ZCZC
BFF-19
SKOREA-US-ART-TOURISM-DEFENCE
Dead stag installed at former US base in South Korea
PAJU, South Korea, Dec 14, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A stuffed deer stands in a
former US ammunition store just outside the Demilitarized Zone that divides
the two Koreas, tree branches spreading up from its antlers towards the roof.
The work was installed this year at Camp Greaves, a former US army facility
within the buffer zone that runs alongside the DMZ that has been converted
into an arts centre and tourist attraction.
South Korean artist Kim Myeongbeom listens to “the whispers of objects and
their intimate conversations”, a plaque explains, looking to juxtapose both
man-made and natural objects and representations of life and death.
American forces moved out of Camp Greaves in 2004, in one of the first
steps of a wide-ranging plan to relocate many of the US units stationed in
South Korea to Camp Humphreys, south of the capital Seoul.
The transfers have now largely been completed, leaving a host of former
bases in the hands of South Korean local authorities.
The most prominent is the Yongsan base in the centre of Seoul, which is set
to become a public park.
At Camp Greaves, north of Seoul, Gyeonggi province is attempting to cash in
on the steady stream of DMZ tourism nearby.
The armouries-turned-art spaces are just one of its attractions — the
former officers’ mess has been converted into a youth hostel.
The hugely popular 2016 South Korean television drama “Descendants of the
Sun” was partly filmed at the site, and it offers fans the chance to take
selfies in front of key scenes’ backdrops.
“From just over there you can see a North Korean flag and also the South
Korean flag,” Southern tourist Kim Dong-in told AFP.
“It makes me realise how close North and South Korea are and hope for
unification.”
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1030 hrs