Media shmedia

My Korean host family took us to the border between North and South Korea today.  Such a strange reality; two separate worlds divided by so short a distance.  It was heart-breaking to see the memorials and altars that were near the border that mourned for the families of South Koreans still living in North Korea.  The fences were filled with prayers for peace and freedom.  It seems like the public really wants the two sides to come together again, and it's a shame how politics are getting in the way.

While I've been here, I have been able to hear about what some South Koreans think about the North vs South scare that was presented as such a huge deal back home in Canada.  Even my family was worried about my safety here prior to my departure, and who could have blamed them? It was all over the news!  Since I've been here, I've heard almost nothing about the situation.  And in the words of both Serena and another South Korean woman I met, people here just "don't care".  Serena says that South Koreans are almost positive that there will be no such war and that it is just a game of intimidation.  She even joked about a possible bomb attack from North Korea, saying that if anything, her family would be located so close to the border that the bomb would probably just fly right over them before landing.  Isn't the media a funny thing?

Prayers for peace/memorial

The bridge to cross the border, I believe

Spying on North Korea...just kidding.