Korean people are always telling me where to go. I have to admit, however, that I ask for it. Eager for adventure, I usually consult Korean friends when seeking guidance about my next travel destination. So well do these people know and love their land, there is no need to consult a travel agent.
   Soraksan leads in their recommendations. Situated about 50km south of the North Korean border and a few kilometres west of the East Sea, Sorak San (Snow Peak Mountain) is one of the most popular domestic holiday spots in Korea. The mountain and South Korea’s second largest national park bear the same name. South Korea’s northernmost national park also houses its third-largest peak, Taech’ong-bong (1708 meters). 
   Immense gray granite rocks crown Sorak San. Ominous yet gentle, these giants bid you visit their glorious natural castles. If you want to see the best of Korea, make the journey. A hike in the dynamic topography of this national park is guaranteed to leave a strong impression.
   Another part of the trip, however, may leave a different impression. Within less than 100 km of the North Korea border, the coast is visible only through an eight-foot-high fence topped with barbed wire. Through the steel diamonds of this mesh barrier, the dazzling East Sea becomes a menacing mass of dangerous liquid; the sand, a prison floor; the roll and rumble of waves, a thunderous warning.
   It is baffling to think that the people of North Korea and South Korea, one in the same just 55 years ago, now stand on either side of the Demilitarized Zone, guns aimed and ready. It is sad to think that the division of this land came as a consequence of deals struck, not within Korea, but by agents and agencies far removed from this beautiful location.
   The fence, silent, still and cold, speaks years of history. That history, manifested in part by this structure, is shaping lives today, forbidding anyone who travels this way the luxury of imagining that all is well. Yet if you let your imagination run further, perhaps it speaks to the future as well. Our best hope is that this barrier will not remain forever.