The 38th Parallel

“North” and “South” has without doubt been one of the greatest borders in all of history. From the Civil War to mere high school sending districts, there has always existed an ingrained sense of rivalry between the two. However, there has been no rivalry to “parallel” that of the 38^th parallel: the latitudinal demarcation line separating North and South Korea.

What’s most interesting about this north-south border is that conflict is not only present between solely the North and the South, but also the North and essentially the rest of the world. For those of you who have not seen it, below is a YouTube video of the National Geographic documentary “Inside North Korea.”  The National Geographic reporters team up with an eye doctor from Nepal who has offered to perform 1000 cataract surgeries for the people of North Korea. Under normal circumstances, North Korea would never allow American reporters to enter their country, however, National Geographic had pretended to be working for the doctor as a camera crew, and were thus allowed to enter only under this pretense. The American correspondent was the only American in North Korea during her report.

The picture painted of North Korea in this documentary is all but a pretty one. From the very first shots of Pyongyang, the capital city, it looks like a complete ghost town. There are almost no people walking around the city and all of the 12 lane highways are bereft of cars. Everywhere you look, though, there are pictures of “The Great Leader,” Kim Il-sung, plastered everywhere- whether on the side of a billboard or in the frame of a sixty foot statue. The American reporter says that being in North Korea “feels like you’ve been cut off from the rest of the world,” after having their cell phones confiscated and learning that you need a permit to travel anywhere within the country. As the film progresses, we begin to learn how “brainwashed” the people of North Korea have become. The Great Leader wrote every book in the library; the National Geographic team is invited into a local home where there are no family pictures, but instead countless pictures and posters of the Great Leader. After successfully receiving an eye surgery, one of the patients gets up, completely ignores the doctor, and thanks a picture of The Great Leader for “his blessing”. He attributes his ability to see not by the hard work of the Nepal eye doctor but the power of Kim Il-Sung. There are clips of the North Korean people during Kim Il-Sung’s death, as they hysterically cry and mourn their leader’s demise.

All in all, the way of The Great Leader is all that the North Korean people know. His ways have infiltrated their minds and completely influence their manners, behaviors, and attitudes, especially towards Americans. For example, a mother and her young daughter are walking the streets of Pyongyang singing a nursery rhyme, “The pathetic Americans kneel on the ground. They beg for mercy”. Even at a young age, the people of North Korea are taught to hate.

Just south of the 38^th parallel though lies South Korea, a long trusted ally of the United States. As a matter of fact, the US Army 2^nd Infantry Division is stationed in South Korea and we conduct yearly military exercises with the Republic of Korea Army, which is called “Foal Eagle”. Overall, I found this border particularly interesting because on one side we have sworn enemies, and yet the other side is our allies. It’s amazing how a mere border is separating two completely divergent groups of people. This post is especially relevant because North Korea cancelled the armistice with South Korea. These actions make me wonder if there will ever be unification between North and South Korea, if some agreement can be made, or if the differences amongst the border are just too strong. Once a border is made can it be broken, or will traces of the border always remain? Are borders helpful, or even necessary in some aspects?