Sometimes, I think America does not do a good job communicating the nature of the entire world. The focus of its history and politics revolved primarily around itself, if not that, itself and Europe and the Middle East, and if not that the Western hemisphere. Last year, I remember speaking to several friends about the TV show M*A*S*H, and though they had watched many episodes, and told me they enjoyed it, they believed the show to be set in Vietnam. In reality, it is set in Korea. But the show, was about American troops involved in a civil war in a foreign country. Perhaps to them, the location didn't matter, as much as the unit it focused on.
While that is a small offense, I felt that the way I had to answer my friend's question, "What do Americans think of North Korea?" was a greater one.
I remember when I was in high school, North Korea's leader issued a threat against the United States, which lead the creation of internet memes, instead of intimidation. Movies, like the Interview, capitalize on this, as do talk show hosts, and youtube videos. So I had to say that many of the people in America treat North Korea like a joke.
However, I don't think many Americans consider how North Korean is viewed by South Koreans. Technically speaking the two countries are still at war, however, they are also, in the eyes of South Korea, still together. Every North Korean citizen is considered a citizen of South Korea, because many of the South Korean citizens still hope for reunification.
When I traveled to the DMZ by train, it was the most emotional journey I've ever taken. The entire ride was made of mixed motifs. Surrounding the track were barbed wire fences, and there were army officers with guns at every station, watching your every move. But on those fences, there were decorations, some dulled by rain, but still emblems of peace.
In fact there were many bright and colorful things, despite the somberness of the occasion. The war was an effort of sadness, like most civil wars. Families were split by location and luck. Many people died, in terrible ways. So now, when you look across the border, you can see two cities one on each side. There are two flags different flags flying for each of the countries. The people in those cities will probably never meet, in reality they are worlds apart.
But many of the South Koreans I talked to don't feel that way. More North Koreans escape than people might think, in fact it's a business. The best route out of North Korea is through the Chinese border. With the right amount of money, a North Korean can be bribed to extract another North Korean, by bribing the border guards. Then that North Korean is shipped through China to a country in South East Asia, and then transported to South Korea. There is almost a set rate for extracting people, and over 1,000 people are rescued every year. My friend volunteered to help these refugees in Seoul, teaching them how to rehabilitate themselves into city life.
The last thing I saw, when I went to the DMZ... After the video about the war, after the tunnels which North Korea dug to invade... was a timeline of efforts toward reunification and several monuments. The people giving us a tour spoke as if this was an on going thing. They have a model of a railroad which would connect the two capital cities, and talk about events in the 2000s contributing to the countries becoming one again. There's a children's playground, in an area the used to be covered with mines and there's a wall with thousands of ribbons on it with hopeful prayers.
Until I went there, I thought of these countries as two separate entities. The war is technically over, and the countries are seen as independent nations, but as my friend said:
"They speak the same language as us. They make jokes like us. We should be the same country."
