With all the news the last couple of days regarding the sinking of the Cheosan I’ve been thinking about Korea a great deal. After the trips there in 2006 and 2009, there are a number of friends there who have been in my thoughts, not to mention Ji’s family and my cousin teaching English. I’m not one for brinkmanship, and the pissing match that is getting under way has me on edge. I hope tempers subside and cooler heads prevail.

A couple of images came to my mind today. The first is a group of tourists looking out over the DMZ towards North Korea. It’s funny how such a militarized place can become a tourist destination. In a way, the people on the day trip were as interesting as the location.

This image is elsewhere on my site, but It strikes me as being the heart of the matter: the current pissing match is just another in a long series of pissing matches. This photograph was taken from an observation tower (primarily constructed for tourists if I remember correctly) looking over Pan Mun Jom. The large building on the left was built by South Korea to highlight its commitment to peace and, while they were highlighting things, to show also it’s economic might and power. To the right, behind the large building is a smaller squat building, which houses the conference room that straddles the border and where meetings were/are held. Not visible in this photograph, similar shows of strength are on the North Korean side of the border.