Media mogul and conservationist Ted Turner wants to turn the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone that divides the Korean peninsula into a peace park if the two Koreas become unified.
DORASAN, South Korea, -- Media mogul and conservationist Ted Turner wants to turn the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone that divides the Korean peninsula into a peace park if the two Koreas become unified.
The 248-km (154-mile) long and 4-km (2.5-mile) wide DMZ stretches from one end of the peninsula to the other.
It has been a no man's land for over 50 years and because of that, the band of land has also become a wildlife sanctuary that is the home to some of the world's rarest birds as well as a variety of plant and animal life.
"This is a project worthy of doing," Turner said on Wednesday at Dorasan Station, the last station in South Korea that government officials say will serve as the rail link with North Korea once tracks are connected and political hurdles allowing train traffic have been cleared.
CNN founder Turner had just finished a two-day trip to North Korea where he advocated building the park and he also broached the idea with South Korean officials, organisers of the park said.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
Turner pledged to make an unspecified financial contribution to the park and organisers said it is their idea to have the two Koreas lead the way in laying plans for establishing the long and narrow nature preserve.
The DMZ is home to several threatened and rare species of animal and plant life including the red-crown crane, a staple of Asian art, and the white-naped crane. The two are among the world's most endangered birds.
The two Koreas have well over 1 million troops who face each other across the DMZ, but there has been virtually no human activity in almost all of the DMZ since it was established by the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The two Koreas are technically still at war because a peace treaty has not been reached.
Parts of the DMZ were once littered with corpses due to the heavy fighting, but without human activity for more than half a century, nature has returned in abundance. In addition, the DMZ crosses mountains, prairies, swamps, lakes and tidal marshes, giving the area a large amount of biological diversity.
According to figures compiled by environmentalists for South Korea's Gyeonggi Province, there are about 2,900 different plant species in the DMZ as well as about 70 different types of mammals and 320 different types of birds.
In addition, there are tens of thousands of landmines and pieces of unexploded ordinance in the DMZ because of the heavy fighting during the war. There are also periodic explosions when animals such as a deer stumble into mine fields.
Turner is one of the largest private landholders in the United States and has been an outspoken advocate of conservation.
Turner said he hopes for peace on the peninsula and for the park to come to life once the two Koreas sign a peace treaty and are united.
"You can't have a peace park without peace," Turner said.
The following are a few facts about the nature of the DMZ:
LOCATION AND SIZE
The DMZ stretches across the middle of the Korean peninsula and is about 248 km (154 miles) long and 4 km (2.5 miles) wide. It was established as part of the armistice that brought an end to the 1950-1953 Korean War. It covers an area of 992 sq km (383 sq mile), and comprises mountainous regions as well as prairies, marshlands and forests.
BIODIVERSITY
Environmentalists estimate there are about 2,900 different plant species there as well as about 70 different types of mammals and 320 different types of birds in the DMZ.
The DMZ is home to several endangered and rare species of animal and plant life including the red-crown crane and the white-naped crane, two of the world's most endangered birds. It has become a resting place for migratory birds coming from places such as Siberia, Australia, Japan and Manchuria.
MILITARY
North and South Korea have well over 1 million troops near their sides of the DMZ and line the border with razor wire, heavy armaments and tank traps. But almost the entire area within the DMZ has been off-limits to troops and people for over 50 years.
CONSERVATION
Media mogul and conservationist Ted Turner is backing plans to turn the DMZ into a peace park nature preserve if the two Koreas end their military hostilities.
South Korea has considered working with North Korea to have the DMZ designated as a UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, which would eventually make the area a nature sanctuary.
Source: Reuters; South Korean and local government reports
