![]() When you see North Korea on the news, internet, Twitter, etc. what emotion are evoked? I would imagine most people in the world will barely give it a second thought. But since you are reading this blog, I will assume you are a bit different. Something about North Korea garners your attention. Perhaps you have first hand experience on the Korean peninsula, maybe you know someone who lives on it, or you are the type who is fascinated by interesting history or politics. Or for most people I talk to, you have seen North Korea on the news so much lately you are finally annoyed into curiosity. Whatever the reason may be, I want to know: how do you learn about North Korea? What is your view of this volatile nation? and what contributed to your building of this view? I was fifteen years old when I stepped foot into North Korea for the first time. Literally, it was only a foot; maybe two. I remember walking around the table there in the Panmunjom Joint Security Area. Anyone who has ever been on the DMZ (border between North and South Korea) tour are more than familiar with the “table.” The border of the two nations runs down the middle and in this one little building, people have the chance to walk around the table and take a photo that proves that you have been in North Korea. It was a surreal experience for me as a young teenager. My knowledge of North Korea was limited and being there on the border gave me chills. I had no idea what to expect. I was excited to learn all I could from the tour guides. They continued to echo the negative rhetoric I have grown accustomed to at that point in my life. It was loud and clear, we were the good guys and North Koreans were crazy savages that represented all that was wrong with the world. It was the mid-90s when my parents announced to me that we were going to move to Korea. As a young teen, I really had no idea where Korea was nor did I even have a clue about the war that took place a mere 40 years earlier. There was no Google to turn to, so we did what all studious families did, we got in the car and took a family trip to the local Library. After a few hours of research, we didn’t find much. We found a tour guide for Americans visiting Seoul for the 1988 Olympics and a dusty book called the Forgotten War (Clay Blair Jr, 1987). I did not read the dusty book, but the title did stay with me. The moment our plane touched down at Gimpo International Airport, my life would start to change in a way I could never imagine. As if puberty wasn't hard enough, within days of arrival we were instructed by the US military to be on guard and be ready to evacuate at any moment. Part of that preparation included survival bags with food and supplies that were always packed and ready to go. Our school would practice air raid drills and school administration would constantly drill us on emergency evacuation procedures. We were all taught what different threat levels meant. We did all this and more because we were told that the threat from the North (only 20 miles away) was real and imminent. I began to wonder why on earth my parents would bring us to such a war zone where my life was in danger daily. Any time we saw North Korea in the news we paid close attention. Our first week in Korea was a bit frantic as the headlines were filled with North Korea. A North Korean submarine was captured off the coast and all the fanatic sailors on board committed suicide instead of surrendering. This told me that the enemy was ready to give it all for their nation. A few weeks later there was word that another infiltration tunnel was discovered under the border. This screamed loud and clear that the enemy was serious about taking over. There was story after story about several North Korean spies being hunted and often shot on the spot when caught. Needless to say, my initial education concerning North Korea was quite intense and not very positive in their favor. For further education, my parents would take us as a family on day trips to Korean War sights and museums. I started to learn more about that mysterious threat up North and the atrocities committed by them during the “Forgotten War.” At this point, I have never met a North Korean or anyone who has ever even been there. No one seemed to know much about what was going on up there. We heard rumors of famine and that the nation was still mourning the loss of its founder Kim Il Sung. Other than that, North Korea was considered the enemy and all they wanted to do was kill us. In my young mind, I assumed that all North Korean people must have horns, pointy tail and wielding a pitchfork. It was this initial impression of North Korea that shaped my view as I stood on the DMZ and looked off into the vast nothingness of a nation that I grew to associate with death, evil, backward, etc. I wondered with immense curiosity as to what that nation was truly like and why on earth they hated me so much. As I turned away from my last look of the North and boarded the bus, I thanked God that I was where I was and not there. As we drove off, my dad asked me; “What did you think of North Korea?” I responded and said; “I am glad I never will go there.”
2 Comments
8/2/2017 06:02:59 am
Isn't God funny, Luke? Dave said the same thing when he drilled his last well in Montana. "I'm never drilling another well." Yet God took him on an adventurous journey to drill wells for the poor communities in North Korea. Never say never to God, folks!
Reply
Luke Elie
8/2/2017 09:11:32 pm
God does incredible things. No boring moments when we choose to follow him.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLuke Elie Archives
June 2018
Categories |