Hwacheon (Wa-Shon) is a town bordering the DMZ in South Korea. It has a population of 27,000 citizens and 35,000 troops garrisoned there. It is one of the towns for which the Korean War has never ended. Like their North Korean counterparts, the folks here just watch each other waiting ....But not any more.
Poised in the middle of this area is the so-called "Peace Dam". An empty hole in the ground that was built only to protect the area from flooding in case North Korea's dam were ever damaged, or deliberately opened. That is the site where the local government hopes that
"a tragic symbol of the hostility and conflict between North Korea and South Korea, will be transformed into a symbol of genuine peace for life in the Korean Peninsula, in North East Asia and around the globe. The Dam will be a historic monument for the future generations of the Korean people and for visitors from all over the world. It will be a paradoxical sign of communication and conviviality among the peoples of the world, not just in Korea." And there, at about this time next year, is where they will mount the Bell of World Peace, currently being made using spent bullet cartridges from around the world.
This is not something that North and South Korea decided to do together. It is something that the local community decided it needed to do for North and South Korea, with implications for the rest of us.
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