The Armistice Line, drawn near the 38th parallel by the end of the Korean War in 1953, created a demilitarised zone (DMZ) that remains today as one of the most militarised zones in the world. Did this line bring peace to the peninsula? For those who regard divorce as an ideal condition for resolving conflicts, yes, the DMZ might have achieved its aim to some extent. But for those who want to reach peace by rebuilding their broken relationship, no, it failed to do so. Instead, the defensive architecture – expressed through the DMZ’s fences and buffer zone – has led to a gradual construction of a collective “us versus them” narrative, deeply engraved into the public perception.
