The Peace Dam, Peace Park & A World Peace Bell Made of Cartridges (South Korea)

On the northern side of South Korea is the Peace Dam and next to it are a Peace Park and a World Peace Park.

What’s this ‘peace stuff’ all about?

History of the Peace Dam

The Peace Dam was South Korea’s response to the Imnam Dam in North Korea built in the 1980s. South Korea’s military dictator at the time, Chun Doo-hwan, predicted that North Korea would use it to create a killer flood, wiping out most of Seoul. This was two years before the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, so no time was lost or money wasted to counteract this by building a dam on the south side.

In 2005 the $429 million construction was finished and the Peace Dam is currently under restoration. There is no reservoir and the dam serves only to contain a possible deluge from the North. Some may call the Peace Dam a necessity, others will say it’s ‘a symbol of cold war hysteria’ (thus said the New York Times, Aug 28, 2007).

Also Worth Visiting in the Region

• Going Underground in South Korea – Visiting the 4th Tunnel at the DMZ
• Visit the Demilitarized Zone in Korea – A Peek into North Korea

The International Peace Art Park

There is more than a Peace Dam!

Around it are all kinds of manifestations to demonstrate what the South Koreans (and presumably the North Koreans) really want: peace. At the bottom of the dam is an International Peace Art Park with brightly colored tanks, one of them chained to the ground, another turned into a slide for kids, a third of which the barrel has been sculptured into a trumpet.

Nearby the dam hangs a Bell of Silence (or Bell of Desire), made of wood, and that can’t be rung – a symbol of respect of two nations that don’t speak.

The World Peace Bell

We drove to the top of Peace Dam but couldn’t drive onto it as, like I said, it was under reconstruction. Alongside the dam you will find panels with prints of photos and wish-well notes from Nobel Peace Prize winners. But the part that impressed me most was the World Peace Bell, made in 2008. It was made of cartridges of 30 conflict zones in the world.

The humongous World Peace Bell weighs 9,999 Gwan. One part is missing: a piece of a decorative wing, which is visible behind glass on the side with a note: When the reunification is a fact, the wing will be added to the bell, totaling its weight to exactly 10,000 Gwan (some 37,5 ton).

Alongside are displays with cartridges that weren’t used. Behind them are explanatory panels with copies of the sender of those cartridges. They tell personal stories that had made people feel connected to this project.

Among the countries that contributed were:

• Mexico (1846-1848 American Mexican War and 1910-1917 Civil War)
• UK (1812-1814 Anglo American War)
• Ethiopia (1935-1936 Italy Ethiopia War)
• China (various confrontations, with Taiwan, Indian border and Tibetan independence movement).
• Among the others are Israel, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Russia and Vietnam)

Some come with a story:

• Austria: “I am a descendent of a WW II refugee who now lives in Oslo. I’m sending two hunting shells.
• Sweden: “Sweden has not had war for many years but has a huge weapon industry and thus is contributing to many wars. The shells are from a moose hunt.”

I can only hope the wing can be added shortly.

Practical information on the Peace Dam, Peace Park,& World Peace Bell

• Hopefully this will help you get it located on the map: The Peace Dam is situated in the northeast of South Korea, in the province of Gangwon-do, north of the big town of Chuncheon and northeast of the small town of Hwacheon.
• The sites were all free of charge.

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