The news rarely reports the comings and goings of ordinary people living regular lives, and yet it’s those people who make up the mass majority of the earth.  The farmer in north the northern Thai countryside, the truck driver in Cairo or the gas station attendant in Arizona–they are the fabric of society, subject to the decisions of those who make the headlines.  They are the generals and we are soldiers slogging through the mud.

North Korea has been a center of attention for the last several years, known for the poor treatment of its own citizens.  But they aren’t the only ones affected by the rule of Kim Jong-un and his predecessors.  South Korea has long since lived under major tensions with its northern neighbor, and the future is a scary unknown that could end up with the deaths of many.

So what does all that look like from the perspective of the average person?

The DMZ – image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I spoke with Sean Binkley, an English teacher who has lived in South Korea for a while now.  On top of the day to day observations on the culture and people, he has taken a special effort to research Korea’s rich history, travel around and visit its historical landmarks, to include the famous DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).