile military confrontation in a new list_ Books from Korea Vol.7 Spring 2010 39