環(huán)球英語—1037:Life in the DMZ

Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Robin Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
A large flag flies in the wind. It is 160 meters high and 30 meters long. It takes a very strong wind to move the flag. This flag flies high above the North Korean village of Kijong-Dong. The flag was built to show the strength and power of North Korea.
Voice 2
The South Korean village of Tae Sung Dong is only a few kilometers from Kijong-Dong. It also has a huge flag, but its flag is smaller than the one North Korean one. It is only 100 meters high. It was the tallest flag in Korea until North Korea built the flag in Kijong-Dong.
Voice 1
The villages of Tae Sung Dong and Kijong-Dong are in an area between North and South Korea. Today’s Spotlight is on how life in these villages is different than anywhere else in the world.
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The Korean War began in 1950. In this war, northern and southern Korea fought each other. And, each side was supported by a Western ally. In 1953, North and South Korea decided to stop fighting. They did not officially end the war, but they did stop active fighting. The United Nations returned the borders for North and South Korea to the way they were before the war. They also established a neutral area between the two countries where no one could go. This area is called the demilitarized zone or DMZ.
Voice 1
When the UN created the DMZ, some Koreans were already living in that area. The UN let the people remain in the DMZ and created two special villages for them to live in. One is on the North Korean side, and one is on the South Korean side.
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The village on the South Korean side is Tae Sung Dong. To live in Tae Sung Dong, a person must prove that their family has lived in that area for many, many years. Their parents and their parents’ parents must have lived there before the war. Because of this, the village has stayed very small. Today, about 220 people live there.
Voice 1
Most of the villagers work as farmers. And because there are so few people in the area, they have a lot of land to farm. They grow things that most Korean farmers grow: rice and soybeans. But they make a lot more money than most Korean farmers. The South Korean government pays the villagers about 95 million Korean Won, or 82,000 United States dollars, every year. The villagers also do not have to pay taxes. These economic advantages are a positive part of living Tae Sung Dong.
Voice 2
However, living in Tae Sung Dong can also be difficult. Because North Korea is so close, the people living in Tae Sung Dong live in a very dangerous situation. If the fighting ever starts again, it would be difficult for them to escape. The South Korean military works hard to keep them safe. But this means that the villagers have to obey extra rules.
Voice 1
For example, most people in the world can stay out as late as they want to. And they can easily travel to other cities in their country. However, people living in Tae Sung Dong must ask the government if they want to leave the village. They also must be in their homes by 11:00 every night. These rules are meant to keep them safe. They are also meant to stop villagers from communicating with North Korea.
Voice 2
Yoo Na-kyeung is a 12-year-old girl. She lives in Tae Sung Dong. She told the US military magazine Stars and Stripes:
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“At times, I feel very locked up. There are no stores here. Sometimes, you want to eat some ice cream, you want to order pizza, but we cannot.”
Voice 1
Tae Sung Dong villagers have most of the same rights as other South Koreans. They are able to vote in elections, and they can attend free public schools. When they are old enough, they can even go to a school in a town across the border. But their life in the DMZ affects the way they look at the world. Jun Eun-young is another woman from Tae Sung Dong. She told Stars and Stripes:
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“I do not feel frightened or anything because watching the North Koreans across the fields has become part of my life. Instead, I wish to visit the other side - North Korea -because it is just right over there.”
Voice 2
The North Korean village of Kijong-dong is on the other side of the DMZ. Not very much is known about Kijong-dong. North Korea does not let many foreigners visit their country. People must receive a special travel visa to enter the country. They must also always travel with a North Korean government official, while they are in the country. North Korea carefully controls what people report about their country. And no foreign writers are able to visit Kijong-dong.
Voice 1
However, people can see North Korea from the South Korean side of the DMZ. They can see that Kijong-dong is about the same size as Tae Sung Dong. However, it is not clear how many people live there or even if people live there at all.
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The South Korean military watches the North Korean side of the DMZ carefully. They have noticed that Kijong-dong is not a busy village. The only people they can see are soldiers guarding the village. Because of this, South Korea believes that Kijong-Dong does not have any normal villagers living there. But North Korea says that 200 families live there. They also report that the village has farms, schools, and a hospital.
Voice 1
The DMZ was created 60 years ago to separate two fighting countries. However, the creation of this area has had another unexpected advantage. Because few people have lived in or visited the area, the land has become very natural. The number of animals and plants has increased. The DMZ has a lot of natural beauty that people cannot see anywhere else on earth. But the people that live in Tae Sung Dong and Kijong-Dong get to enjoy this beauty every day.
Voice 2
Choi Jae-yeal is a young boy who lives in Tae Sung Dong. He told Stars and Stripes about another unusual advantage of living in his village. He said,
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“I think it is amazing that I get to see the North Koreans every day when normal people do not get to see them.”
Voice 1
The writer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from United States and United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it at the same time on our website at https://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Life in the DMZ.”
Voice 2
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.