Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Orientalism / Sinology - Miscellaneous, grade: A+, Ewha Womans University (International Cyber University), course: Geography of Korea, language: English, abstract: The task on which this paper is based, was to explore a specific aspect of the Korean geography. Thus, as part of the geography of Korea, the Demilitarized Zone, which separates North Korea and South Korea, was chosen. This place is especially interesting for German people because for nearly 40 years one of the most obvious cases of spatial segregation through ideologies was Germany’s separation manifested in the Berlin Wall. The aim of this paper is to give an overview over the most important aspects related to the Demilitarized Zone. Therefore, in the main part some basic facts about South and North Korea will be introduced, followed by an analysis of the zone itself, which is separated in two parts. The first part deals with the history of the separation of the Koreas, while the second part describes the location. At the end of the paper a conclusion will be drawn.

Untouched since 1953, the Korean DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) has transformed itself into one of the few ecologically pristine zones and a vital habitat for endangered species. Often cited as a potential "peace park", it could one day be a common ground for reconciliation and harmony. A wealth of data and information has been produced over time, documenting significant aspects of the DMZ and its implications for human and ecological security, both in Korea and worldwide. However, there is no single book in English that brings together the findings on the mechanism of evolution, the ecology and biodiversity of the DMZ. "The DMZ of Korea", by Kwi-Gon Kim, is the first step in this direction. It seeks to link scientific information and policy making for the future DMZ ecosystem management, taking into account the fact that the area has become, over the years, a natural treasure as a habitat for rare birds and other wildlife and a fertile environment for a thriving plant community. It also provides a framework for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the DMZ. The book holistically describes the current environmental status of the DMZ, and identifies bioregions, resources, habitats, and species. By outlining the current scientific data and information needed to classify the different wetland types, assess the biological integrity, understand the threat factors, and to suggest conservation and management strategies, the book provides a "one stop shop" scientific and policy source of information, which will undoubtedly be of great interest to students, researchers, practitioners, and policy decision-makers, in the areas of planning, natural resource management, public management, ecology, landscape architecture, geography, and the life sciences. Prof.Dr.Kwi-Gon Kim obtained his Ph.D. at UCL, University of London, UK. He is a professor emeritus at Seoul National University and the Co- President of the Korea DMZ Council in Seoul, Korea.

This book is Jongwoo Park's photo-documentation of the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ of Korea, the strip of land dividing North and South Korea. About 248 km long, 4 km wide, and 60 km from Seoul, this buffer zone between the two countries is, despite its name, one of the most militarized borders in the world, operating under strict armistice conditions following the end of the Korean War in 1953. In 2009 the South Korean Ministry of National Defense invited Park to document the DMZ, an area normally inaccessible to civilians and of which no comprehensive photographic record existed. Park did so rigorously until 2012, although the project proved a complex administrative undertaking involving detailed negotiations and planning. An unlikely tension energizes Park's series: the contrast between military presence (seen through barbed wire, outposts, and armed troops which have led to sporadic violence), and the natural beauty of the DMZ. For the isolation of this diverse landscape has allowed it to largely revert to its original state; today it is recognized as one of the world's best-preserved temperate habitats and home to several endangered species of flora and fauna.

The Korean demilitarized zone might be among the most heavily guarded places on earth, but it also provides passage for thousands of defectors, spies, political emissaries, war prisoners, activists, tourists, and others testing the limits of Korean division. This book focuses on a diverse selection of inter-Korean border crossers and the citizenship they acquire based on emotional affiliation rather than constitutional delineation. Using their physical bodies and emotions as optimal frontiers, these individuals resist the state's right to draw geopolitical borders and define their national identity. Drawing on sources that range from North Korean documentary films, museum exhibitions, and theater productions to protester perspectives and interviews with South Korean officials and activists, this volume recasts the history of Korean division and draws a much more nuanced portrait of the region's Cold War legacies. The book ultimately helps readers conceive of the DMZ as a dynamic summation of personalized experiences rather than as a fixed site of historical significance.

The author's celebrated quest, through narrative and photography, to capture today's built and natural environment and way of life along the Min Tong Line separating the two Koreas, is both a stunning literary and photographic achievement.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts describing the DMZ *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading During the Moscow Conference in December 1945, the victorious Allies agreed that the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the Republic of China would hold equal shares of control over the Korean Peninsula for up to 5 years before allowing Korea its independence. Most locals, barring the Soviet-endorsed Communist Party, opposed the trusteeship immediately. Apprehensive of another civilian insurrection, Soviet and American officials brokered talks to merge the administrations, but its progress was hindered by trouble brewed by the restless locals, as well as the tension that reached a crescendo in the impending Cold War. In the meantime, the enmity between the north and the south continued to sour. Those displeased by their local politics, as well as those who predicted the forthcoming cataclysm, hopped the border before it was too late. By May of 1946, authorities on both ends declared that anyone else who dared cross the 38th parallel without a permit would be guilty of trespassing and duly penalized for their crime. The Korean War was a watershed event for a number of reasons. Not only was it considered the first military action of the Cold War, as well as one of the first to utilize jet planes kitted out with bombs and missiles, the United Nations immersed itself in the precarious politics of warfare for the very first time. A total of 41 countries gifted shiploads of provisions and equipment to South Korea. Another 16 countries provided their own soldiers to serve as backup for the South Koreans. Their mission, put simply, was to extinguish Communism on the peninsula once and for all. After a series of heated, but unproductive negotiations that lasted 2 brutal years and 17 miserable days, North Korea and South Korea found themselves locked in a stalemate. Finally, on July 27, 1953, representatives from both parties gathered at the village of Panmunjom, located on a semi-neutral zone by the border. Here, they devised a document entitled the "Korean Armistice Agreement," and scrawled their names across the bottom of the parchment, calling for a ceasefire, effective immediately. In essence, this agreement was no more than a truce, for there were no victors. The agreement merely ensured "a suspension of open hostilities," a "transfer of POWs," and lastly, the formal establishment of the demilitarization zone, better known as the "DMZ." To this day, no peace treaty has ever been signed. Despite the fact the border between North Korea and South Korea remains tense, and former President Bill Clinton once branded it the "scariest place on Earth," more than 7.5 million tourists have visited the notorious demilitarized zone for one reason or another. There, they gazed upon a treacherous, but evidently intriguing strip of land, guarded by estranged brothers with a chilling array of weapons directed at one another at all times. The Korean Demilitarized Zone: The History and Legacy of the Border between North Korea and South Korea examines one of the most dangerous locations on the planet. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the notorious DMZ like never before.

Although a cease-fire agreement was signed in Panmunjeom on July 27, 1953, fighting between North and South Korea never stopped. The hot war was replaced by a low-intensity war. Terrorism, assassinations, infiltration of spies, and the like replaced tank battles and artillery duels. Until 1993, the United States patrolled its sector of the DMZ (demilitarized zone) in South Korea. In Call Sign: Purple Three, author Mark Heathco, who pulled 385 missions inside the DMZ during his military career, describes the preparation for a dangerous patrol in August 1985. This memoir follows the soldiers as they arrive at Warrior Base, refit for war, and finally execute the patrol itself. With great detail, Call Sign: Purple Three provides keen insight into the Korean DMZ at a time when the world thought all was well in Korea, but in reality chaos was just a hair trigger away. This insiderÕs memoir offers an understanding of what these soldiers did and the sacrifices they made.