Hiking Trail Along the DMZ: From War to Eco-Tourism
The Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, is commonly called the most armed border in the world. After practically 50 years of being untouched by people, a beautiful and natural landscape has reformed. Endangered species are finding a home in this accidental animal refuge, and over 6,000 species of flora and fauna are thought to call this once-wasteland home. Now for the first time ever, hiking trails are being blazed around and hopefully through the make-shift nature reserve. Read more in this article by CNN, and be sure to look through the gallery of images.
As a young multi-racial Korean living outside of the Korean Peninsula, the DMZ might not be something I grew up seeing, but it was always a painful memory. My family is only one of millions that was torn when the DMZ was drawn across the country like a line in the sand. I have always wanted to visit Korea, specifically Pyongyan. The dream of seeing the house my grandmother was raised in was implanted deep in my mind as a child. Hiking along the DMZ is far from standing in the home of my ancestors, but to be able to see the Korea that songs and poems have been written about, the untouched beauty of the landscape, it would be a dream of its own.
