Looking into North with hope for ‘United Korea’

Prospects of a Unified Korea: Visit to Odu Mountain Unification Observatory

Friends of Invest Korea group photo

In an effort to attract FDIs (Foreign Direct Investments) into Korea, over 30 foreign students participated in the Friends of Invest Korea’s Program as ambassadors to get a closer glimpse and understanding of the Korean culture and society. For over 5 months, they will be involved in activities to help portray Korea as a favorable investment destination not only in Asia but in the world at large.

One of the locations visited was the Odu Mountain Unification Observatory, which stands as a symbol of the division since the end of World War II between the Stalinist North and Capitalist South and at the same time hope for unification to come.

The Odusan Unification observatory located in Paju, less than a 30-minute drive from Seoul opened its doors more than 2 decades ago as a consolation present for the 10 million plus people who lost their lives during the Korean War. Since then, the centre has attracted more than 17 million people (Koreans and foreigners combined), generating some financial gains with entrance fees ranging from $1 for kindergarten students and the elderly to a maximum of about $3 for adults.

The observatory is partitioned into 3 distinct sections to address the tragic reality of the division of the peninsula and promote the dream of a peaceful unification someday. The first floor provides an imaginary view into life in North Korea and also some North Korean exhibition halls. Here, one could find items such as North Korean medicine, stamps, products for export, life goods and clothes.

Odu Mountain Unification Observatory <Photo: Newsis>

One can also find a corner for North Korean information and also rooms such as the Unification Wishing Room (visitors can write their wishes for unification and these notes will be stored in a time capsule until the day of Korean unification), the North Korean Elementary School Classroom and the North Korean No.2 Residence Master Bedroom.

The Unification Exhibition Hall and Theatre can be found on the second floor. The pictures and charts here help to address the relationship between the North and South in terms of division, conflict, dialogue and cooperation. Very familiar pictures such as the Cheonan incident, where 46 South Korean Navy men lost their lives, as well as photos of all 8 former South Korea presidents can be found in this section. This floor also hosts the Unification Topographical Map and theatres broadcasting national security education and other information regarding North Korea.

The observatory rooms for Koreans and foreigners include high performance 20x binoculars on the 3rd and 4th floors. The binoculars help give a view of the guard post and three story rural houses of North Korea.

Apart from all that the buildings have to offer, the observatory also provides an outdoor area where visitors can enjoy some aspects of Korean culture, history, art and ecology. It’s host to a worship altar and also the Unification drum. Just right outside, you can’t miss the statue of Jo Man-sik, who was a nationalist activist in Korea’s independence movement, and a parallel pole structure that symbolizes peace. Convenience facilities also exist in the observatory such as a Korean restaurant, indoor lounge, coffee shop and a North Korean products and souvenir shop. All these make the observatory a perfect destination for picnics, tours and pleasant outdoor cultural recreational facility.

Message for reunification

A complete tour of the facility gives a sense of the cold war and the difference between the North and South. For many foreigners and Koreans who know little about the Korean War, a visit here helps get a deeper understanding of North Korea by simply watching the historical materials displayed.

It may also be good educational material to better understand the importance and urgency of the North-South reunification. Since 1945, these two nations have drifted significantly in every aspect of life, but it is still the hope of some Koreans that unification, no matter the cost, can still be possible.

According to South Korea’s Finance Ministry, reunification of the two Koreas could cost the South up to 7 percent of the annual GDP ($80.62billion) for a decade even though the South would benefit in various ways such as cheap and increased labor and the expansion of the economy’s potential growth through investments, production and economic cooperation.

It is evident that this will not come easily, but just as an anonymous author put it, “Hope is not pretending that troubles don’t exist. It is the hope that they won’t last forever. The hurts will be healed and difficulties overcome. That will be led out of the darkness and into the sunshine.”