When the Spring Comes in DMZ - Picture Books for Peace 2
• Price : 12,000KRW
• Product Dimensions :
250×245, 80pages
• Publication Date : 2010-06-25
• ISBN : 978-89-5828-491-8
Book Information & Summary
written and illustrated by Lee Uk-bae
This book is about the broken hears due to the division of the Korean Peninsula. When the Korean War, which was lasted for three years from 1950 to 1953, was finally over and both the South and the North decided to agree the ceasefire, the Koreans had to keep the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas. The South and the North built the iron wire walls at the point which was 2 km away from the Military Demarcation Line each, and decided to call the zone between the two as DMZ. DMZ means ‘Demilitarized Zone’, however, there are still more than 1 million soldiers armed with all kinds of weapons along the Line facing each other. Likewise, DMZ is the forbidden ground where no one can trespass.
However, what does it mean to animals and plants in danger of extinction? Ironically, DMZ is the last shelter for these animals and plants. This book shows the irony between free creatures in DMZ and an old man who misses his hometown in North Korea. Throughout the year of four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the animals and plants in DMZ can grow up in freedom since there is no access for human beings, however, the old man has no choice but missing his hometown by looking at the North province since he cannot go over the Line.
Even if spring comes, the old man does not want to visit the Unification Observatory any more. He just wants to open up the iron-wired door and walk over the Line and lie down on the grass to see the blue sky. Why? That is because that place is his home where he was born and grew up in his whole lifetime.
This book is about the broken hears due to the division of the Korean Peninsula. When the Korean War, which was lasted for three years from 1950 to 1953, was finally over and both the South and the North decided to agree the ceasefire, the Koreans had to keep the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas. The South and the North built the iron wire walls at the point which was 2 km away from the Military Demarcation Line each, and decided to call the zone between the two as DMZ. DMZ means ‘Demilitarized Zone’, however, there are still more than 1 million soldiers armed with all kinds of weapons along the Line facing each other. Likewise, DMZ is the forbidden ground where no one can trespass.
However, what does it mean to animals and plants in danger of extinction? Ironically, DMZ is the last shelter for these animals and plants. This book shows the irony between free creatures in DMZ and an old man who misses his hometown in North Korea. Throughout the year of four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the animals and plants in DMZ can grow up in freedom since there is no access for human beings, however, the old man has no choice but missing his hometown by looking at the North province since he cannot go over the Line.
Even if spring comes, the old man does not want to visit the Unification Observatory any more. He just wants to open up the iron-wired door and walk over the Line and lie down on the grass to see the blue sky. Why? That is because that place is his home where he was born and grew up in his whole lifetime.
Editor’s Note
_ Plough (USA)