Suk-Young Kim
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231164825
- eISBN:
- 9780231537261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231164825.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This concluding chapter examines the debate regarding the future of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), mostly the clashing forces of Korean nationalism and transnational environmentalism. As an example, ...
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This concluding chapter examines the debate regarding the future of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), mostly the clashing forces of Korean nationalism and transnational environmentalism. As an example, the Imjingak Peace Park—an expansive memorial park adjacent to the South Korean DMZ—contains multiple layers of paradoxes that characterize this contested space: its titillating proximity to the DMZ and North Korea while functioning as a barrier that stops civilians' free approach to the zone; its significance as a site of past trauma as well as of future recreation and leisure. In consequence, the Korean civilians' lack of mobility across the border accentuates the absurdly limited field of vision to which they are restricted when attempting to see the division in its full spectrum.Less
This concluding chapter examines the debate regarding the future of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), mostly the clashing forces of Korean nationalism and transnational environmentalism. As an example, the Imjingak Peace Park—an expansive memorial park adjacent to the South Korean DMZ—contains multiple layers of paradoxes that characterize this contested space: its titillating proximity to the DMZ and North Korea while functioning as a barrier that stops civilians' free approach to the zone; its significance as a site of past trauma as well as of future recreation and leisure. In consequence, the Korean civilians' lack of mobility across the border accentuates the absurdly limited field of vision to which they are restricted when attempting to see the division in its full spectrum.
Suk-Young Kim
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231164825
- eISBN:
- 9780231537261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231164825.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter compares the South Korean state museum's re-creation of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) crossing experience with how its North Korean counterpart imagines the border area and the act of ...
More
This chapter compares the South Korean state museum's re-creation of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) crossing experience with how its North Korean counterpart imagines the border area and the act of border crossing. While the North Korean museum's reference to wartime border crossing is stunningly lacking when compared to that of its South Korean counterpart, this significant absence symptomatically exposes North Korea's vulnerability in imagining the past. The emotional experience and expression of division is not only a terrain for individual citizens to create spontaneous coalitions but also a powerful resource for both Korean states to claim their validity as agents of reunification—no matter how different their visions of division and reunification might be.Less
This chapter compares the South Korean state museum's re-creation of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) crossing experience with how its North Korean counterpart imagines the border area and the act of border crossing. While the North Korean museum's reference to wartime border crossing is stunningly lacking when compared to that of its South Korean counterpart, this significant absence symptomatically exposes North Korea's vulnerability in imagining the past. The emotional experience and expression of division is not only a terrain for individual citizens to create spontaneous coalitions but also a powerful resource for both Korean states to claim their validity as agents of reunification—no matter how different their visions of division and reunification might be.
Suk-Young Kim
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231164825
- eISBN:
- 9780231537261
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231164825.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This book focuses on a diverse selection of people who have crossed the border between North and South Korea and also assesses the citizenship they acquire based on emotional affiliation rather than ...
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This book focuses on a diverse selection of people who have crossed the border between North and South Korea and also assesses the citizenship they acquire based on emotional affiliation rather than constitutional delineation. It details how these individuals use their physical bodies and emotions as “optimal frontiers,” and shows how they resist the state's right to draw geopolitical borders and define their national identities. It highlights the fact that, although the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) is one of the most heavily guarded places on earth, it also provides passage for thousands of defectors, spies, political emissaries, war prisoners, activists, tourists and others testing the limits of Korean division. The book draws on sources that range from North Korean documentary films, museum exhibitions, and theatre productions. It also uses protester perspectives and interviews with South Korean officials and activists. In this way, it recasts the history of Korean division and draws a 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.Less
This book focuses on a diverse selection of people who have crossed the border between North and South Korea and also assesses the citizenship they acquire based on emotional affiliation rather than constitutional delineation. It details how these individuals use their physical bodies and emotions as “optimal frontiers,” and shows how they resist the state's right to draw geopolitical borders and define their national identities. It highlights the fact that, although the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) is one of the most heavily guarded places on earth, it also provides passage for thousands of defectors, spies, political emissaries, war prisoners, activists, tourists and others testing the limits of Korean division. The book draws on sources that range from North Korean documentary films, museum exhibitions, and theatre productions. It also uses protester perspectives and interviews with South Korean officials and activists. In this way, it recasts the history of Korean division and draws a 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.
Suk-Young Kim
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231164825
- eISBN:
- 9780231537261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231164825.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the troubled history between North and South Korea, as well as the poignant divide between its peoples as encapsulated by the “demilitarized ...
More
This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the troubled history between North and South Korea, as well as the poignant divide between its peoples as encapsulated by the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ). The DMZ itself represents a geopolitical divide of the land—a consistent affirmation of state power and legitimacy—rather than a mere physical separation of the Korean peoples. Another consequence of the Korean states' respective exercises of power are the notions of citizenship embedded within every Korean citizen—notions which are also frequently manipulated into an often dramatic, paradoxical sense of belonging, especially within a people that feels the pangs of familial separation all too keenly, as theirs is a culture that thrives on familial kinship.Less
This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the troubled history between North and South Korea, as well as the poignant divide between its peoples as encapsulated by the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ). The DMZ itself represents a geopolitical divide of the land—a consistent affirmation of state power and legitimacy—rather than a mere physical separation of the Korean peoples. Another consequence of the Korean states' respective exercises of power are the notions of citizenship embedded within every Korean citizen—notions which are also frequently manipulated into an often dramatic, paradoxical sense of belonging, especially within a people that feels the pangs of familial separation all too keenly, as theirs is a culture that thrives on familial kinship.
