The Concrete Wall - a Symbol of Conflict and Division
About a 50 minute drive away, 27 km east of the city of Kaesong in a remote quiet location just by the no-man鈥檚 land that divides the two Koreas lies a North Korean military post where a Korean People鈥檚 Army Officer awaits us.
Cinema in Kaesong city. We start the trip to the military post from Kaesong city.
The Concrete Wall is a tangible symbol of the sad division of Korea. The DPRK claims that South Korea built a wall that stretches cuts through the Korean Peninsula and shows their intention of keeping a divided Korea.
As opposed to the DMZ which is pretty much a must-see spot for anyone travelling to DPRK, the Concrete Wall is not visited as much.
We start from Kaesong city and head out east through the countryside and small villages. The road is narrow and bumpy but you do get a feeling of seeing what life is like in remoter rural areas of North Korea. If not on duty at the post, we sometimes pick up the Workers鈥� People Army Officer who will explain to us everything related to the wall in Kaesong city and he joins us for the almost one hour long ride.
You鈥檒l notice soldiers outside on the way saluting him as we drive by. It is also common to see locals gaze at us astonishingly as the sight of foreigners here is very rare to say the least.
Once we arrive at the post we will head up a trench footpath into the lecture room and this is where the explanation begins. There will also be young soldiers guarding the post and it is not uncommon to see them shyly and excitedly greet us as we arrive.
The WPA Officer will warmly welcome us and ask to take a seat as he explains what it is we are about to see in South Korea. Our guide translates.
The KPA Officer will explain that t