Korea is a country with rich history and one of my favorite countries in Asia to visit because of its unique culture and the warmth of its people. I have visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Joint Security Area (JSA) several times over the past 10 years. It’s a popular tourist destination and has an extreme waiver that participants must sign to visit the area. The waiver says that the government cannot guarantee the safety of visitors from hostile acts and not to make any gestures toward the North Korean soldiers at the border.
One of the most interesting parts of the visit is entering the conference room in the blue building, where half of the room is in North Korea and half of the room is in South Korea. This is the room where the two countries have come together for meetings.
For many in South Korea, President Trump’s recent historic meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore last week was seen as an opportunity instead of a failure. In a Gallup survey, more than 1,000 people two days after the summit, two-thirds of the population said they think the Kim/Trump meeting was a success. Only one in 10 thought it a failure.
When we entered the building the back door of the building was closed and South Korean soldiers stood guard as we walked around the table to North Korea. The photo above shows the Republic of Korea (South Korea) soldiers standing guard at the JSA in between North Korea and South Korea in the village of Panmunjom.
My hope is that these two countries can be united in the future with peace and families can be reunited through a peaceful negotiation process over time.
