Place in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Place in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Daeseong-dong
(also called
Tae Sung Dong
,
Jayu-ui Maeul
and
Daeseongdong-gil
) is a
village
in
South Korea
close to the North Korean border. It lies within the
Korean Demilitarized Zone
(DMZ). The village is about 1.6 kilometres (1 mile) south of the
Bridge of No Return
, and 12 km (7.5 miles) from the city of
Kaesong
, North Korea. As of 2024
[update]
, the village has 138 residents, mostly elderly.
[3]
Location
[
edit
]
Daeseong-dong belongs administratively to Josan-ri,
Gunnae-myeon
, in
Paju
. It is the only civilian habitation within the southern portion of the DMZ.
[4]
Panmunjeom
is 1 km (0.6 mi) to the northeast, and the actual
Military Demarcation Line
(the
de facto
border between South and North Korea) is only 350 meters (1,150 feet) west of the village. Only individuals who lived in the village before the Korean War, or are descendants of those who did, are allowed to move to the village.
[5]
Daeseong-dong is only 1.6 km (1 mi) from
Kijong-dong
, a village in North Korea's portion of the DMZ. Here Korea's division is starkly apparent: rival national flags can be seen on gigantic flagpoles that have been erected in the two villages.
[6]
While the southern half of the DMZ is under the administration of the
United Nations Command
, the residents of Daesong-dong are considered South Korean civilians, and subject to
South Korean laws
. These residents have some unique benefits and restrictions. For example, they have the same rights to vote and receive education, but are exempt from
national defense duties
and taxation. Residents are also allocated large plots of land and have some of the highest farming income in the nation. However, they are subject to limitations. The safety of the villagers is paramount, since North Korean soldiers can cross and have crossed the border.
[7]
Visitors invited to the village must apply for a military escort two weeks in advance.
[8]
There is a curfew and headcount at 23:00 local time.
[6]
[5]
Economy
[
edit
]
Farming is the primary economic activity of the village, particularly bags of rice sold with a DMZ brand.
[5]
Flagpoles
[
edit
]
In the 1980s, the South Korean government built a 100 m (328 ft)
flagpole
in Daeseong-dong, which flies a
South Korean flag
weighing 130 kilograms (287 pounds). In what some have called the "flagpole war", the North Korean government responded by building the 160 m (525 ft)
Panmunjeom flagpole
in Kij?ng-dong, only 1.2 km (0.7 mi) west of the border with South Korea. It flies a 270 kg (595 lb)
flag of North Korea
.
[9]
[10]
Elementary school
[
edit
]
The village also has a small elementary school, Daeseong-dong Elementary School. The school, once slated for closure due to the changing demographics of the village, in 2011 educated a total of thirty children from grades K-6, with a waiting list to get in due to the funding and attention it receives from the South Korean government.
[8]
As of 2024, the school has six students per class, most of which are bussed in from outside the DMZ.
[11]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
各 地方 表情
Archived
2018-05-08 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Munhwa Ilbo
, June 13, 2000
- ^
Mackenzie, Jean (13 March 2024).
"The hidden village just metres from North Korea"
.
BBC
. Retrieved
13 March
2024
.
- ^
Mackenzie, Jean (13 March 2024).
"The hidden village just metres from North Korea"
.
BBC
. Retrieved
13 March
2024
.
- ^
McCurry, Justin (July 21, 2010).
"What is the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea?"
.
guardian.co.uk
.
Archived
from the original on February 27, 2021
. Retrieved
December 17,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
Rich, Motok (April 20, 2017).
"As North Korea Tensions Rise, Farming in the Demilitarized Zone Goes On"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on November 11, 2020
. Retrieved
April 21,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Onishi, Norimitsu (3 August 2004).
"Taesung Village Journal; In a DMZ That Bristles Less, the Villagers Are at Home"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 12 February 2021
. Retrieved
18 February
2017
.
- ^
SMITH, DONALD (28 August 1994).
"DMZ Not All That Peaceful for S. Korea Village : Asia: North Korean jeeps and other military gear are an unnerving presence for farm families living along the heavily armed border"
.
Archived
from the original on 2018-02-15
. Retrieved
2016-12-06
– via LA Times.
- ^
a
b
"School in DMZ's 'Freedom Village' becomes coveted learning spot for S. Koreans"
.
Archived
from the original on 2020-11-09
. Retrieved
2016-02-01
.
- ^
"CNN.com ? Korea's DMZ: 'Scariest place on Earth' ? February 20, 2002"
. 2002-02-20.
Archived
from the original on 2020-04-22
. Retrieved
2007-10-23
.
- ^
開城에 '구멍炭' 5萬張 配達했습니다
.
economy.ohmynews.com
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2006-12-06
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"The hidden village just metres from North Korea"
.
BBC News
. 2024-03-12
. Retrieved
2024-03-13
.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Daeseong-dong
at Wikimedia Commons