Issue 22 - Professional Unification of Martial Arts

PLANET P.U.M.A.
with black paint, to simulate
coal. We were then taken to
the Tongil observation post.
Tong-Il is a 6 th Degree
pattern, and the name literally
means one people or
one race, and is touted as
the call for unification of the
two Koreas. The irony was
not lost on me when visiting
the Tongil observation post,
as its primary function was
to ensure that the North
The border of North and South Korea. The blue huts span the border (the dark
line between the huts, above the central soldier's head). The grey building in the
background is in North Korea
Koreans do not reach the
South, and therefore actively
trying to keep the two
Koreas separate. We were also taken to the joint security area (JSA) which is the site of the blue huts people
may have seen photos of, and is where the North and South Koreans hold meetings with each other. A
number of the huts span the border, so that they can have their meetings without going into the other
side’s territory. The paranoia between the two sides is so strong that there is a table which runs almost
the width of the room, down the centre of which is a row of microphones, which represent the border, so
that delegates do not have to cross the border to converse. On the day my group visited, there were no
North Korean groups, so as a result, we had the hut to ourselves (for 3 minutes exactly, and under very
strict supervision), and were permitted to go to the North Korean side, and consequently, I have also visited
North Korea (be it very gingerly, and briefly). After this, we got back onto our bus, which passed a monument
to the 1973 axe murder incident (those who do not know about it, I would strongly recommend
that you find out), and were then taken back to Seoul, where I could breathe easily.
So concludes the second installment of my trip to Korea. I apologise if the article seems somewhat rushed,
as I do have constraints; however, it does at least convey the correct hurried experience to the reader. I
had crammed in visiting many historical sights in just a few short days, including many which inspired the
pattern meanings Taekwon-Do students the world over have to learn. In the next instalment, I will talk
about my last day in Seoul, which included a walkabout in Seoul, as well as a rather interesting trip to the
theatre. It will also include some of the perspective on Taekwon-Do and Korean culture my trip to Korea
had provided me with.
20