On July 9th – 11th I travelled together with mebers of Jeju Dark Tours to Gangwon Province to join DMZ Peace Tour organized by Lee Gi-Cchan, founder of Gangwon Peace Tour. During this trip I had a unique opportunity to explore DMZ in Yanggu-gun. Unlike DMZ in Paju, this place is not a famous tourist trail and it will not be seen often in travel brochures. However, the experience was remarkably interesting. I have been greeted by local guide who requested us to do short stretching prior to the hiking. Then we climbed up the curvy trail in lush forest to oversee a beautiful bowl-shaped Yanggu Valley. Even though the weather was rainy and slightly gloomy the beauty of surrounding us nature was breathtaking. However, the tragic history of Korean War and several battles that took place here would not leave my mind. Currently it is a peaceful village with population highly engaged in agricultural works growing fruits and vegetables and making delicious food out of locally grown products.
·Our next stop was in Yanggu Unification Hall. We were welcome by a 6-meters tall statue of Greeting Man.
This statue was erected in 2012 and symbolizes peace, hope for end of the war and Korean Unification. One of the highly recommended places to visit on site is War Memorial Hall which was built in 2000 in order to commemorate the memory of those who fought during the Korean War. Indoor walls of the hall are covered with heartbreaking pictures from Korean War, with installations of real weaponry used during the war. You will find a glass floor with bullets and weaponry beneath it, the remnants of the war.
· Next, we arrived to the Peace Dam in Hwacheon-gun. This Dam was built to prevent potential flooding attack by North Korea. The construction of the dam started in 1986 and was completed by 1989. However, it was lower than the existing dam. In 2006 Korean government started reconstructing the Dam in 2002 and ended by 2005. The Peace Dam is 601 meters wide, 125 meters tall, and capable of holding 2.61 billion tons of water. Due to its location in scenic area the dam is currently a tourist attraction. There is a sky walk as well as various recreation areas for vacationers.
·And final trip of Jeju Dark Tours’ members was to the Vietnam War Memorial Museum in Hwacheon-gun. We could go back through history and observe the hardships that Vietnamese people had to undergo during the war and learn about the role of Korean army in Vietnamese War. One of the most memorable moments here was going through Cu Chi Underground Tunnel Exhibition Hall with human sculptures depicting daily life of Vietnamese people during the Vietnamese war.
This trip was historically enriching and by the end of it I was even more resolute in their believes that humanity should altogether work towards promotion of global peace by remembering and respecting the past.
The images are well captured with a breathtaking view. Great Job