The North Korea-South Korea Border

After my last blog about the Canada-United States border, I had trouble finding a border with enough quirks to make a blog about. The relatively short border on the Korean peninsula, however, is very interesting for a few reasons.

Korea has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years, and in one of those years, specifically 1910, it was effectively conquered by Imperial Japan. The same Japan that would go on to lose World War 2. As it happens so often to the losers of war, their various territories and puppet states were transferred into the hands of the winners (in this case the Allies of world war 2.)

The winners, however, were not on the friendliest terms, and both quickly moved to occupy Korea. Both were war-weary and signed a treaty to divide the peninsula at the 38th parallel.

From 1950 to 1953, the Korean war was fought, pitting the North Koreans against the South Koreans (both of whom had massive military support from some of the major powers of the cold war). After the border stabilized in 1951, the two sides waged a defensive war in the style of the Western front of World War I until an armistice was signed in 1953.

Near the center of what many of us would know as the Sea of Japan, there are a couple rocks that are the subject of a 3-way territorial dispute. North Korea and South Korea both claim it, and so does Japan.

Weirdly, they also have a 3-way dispute over what to call the body of water the rocks sit in. Japan prefers "Sea of Japan", South Korea wants the world to know it as the "East Sea," and the DPRK, not known for their simple names, prefer "East Sea of Korea".

To prevent any unfortunate incidents that could ignite a second Korean War, the armistice agreement stipulated a 4 km demilitarized zone that not even the bravest try to cross. Actually, several people have tried and succeeded in crossing it. But suffice it to say that crossing the DMZ is highly discouraged, and will almost certainly result in serious injury or death.

The DMZ and the area around it was the site of many battles in the late stages of the Korean war, after both sides had dug in a bit. These include the battle of Old Baldy, the battle of Heartbreak Ridge, the battle of Hill Eerie, and the battle of Pork Chop Hill. These battles occured over a small amount of area on the ground, which is why they take their names from what the American soldiers called the hills that some of them would die on.

Between 1974 and 1990, South Korea found 4 tunnels that crossed the DMZ. They were all quite advanced, having railways, lighting, sleeping areas, and a capacity to move a considerable amount of troops through them in the event of an invasion. Three of the tunnels are accessible from the South side and guided tours of the tunnels are available.

The respective leaders of North and South Korea would likely have a lot of important things to discuss; however, with relations the way they are between the two countries (specifically the ongoing status of being at war with each other), neither is willing to travel far into the other country.

Which is why they meet and hold "peace talks" in a border village called Panmunjon. It provides an interesting quirk to the otherwise impassable border.

Another island dispute, this time in the Yellow Sea, and, unfortunately, with more action than the Sea of Japan East Sea East Sea of Korea disputes ever had.

Two naval battles were fought, the first in 1999 and the second in 2002.

In 2010, North Korea shelled the island, killing several people and almost igniting a war between the two nations, or rather, a large-scale end to the armistice. South Korea has maintained control of the island since then, and it has a population of 1,780.

I'm not even going to pretend this is controversial. I'm just going to say what everyone already agrees with: the entire peninsula, and probably the world, should be united under the glorious Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea is the Best Korea!