Peace and Conflict Studies Center Asia (PACSC-A) held a DMZ field trip with 26 Incheon Citizen’s Life College students on Sep 12, 2024.
(Photo Credit: PACSC-A)
Peace and Conflict Studies Center Asia (PACSC-A) held a DMZ field trip with 26 students from Incheon Citizen’s Life College on Sep 12th, 2024. This field trip connected the discipline of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CAR) to the continuing conflict between South Korea and North Korea.
On Sep 11th, a discussion-based pre-trip training was held to discuss background information about the DMZ with an explanation of the history of the Korean Civil War. Examining the conflict between North and South Korea from the perspective of the CAR discipline, the participants from Incheon Citizens’ Life College were encouraged to discuss why the unification has not been achieved and the cause of the protracted conflict.
On Sep 12th, from 7am to 3pm, Professor Roland Wilson, the director of PACSC-A, led the visit to the DMZ. Having attended the pre-trip training of DMZ, the students were able to take the tour with prior knowledge about the sites. The attendants visited various places in the DMZ, including 임진각 공원 (Imgingak Park), 자유의 다리 (The Bridge of Freedom), 제3땅굴 (The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel), DMZ theater & Exhibition Hall, and 도라 전망대 (Dora Observatory). In addition, they went on a tour of the actual DMZ site, having been able to see the space devastated by the Korean Civil War.
Seonggyum Choi, an undergraduate Research Fellow at PACSC-A, said that the field trip to the DMZ was impressive to him since he could see the devastating site caused by the Korean civil war. He said that he could understand why the unification of Korea has not been achieved, with the reality of absolute deprivation that the North Korean citizens are burdened with. For North Korean citizens, it is difficult to imagine the future of unification due to their own living circumstances.
Jihyeon Choi, an undergraduate Senior Intern of PACSC-A, believes that this program was meaningful in that it raised awareness for the CAR field to the public. As there are many deep-rooted conflicts that must be assessed, she claims it is crucial to have a disciplinary view within the CAR field.
PACSC-A was established in George Mason Korea in 2019. It is a research center which promotes interdisciplinary research and practice on a wide range of conflict-and peace-related topics.
Written by Yerrin Shin | Staff Writer
Revised by Madison Sailakkham | Editor-In-Chief
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