Seoul - Reminders of War

Seoul was absolutely amazing, probably the best city I've ever visited so far. Crime is very low, public transit is dirt cheap and impeccable, everything tourism related is in 4 languages (Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin), great food, and the nightlife kicks ass. I also mentioned in a post some of the weird quirky things that I had noticed while travelling. There was however one thing I noticed in particular, even more so after visiting the DMZ, that the city is ready for any attack!

I'm not gonna give you a full historical background on the Korean War as that's what textbooks and teachers are for, but to quickly sum it up, the two sides are technically at war. The North and South never actually signed a peace agreement, only an armistice. The DMZ border area is probably one of the most armed areas in the world. Interestingly enough, the long time North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il died which has sent the peninsula into a sort of red-alert status. I was quite privileged to have visited the DMZ when I did as for now visits are probably heavily restricted if not cancelled due to the heightened tensions.

Had the guide not said anything I'd never have noticed...

On the way to the DMZ was my first point of realization of how "ready" the city is. Our tour bus coming along the freeway was passing under this massive underpass which had a huge billboard on it. The underpass was under this massive block of cement (say 30ft high, 30 feet deep, and long enough to cover 4 freeway lanes). Our tour guide explained that this was no ordinary billboard/underpass but a tank trap to help delay the North's army from reaching Seoul. Our guide went on to explain (in a surprisingly non-chalant way) that there were 10 of these traps and that each trap would slow the North down by 9 minutes, giving them a 90min head start to evacuate the city. 

Sign pointing to shelter.

Another interesting reminder of Seoul's readiness for an attack lies in its subways and underground networks which also double as bomb shelters. The symbol above denotes that whatever building/station you're entering is an actual bomb shelter. There are quite a few of these as the city is still within range of a Northern mortar attack. Eight months out of the year, on the 15th of the month they hold drills where the air raid sirens go off and everyone needs to go to the nearest shelter. Thankfully a) I knew this before going and b) this didn't happen while I was there as I would have crapped myself!

Gas mask anyone?

Finally, the last and personally most disturbing reminder of the state of affairs on the peninsula, is the fact that there are boxes like the above in all subway stations. It’s a little disturbing looking over and seeing a gas mask dispenser while waiting for the subway. These are there in case of a similar attack as in the nerve gas attack in Tokyo, or a fire. These could be perpetrated by Northern infiltrators/spies. Even worse is you have videos while on the subway instructing you on how to wear the gas mask and escape. Not the sort of thing I want to think about while on my way sightseeing!

Seoul is an amazing place, fantastically fun, but sadly next to the most schizophrenic nation on the planet. You can’t help but sympathize with them for going to such lengths to ensure the security of their people. As an outsider looking in I can’t help but be made a little uneasy when seeng all this, but for the Koreans, this is everyday life. Seriously folks, don’t let this put you off, this city is an absolute treasure with so much to offer. I’d maybe just wait a bit until things cool off before going back!