South Korean Surveillance

At the border there is a line of yellow paint. A camo capped soldier stands guard, staying sure no camera-carrying tourist toes the frame. Along the divide we stood clutching our Canons, zooming lenses towards the northern hills.

The seven steps towards the lookout wall are a constant threat. A microphoned man told us the communists would be reading all our blogs. No information, he said, must we pass on to the spies.

Sometime in the seventies the north dug holes under the barbed wire fences and sent soldiers to take out Seoul. Now at the tunnel entrance young Americans grin for Facebook photos in yellow construction caps.

Beyond that is a square of surveillance cams. So one Canadian snapped a photo of the wall of grainy grid voyeur and the Canons followed with their clicks. There, one pack of tourists took second hand pictures of themselves.

Not one minded any yellow line.