When the opportunity came around to visit the DMZ (demilitarized zone) between North Korea and South Korea, naturally I took it (maybe, you know, I’d get to see a real live communist or something). The visit itself turned out to be pretty eye opening, both in regards to the way the North Koreans conduct themselves and the amazing vistas we didn’t get to see because they were perpetually shrouded by fog. Although, apparently because there’s virtually no human contact in the zone itself, it’s become quite the wildlife sanctuary where rare species of birds have been able to thrive with the lack of human interference.

During the visit itself, we got to go into the rooms where the North Korean and South Koreans go when they wanna talk peace (which isn’t very often). These are small, uncomfortable rooms with very little natural light and some pretty god awful decor. In fact, during one meeting, both sides were so intent on staring at the other and getting nothing accomplished that it lasted for 11 hours and was appropriately named The Battle of Bladders as neither side got up to use the bathroom. It’s hard to see in this picture, but on the the U.N. side of the room there are plastic flags representing each of the nations involved in the armistice. These flags were once cloth, but when President Bush met with the South Korean president in 2001to discuss whatever it is world leaders like to discuss the North Koreans went to the South Korean side of the room and made a big show of blowing their nose and then polishing their boots with the flags from the countries on the wall. These flags are now plastic.

I couldn’t help but notice throughout the tour, that there were plenty examples of what I could only call childish behavior. For instance, the main building on the South Korean side of the complex stood three stories tall. So when the North Koreans saw them finish building it, they hastily added a third floor to their two story structure making it taller than the South Koreans. That new floor now stands empty except for some curtains on the window. And in the South Korean village at the border they have a flag post that stands pretty tall. But when the North Koreans saw how tall the South Koreans flag pole was, they went out and got the worlds largest flag (with a dry weight of about 600 pounds) and put it on an even BIGGER flag pole in their village (called Propaganda Village because for about 8 hour intervals they broadcast a message extolling all the virtues of the paradise that the North Koreans live in. Except, it’s a decrepit, dilapidated village that’s partially constructed with metal donated by the U.N.) Unfortunately when it rains (which is quite often in this region), the North Koreans have to take the flag down or else it will snap the tower that supports it. And it takes 50 men to lower it.

This comes across as a little one sided because I didn’t get to see any real live communists and talk to them so I only had the word of our guide to work off of. But, given what I saw, I couldn’t help but feel just a little bleak that in 2008 these are how grown nations conduct themselves. At the expense of the people they’re supposed to champion.