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WORLD NEWS Thursday 21 June 2018

On North Korean side of DMZ, it's change in the air

By ERIC TALMADGE, shows visitors around the
Associated Press usual spots — the build-
PANMUNJOM, North Ko- ing where the armistice
rea (AP) — Lt. Col. Hwang that ended the 1950-53
Myong Jin has been a Korean War was signed, a
guide on the northern side giant stone engraved with
of the Demilitarized Zone North Korean founder Kim
that divides the two Koreas Il Sung's last words, various
for five years. He says that other spots where talks took
since the summits between place. He still stays strongly
North Korean leader Kim on message — his job is
Jong Un and the presidents to get the North's position
of South Korea and the across to the tourists, even
United States, things have if they aren't especially in-
quieted down noticeably terested in listening.
in perhaps the last place But he also pointed out a
on Earth where the Cold tree planted by Kim Jong
War still burns hot. Un and South Korean Presi-
"A lot of things have dent Moon Jae-in when
changed. Listen to how they held their first summit
quiet it is," he said as he here in April, and the pa-
stood on the balcony of a vilion where Kim hosted
large building overlooking Moon when he came to
the blue and white bar- Chinese tourists have their photos taken outside the museum of the armistice agreement between the North's side last month.
racks and concrete de- North and South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom North Korea, June 20, 2018. And when speaking to an
marcation line that mark Associated Press American journalist, Hwang
the boundary between also seemed a tad less bel-
North and South. matic rifles slung over their throngs of day-tripping which never fail to outrage ligerent — or perhaps just
"The South used to blast shoulders. Inside the souve- tourists. the North and heighten a bit more relaxed — on
psychological warfare pro- nir shop, still more tourists, While world attention tends tensions on the peninsula. Wednesday.
paganda at us," he said. from Europe, looked over to focus on the North's Hwang generally follows "War only brings disaster to
"But since the summits, they hand-painted propagan- development of nuclear a strongly patriotic and our people. Nobody wants
have stopped. Now there da posters. American tour- weapons, North Korea unapologetic script as he a war," he said. q
is a peaceful atmosphere ists are still banned from has for decades stationed
here." visiting North Korea under most of its conventional
Indeed, all is quiet — de- an order issued last year fire near its border with the
ceptively so — in the DMZ by President Donald Trump South. South Korea's capi-
these days. that restricts all non-essen- tal, Seoul, is only about 80
On Wednesday, as Kim tial travel. kilometers (50 miles) away
Jong Un was in Beijing for Though the DMZ has taken from the DMZ and would
his third summit with Chi- on something of a tourist be vulnerable to a heavy
nese President Xi Jinping, trap atmosphere over the artillery attack, potentially
the northern part of the years — the South side is augmented by chemical
zone was buzzing with bus- also a popular tourist des- shells, that could cause
loads of Chinese tourists tination and also has its hundreds of thousands of
taking selfies and eating share of kitschy souvenirs — casualties.
ice cream cones outside Lt. Col. Hwang stressed that Getting North Korea to
the surprisingly well-stocked it remains first and foremost agree to move at least
souvenir shop near the DMZ a military site. some of its big guns away
entrance. "It's not that we want tourists from the border will likely
A group of ethnic Korean to come, but people want be a key topic of negotia-
high school students from to see," he said. "There are tions in the months ahead,
Japan filed out of their tour dangers." particularly now that the
bus as North Korean Peo- The dangers are, in fact, all U.S. and South Korea have
ple's Army soldiers watched around the DMZ, though agreed to halt their next
disinterestedly with auto- they are invisible to the set of annual war games,