MOVE UPSTREAM — Build Families NOT Boxes

“Imagine a large river with a high waterfall. At the bottom of this waterfall hundreds of people are working frantically trying to save those who have fallen into the river and have fallen down the waterfall, many of them drowning. As the people along the shore are trying to rescue as many as possible one individual looks up and sees a seemingly never-ending stream of people falling down the waterfall and begins to run upstream. One of other rescuers hollers, “Where are you going? There are so many people that need help here.” To which the man replied, “I’m going upstream to find out why so many people are falling into the river.” Saul Alinsky, in Shelden & Macallair

The Baby Box Film. Here is a link to the trailer for the documentary.  I believe that Pastor Jong-rak Lee in the film has good intentions. The Pastor already has adopted many special needs children after having a child himself with special needs. Over time he found that people were trying to abandoned children on his doorstep. He saw a situation and did what he thought was the right answer…build a box.  But, like the people “down stream” he is not addressing the issue of what is the root cause of the problem ….it is time for us to move upstream.

The FACTS: Since the creation of the Babybox and the subsequent media attention there has been an increase in child abandonment. The Media attention about the availability of the Babybox, misinformation about the Special Adoption Law in Korea have all factored into the increase in child abandonment. One theory being… “Build it (advertise it, disseminate misinformation and fear) and they will come”. (Special Adoption Law)

The Pastor has claimed that without the Babybox these mothers would kill their children (infanticide). Looking at the facts, there has been no significant changes to the infanticide rates–there have been an increase in abandonment. Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare (2013)

Another fact to note is that of the 380 children left at the Drop Box between December 2009 and February 2014 383 children were abandoned but 120 mothers and parents have returned to reclaim their children. (SBS News) Meaning the assumption that these children would have been killed, or that they didn’t have a family is untrue. Instead, what the mothers or family needed in this time of crisis was counseling on alternative options and support instead of a box.

Child Abandonment is a byproduct of the lack of support for Unwed Mothers:

There are cultural and financial factors that lead to child abandonment and a broken systemic system that encourages adoption over family preservation.

Since the 1990’s, over 90% of the children who have been adopted domestically and overseas from Korea have been born to unwed mothers.

This shift happened around 1970, and the government responded by directing funds toward private maternity homes, creating a system where a lack of social welfare left few options for unwed mothers outside of adoption. Meanwhile, the prevalence of adoption relieved the government of needing to come up with a more lasting solution. By the 1980s, the agencies had started engaging themselves in profit-making activities and real estate investments, and were running their own delivery clinics, foster homes and temporary institutions, explains Korean Studies scholar Tobias Hübinette. “Since then, a growing number of maternity homes for young, unwed mothers have been the main source for newborn and healthy babies,” he says.

Meanwhile, the cost of international adoption has steadily Increased. It’s estimated that together the four agencies collect an average of $35 million per year, according to Eleana Kim, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Rochester.

“Adoption policy has become a seemingly permanent solution to what was, at the time, considered an emergency situation. What was supposed to be a humanitarian effort to rescue mixed-race children and war orphans became the largest and longest-running adoption program in the world.”  (Culture Muncher)

So how does the environment of unwed mothers differ in South Korea compared to the United States?

This is a graph looking at the birthrate of percentage of unwed mothers in South Korea and the USA compared to the percentage of those children that are then given up for adoption. In 2007, the US 40% of the the live births were to unwed mothers but only 1% of those children are given up for adoption. In Korea, 1.6% of the live births were to unwed mothers but 70% of those children are given up for adoption.  It is an interesting look at the different environments for unwed mothers and subsequently the rate of adoption.   SOURCE: Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. US Health and Human Services Department  (NY TIMES)

The SOLUTION that I believe in is to Build Families NOT boxes.

“United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is pushing to eliminate the boxes. The UNCRC claims baby boxes violate children’s right to identify their parents and maintain personal relations with them.“Baby boxes do not operate in the best interest of the child or the mother,” argues Maria Herczog, a sociologist and member of the UNCRC. “They encourage women to give birth in unsafe and life-threatening conditions.” She says the boxes send the wrong message: “Just leave your baby, these boxes seem to say. I don’t think any community could send this message to any vulnerable person.” (Jewish World News)

FAMILY PRESERVATION – Since the 1990’s, over 90% of the children who have been adopted domestically and overseas from Korea have been born to unwed mothers. So how to we support unwed mothers in South Korea?

Increase Financial Support:

• According to a survey conducted in 2013 among unwed mothers, 34% of mothers listed economic hardship as a reason for relinquishing their parental rights.
• Unwed mothers and their children are still widely discriminated against and live in fear of losing their livelihood. Employers have access to family registries that list personal information about their family history.  Women that have had children without being married can be fired on the spot.
• Fathers are legally responsible for financially supporting their children. However, the process to collect child support is complex and often is ruled against the mother. According to the Korean Women’s Development institute (2012), a mere 15.6% of the 213 unwed and single mothers respondents received support from their children’s fathers.
• The Government’s priorities for support are the reverse of what they should be under international human rights guidelines. The Government’s rate of support per month is a mere $63.70 per month.

Increase Social Support: 

• There is work to be done to change the stigma for unwed mothers and their children. Children are often times ostracized at school and by other parents. “When he was in his first year of elementary school, other children kept asking about rumors they had heard about me being an unwed mom and he became a sort of outcast,” she says. “Other kids were told by their parents not to play with him because he was in an unwed mothers’ home.” (Culture Muncher)
• Increase funding and awareness of the organizations providing POSITIVE changes such as KoRoot, Korean Unwed Mothers Family Association (KUMFA), Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea (TRACK).

I believe that the priorities for families at risk should be:

(1) Family Preservation

(2) Domestic Adoption

(3) International Adoption

(4) Institutional Care.

PLEASE don’t support this film. If you are inspired to do something about child abandonment in Korea please support these organizations: KoRoot, Korean Unwed Mothers Family Association (KUMFA), Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea (TRACK).

If you are still interested on more articles here are some great articles to look into. 

Increase of kids in the babybox, same number as always in the garbage, TRACK

Overview of South Korean Adoption and Child Welfare, TRACK

Opinion divided on the merits of South Korean pastor’s ‘baby box’, SBS News

Change in Korean Adoption Law Followed by More Abandoned Babies, WSJ

Why a Generation of Adoptees Is Returning to South Korea, NY Times

In Korea, Adoptees Fight To Change Culture That Sent Them Overseas, NPR

Videos of my second day in Incheon.

My friend Malena was filming a documentary about adoptees at KoRoot and their journey while in Korea. She filmed my second trip out to Incheon documenting my search while we talked to different people and posted flyers. Looking back I realize this is such a beautiful gift to have since I will never be able to accurately describe the process.

There are more videos but I will have to see of I can edit and then upload a few more of my favorites.

The first one is of the second elderly center that was VERY helpful. They were mostly Halmonis (grandmothers) and they later insisted that I eat lunch with them. They were my favorite local that I met.

Here is the first video

This was in the market when I was posting my flyers. We talked to the shop owner for a little bit as she realized that I was the one in the photo.

Here is the second video.

My favorite things about Korea

There are so many memerable experiences that I had on this trip to Korea. Here are some of my favorite things I found in Korea.

LOVE — Favorite Purchase: Glasses from Korea. I have always had a difficult time finding glasses that fit my “wide” head. Usually they pinch my head and it gives me a headache so I stop wearing them. I also have a flat nose so finding ones that fit on my nose and not slip off is always a challenge…. guess what.. in Korea…. I am not the only one! 😉 Not to mention frames are very cheap. So to my amazement I found glasses that I fit, looks stylish and were very affordable.

LOVE — Favorite Place I visited: Boseong Green Tea Fields and Yulpo Pension My friend talked me into taking a day trip to to the Boseong Green Tea Fields in the south west part of the country. I am SO thankful that she got me out of Seoul and into the beautiful countryside. The Green Tea Fields are not fields as much as the are perfectly manicure green hedges stacked in rows, snaking around, and clinging to the side of a steep mountain. After the Tea Fields we went to a wonderful Pension (a small one bedroom “apartment” like room that you rent.) It was right on the beach and was peaceful and so beautiful. It was a dramatic change to the industrial landscape of Seoul. I will say that I I don’t think that it would have been as pleasant experience without her because people spoke even less English in the countryside. I think that when I return to Korea with the family that I would sign up for a tour to see the different parts of the country because getting around would be difficult.

LOVE – Favorite place to stay: KoRoot. KoRoot is a guest house that is run by Pastor Kim and he wife Mrs. Kong along with volunteers and staff that provide a warm home, hot lunches, and a community that instantly feels like home. I can’t accurately describe the connections with seemlingly perfect strangers. From the impromptu conversation of the couches to sitting around the dinning room table “planning” the next day adventures or blogging about the past days events we are like one hodpodge global family. There is a comfort level with this community that just understands the nuances of being an adoptee back in the motherland. The need for quiet reflection, shared frustruation, or just comic relief for the craziness that we experience. This is my second trip and both times I found lifelong friends.



LOVE – Favorite Food: Street Food. What I loved the most about the street food is that it was yummy and simple. Overall I would say that most of Korean food is based on taking many limited organic items that individuals would be able to raise or find themselves and mixing them together. There is nothing really pretentious about the food. We had one dish that is literally named after the scraps of food that they would get from the US military kitchens during the war. They would throw it all together and make a stew out of it–Spam, hot dogs, and ramen…veggies…. and kimchee ;).

I had a really fun afternoon with my friend trying all sorts of yummy food from street vendors. Some more “healthy” then others. It was one of my favorite things.

LOVE – Favorite Products: Skin Care. It is said that most Korean girls have a 12 step process for taking care of their skin in the morning and in the evening. I thought that they were crazy. …and then I drank the kool-aid. Now I have about a 6 step process. But already (2 weeks in) I can honestly say I love the way my skin feels and looks. I have trouble skin and I feel like I finally have a routine that makes my skin healthy and that I don’t have to coverup with foundation. PLUS, products are ridiculously cheaper then here in the States. My bottle of face cleanser here is about $40 — Korean cleanser was $8. There products are organic or natural and usually all plant based. Anyway, I am hooked. Here are my daily products.

…..Next installment will be “The Strange Things in Korea.”

Transitioning to life at home

There is something inside me that blossoms on the soil of Korean. It is watered and nourished by the people that I meet and the fellowship that I share with the other adoptees that I live with at KoRoot. It is something that I struggle to pack up and leave behind each time that I leave my motherland.

….still processing.

So how was your (second) trip? (Part 1)

This is a question that I suspect I will with some frequency as I merge back into life back in the States. For some reason it is still a difficult question to answer. Could be the lack of sleep, incensent need for attention from my kids, or diving head first into my “domestic engineer” roll that has frankly just not allowed me time to process. What I can say is that on the surface I can say that I accomplished the things that I set out to accomplish (1) learn a little more about the community that I was found in and (2) learn and experience more “Korean Life”. But I guess what I miss the the most and what I realize in coming home is just how isolated I sometimes feel while I process my exploration of finding pieces of my past.

When I left Korea in 2012 I felt as thought I still had some unfinished business in my birth family search. My initial trip was so unexpected that I planned the whole trip in less then four weeks and I still had so much to learn about this process. Not to mention that my trip was only 7 days in Korea which basically allowed me to see a few historical sites in Seoul and make a half day trip to Incheon where I was found and meet the Police Officer that found me. I also received a surprise of a lifetime when I found information about the first family that almost adopted me in the States which in itself was more then enough to process. (for more information about that trip you can click on this link) . But overall that trip was Korea 101 of this process and I left feeling like I needed to at least make one strong effort to finding my birth family and then I could feel better about letting things go for awhile.

This trip I spent much more time searching and putting in the footwork in searching.

* Spent about 20 hours over 3 days walking in Song Hyun Dong (the small village that I was found in the City of Incheon)
* Visited/talked to over 150 people
* Posted over 50 flyers in businesses, community centers, billboards, and sign posts
* Visited 14 businesses and 5 elderly centers

The actual city of Inchon today is about 2.9 million. Which is roughly the population of Minneapolis or the state of Utah. The district/city that I was found in currently has about 75,000 people which is about the population of Miami Beach (FL), Napa (CA), or Newport Beach (CA). It is also about half the size of my city, the city of Gardena, with about 15,000 more people. I estimated that the town back in the time that I was found had a population of about 12,000. My task was trying to find a handful of people still in the area that might have any information about a child that was left behind with basically no information — during an era where over 200,000 Korean children where abandoned/stolen/relinquished/shipped overseas. Plus, the only information that I have is a photo of me that I was taken soon after I was found and that I had a note tucked in my blanket that had my name and birthdate and time. Also, I have the sketchy memory of the police officer that said that he found me at a more “affluent home with a phone”. Which is the only lead that I have. So find one “homeowner” out of 3,000 that was around in the late 1970s….. sure, no problem…nothing a good detective and a 30 minute television drama can’t solve.

My strategy was to talk to elders in the community that might still have knowledge of the community back then, follow the numerous leads (most were dead ends), and post flyers in public areas. Not exactly a precise science.

Joking aside, I was able to find some good information about the community that I was found in. I was able to actually “walk” through a mock up of the village that I believe that I was found in and see what it looked like about a decade before I would have been born. Through checking and cross checking stories I was able to narrow down the area that I believe that I was found to about a small block radius. The area is completely changed. Homes are completely demolished and replaced with massive apartment buildings. I met a strong community leader that still has active connections with the community that lived in the area so there is a possibility that a new lead might arise. In reality though, this is the end of the line. Most likely the homeowner will confirm the narrative that I already know. They heard a baby cry and opened their door one cold mid-december night and found a 13 month old baby girl wrapped in a red quilt with a note that simply stated a name and date of birth (Lee Yun Hyun, 1978.11.08 @ 0700).

After the miles that I walked, 150 plus people that I talked to, and 50 plus posters that I posted I was able to “see” the area that I was found in with a sliver of a chance that perhaps I might get more information. Overall, I am honestly satisfied with the work that I was able to accomplish in the short about of time that I had. According to my resources, I did everything “right”. If I had more time I guess I could just keep canvasing the area and seeing if anyone else has more information. It seemed like the more that I met with people the more details would emerge, but time isn’t a luxury that I have. Most successful birth family searches that have such limited information comes after an adoptee spends a year searching in Korea. Later when I talked to the Birth Family Search Coordinator at GOA’L (the organization helping adoptees) during my search he gave be a beautiful gift in telling me that my search may come to the end of the road. It was a gift because it released me from the burden of thinking that I hadn’t done enough–that I hadn’t put enough effort in to finding them.

Now the process belongs fully to a higher power because nothing I can compel the handful of people that might have information to talk to the small percentage of the community that I did talk to, or walk by a poster and actually SEE it. So it is in His hands at this point and we will see what happens next.

More Korean Life Exploration to come…..

Korea Eats 042014

My last full day in Korea I wanted to have Korean street food. We went to a place called the Gwangjang market off of the Jongno 5ga station. It is a huge shopping area similar to the downtown garment district in Los Angeles. Right in the center there are two large alleys that intersect and have a ton of booths that serve street food. I went with my friend Andrea so that she could tell me what I was eating and also so that we could share and try lots of different food.

First up was Mandu. It is a steamed dumpling that was stuffed with kimchee and tofu (I think). It was YUMMY.

You could also have the dumplings in a noodle soup. I watched as she made the noodles FRESH while you sat there.

The next Yumminess was a Bindaeddeok. It is a white bean ground to a paste mixed with bean sprouts and green onion and pan fried. It was really good but a little greasy.

Next we had Japchae Noodles. They are noodles made out of sweet potato in a sweet sauce and veggies. It was really light and refreshing.

After that I was pretty full. But there was still so much food left to try. So I took photos.

This is a booth with fried veggies.

This stand had small hand rolls of kimbap, blood sausage and some sort of pork meat.

There was also fresh Bimbibab that you could pick for these fresh banchan side dishes. They give you rice and sauce and then you mix all these yummy veggie sides together.

This was an array of meats and I don’t know what else.

This was marinated small/baby crabs.

This was by far the craziest dish that I saw. The white is fish sperm sacks. And the pick is fish egg sacks. I don’t really understand how they are put together but they take both organs and boil them in some sort of red sauce. I didn’t partake in this one either. Koreans eat the strangest things.

Last but not least was dessert. Koreans are currently obsessed with waffles. So this is a waffle with gelato (chocolate, strawberry and green tea) fresh fruit and whipped cream. THIS I ate… and maybe my favorite thing.

Getaway to Boseong Green Tea Fields and Yulpo Salt Water and Green Tea Hot Springs

When I first stated talking to my friend Andrea about going to Korea she said that I could stay in Seoul for my whole trip and I am SO thankful that I listened to her. I was hesitant to leave the comfort of Seoul because of language barriers so she said that we could go together. Problem solved.

The Boseong Green Tea Fields are in Boseong about an hour away from the city of Gwangju. My friend Kristen is currently teaching here and was able to join us on our trip!

Daehan Dawon Tourist Plantation is an area located in Boseong, and its main specialty is green tea which originated from the mountain valleys south of Boseong. Boseong has been a tea plantation area since the days of the Japanese occupation, and with its long history comes large plantations, their traditions, and highly skilled workers. The most famous of these is the Daehan Dawon Plantation.

The road leading into the green tea fields is lined with cedar trees. I loved the beauty of the land…definitely not something you see in Seoul.

Me acting like a fool in the middle of the fields.

Evidently the blooms haven’t sprouted yet so I guess when they do it will be a vibrant green. I thought it was still beautiful.

My friend Andrea.

I loved the vibrant colors of reds, pinks, and white foliage of the various trees against the green of the tea fields.

We made it to the top!

The walkway down from the mountain.

The reward for all that hiking. Fresh green tea ice cream.

Next we went to our pension (the name if the type of place we stayed at which has individual rooms with a small kitchen, bedroom and a living room.) This pension only has about 4 units and it is right on the beach. It is amazing. This is our view from our window.

Next we walked over the Yulpo Salt Water and Green Tea Hot Springs. It was awesome and I got my Korean Scrub. I love Korean Scrubs!! I feel amazing and my skin is amazingly soft.

Next was dinner. It was a clam dish called bajirak muchim (Baby clam mixed with veggies) that this area is known for. It was spicy but so delicious. Andrea knows how to find the good food and this was amazing.

Third Trip to Incheon: Finding the place that I was found 041814

After my last trip to Incheon I was weary about the process of this search and what else (if anything) I might find. To my utmost surprise I found some answers, closed some leads, and made connections that may help me in the future.

On my way to meet up with Dayeon she texted me to tell me that the Photographer, Mr. Kim had told us to visit his son and that he would pass out the flyers to his mother that was a hairdresser in the area that I was found for the last 45 years. Then about 20 minutes later she texted to say that the SHE (Mrs. Lee) was going to come to town to meet me because her son was off of work today. This was a big score. She also told us that there was a museum in the city that documented the history of the village that I was found in. AMAZING!

The museum was our first stop because I was curious to see what it was all about. It turned out to be a very well done museum with a reconstructed life size model of the village from the 50s. It was similar to what I expected. Very small homes and poor. I took a picture of everything.

I was also amazed at how much the village changed in just two decades –from the late 50s to the early 70s. Thatched roofs were transformed to metal roofs and thicker walls in the 60s. In the 70s the roofs were changed to clay tile roofs and metal doors. Very similar to the old houses that you can still see today.

The village on an the hill. A good probability that I was born there.

This is a sample of a house in the village in the 60s.

The bathrooms

The kitchen

The living area. So the place where they ate, slept, and socialized.

I loved seeing photos of the people and particularly the children. I couldn’t help but think that some of those photos could have been me. It was also amazing to “walk” into old homes that they lived in and my birth family and might have lived in for the first year of my life. I also learned that the area had about 3,000 homes. So if you consider 4 per household…we are talking about a town of about 12,000 people. I am looking for a handful of those people… with no information… No wonder this is so difficult.

This museum is definitely somewhere that I want to take my kids at some point. It is the closest thing to my history that I have come across and it was pretty amazing how well done it was. I don’t think the cities that I have lived in have such a rich documented history museum. It was definitely an unexpected blessing to be able to take a “walk” through the village with many artifacts from that time period. It answered some of my questions about what the community that I came from looked like.

After that we went to the old address of Mr. Pak that claimed he was neighbors with the elusive “house with a phone”. The house was definitely from that time period. We talked to the owner that said that he had lived there for the last 30 years. He was particularly elderly and didn’t remember anything. The house was a dead end, but it was kind of nice to check it off of our list and close that lead.

We went to the elderly center that I visited on Monday and had a cold reception. My second visit to them wasn’t any warmer and they basically blew us off.

Next we went to the elderly center that I had a great meeting with on Monday with the halmonis and also had previously met Mr. Pak (the man who claims to have been the neighbor). Nothing changed, Mr. Pak was not there but we did meet a gentleman that started to paint a clearer picture of the community and the different areas.

He told us, and was confirmed later from the many people around that area, that there were two particular areas that the Japanese had settled and built “nicer” homes while they worked in the local factories. I am not totally clear when they moved out but the more affluent members of the community lived in those homes and that directly behind them was the large mountain that Officer Heo talked about that was filled with plank homes and was more of a “shanty town”. Everyone thought that those two area were probably where I was found. One of the areas did encompass Mr. Pak’s old house.

We then went to regroup and we called Mr. Kim, the photographer, to see if we could get more information about the night that I was found. We were initially told by Officer Heo that on the night that he found me that he called Mr. Kim and they took me to the church together. Evidently, this story is not true. Like not even close. He said that the first time he had heard if me I was already at the church. So close that lead and check that one off of the list too.

Then we went to the other elderly center in the area that I was found. The visit didn’t yield any new information. What was particularly interesting was that they kept insisting that I just give up and be happy with my life. They also told us that a police officer had already come to talk to them about my case… Which was a total shock because the police never told us that they would ask around on my behalf. After a bit of discussion, one of the halmonis wanted to take us to the local key shop maker that had been in the area for the last 40 years. From there we bounced around through different local shops and asked them to post my flyers. None of them had any information on the house. Everyone commented on how the landscape had changed and that the during that time was a “shanty town”. (Which I saw from the photos at the museum)

Mr. Kim’s wife Mrs. Lee finally came to meet us she was the confirmation of three days of searching. She marched us right to the area that she thought that I was found. (Which was right where we suspected.) There are two possible areas that could have had a “slightly larger” home with a telephone. One was immediately next to the church. The second was across the street. The area across the street was the area Mr. Pak said that he lived and was “neighbors” with the “house with a phone”. So all the pieces were finally falling into place.

These are the two areas that I think that I was found.

We learned while talking to Mrs. Lee that she is the Vice President of the hairdressers associations for our area. Which is an awesome connection because she is still very good friends with some of the more affluent women in and from that area during the late 70s. So some of those women might know what house had a phone in it. She said that she would call and ask around for me and find out as she said “who called the police about a baby.” Which is amazing. So hopefully something will come out of it. My impression of her was that she had influence and means to get some answers. She told Dayeon that she still had very strong connections with that community and that she was going to get some answers. So just maybe?? Either way is it a good connection to help me continue to search in the future.

There are still a few follow up items such as sending extra copies of my flyers to the hairdresser association for Mrs. Lee to distribute to all the hairdressing salons in the area. Also I want to go back and clarify some information with a few other leads just to have confirmation.

But so far it is just a waiting game since my time here is coming to an end. Before I got here I felt like I needed to put in a strong effort in searching for my birth family and explore my roots and I am satisfied with what I have done so far. The rest I leave up to the higher power to move the right people if and when the time is right.

GOA’L and Bookstore

On my way out to GOA’L today I stopped at a bookstore to buy some workbooks on learning Korean. I have the Pimsleur tapes but I am a visual learner so I am hoping that these workbooks will help me. My goal is to at least learn some basic phrases to communicate. I also ran across some cook books and I thought that it would be interesting to try and cook some Korean food. Add them to my list of things to do!

Then I went to visit Andy at GOA’L (Global Overseas Adoptee Link). GOA’L is the organization in Korea that works with Adoptees to find their birth families and also works within the Korean Community to advocate the Adoptee issues. Today I had a great meeting and helped me to clarify the direction that I need to go and gave me the motivation to keep going. We also looked up the neighbors address on the Korean equivalent of Google Maps and this is the photo of the neighbor’s house… which is the closest link that I have to the place that I was found.

Tomorrow I will tackle going back to try and confirm that this is the location and the neighborhood. I have a few places to check back with and then I need to check out the local elderly centers to see if anyone knows anything. It is my last day of “searching” here for this trip. I feel good so far about what I am doing despite my low point on Monday 😉

DMZ and Insadong 041514

Today we went to the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ; Hangul: 한반도 비무장지대). It is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea that runs along the 38th parallel north. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half and was created in 1953. It is 160 miles long and approximately 2.5 mi wide and, despite its name, is the most heavily militarized border in the world.

Here is our Koroot Crew that went on this trip, Samuel, Jae, Daniel, Malena and Sara.

The tour that we went on took us to many different places. We first started at Imjingak Park. Strangest thing about this place was that there was also an amusement park randomly here. Look at North Korea and then Ride on a Carnival ride… Korea is strange.

The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel –

Since November 15, 1974, the South has discovered that four tunnels crossing the DMZ have been dug by North Korea. Upon their discovery, North Korea claimed that the tunnels were for coal mining; however, no coal has been found in the tunnels, which are dug through granite, but some of the tunnel walls have been painted black to give the appearance of anthracite.

The tunnels are believed to have been planned as a military invasion route by North Korea. Each shaft is large enough to permit the passage of an entire infantry division in one hour. The third tunnel was discovered on October 17, 1978. Unlike the previous two, the third tunnel was discovered following a tip from a North Korean defector. This tunnel is about 1,600 m (5,200 ft) long and about 73 m (240 ft) below ground. At the end of the tunnel there is a small window and in the window looking at one of the doors three doors at the base of the tunnel.

Dorasan Station

This is Seoul’s only international station that was built to move freight through North Korea in 2007. However in 2008 the North Korean government closed the border crossing and now the train station is mainly empty. They did sell tickets for 5,000won for the first town in North Korea. Evidently they will honor our tickets if they ever start to run the train.

After the tour we went to Insadong and had lunch. I had some sort of Bimbap that was really yummy. Then after that we walked to a local Temple that had beautiful lanterns out for Buddah’s Birthday coming up in May.

It was a very fun day 😉