The Peaceable Kingdom in the DMZ

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

                                Isaiah 11:6-9

North and South Korean leaders participated in what may be a historic event this week. They signed an agreement called  Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula. This could mark the "beginning of the end" of a war that has separated these two nations for nearly seventy years, a conflict which led to the deaths of thousands as it was fought in the early fifties and caused untold hardship since then.

The meeting took place in the Demilitarized Zone between the countries, a strip of land four kilometres wide and 250 kilometres long. The irony is that while the DMZ has been a fortified ribbon of military tension, between North and South Korea, laced with landmines, it has also been emblematic of a different sort of peace, in terms of eco-systems. Because it has been a restricted area wildlife has flourished in what is essentially one of the most ecologically diverse reserves in Asia. The conflict between humans has allowed species to flourish which are in serious decline elsewhere. Someone has described it as an "accidental paradise."

This is from a Guardian piece:

Manchurian or red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes are among the DMZ's most famous and visible denizens. Nearly 100 species of fish, perhaps 45 types of amphibians and reptiles and over 1,000 different insect species are also supposed to exist in the protected zone. Scientists estimate that over 1,600 types of vascular plants and more than 300 species of mushrooms, fungi and lichen are thriving in the DMZ. Mammals such as the rare Amur goral, Asiatic black bear, musk deer and spotted seal inhabit the DMZ's land and marine ecosystems. There are even reports of tigers, believed extinct on the peninsula since before Japanese occupation, roaming the DMZ's mountains.

None of this flora and fauna declares itself as North or South Korean. This has been the "peaceable kingdom" during these tense and aggressive decades of conflict, although I don't imagine the tiger and the deer lie down together.

Perhaps the two countries will work together for preservation of this unique zone and eventually provide scientific and eco-tourism opportunities. If we're praying for peace in the region we can certainly include the diverse creatures of air and water and land.

Read more about the peace agreement between North and South Korea in today's Lion Lamb blog

http://lionlamb-bowmanville.blogspot.ca/2018/04/giving-peace-chance-on-korean-peninsula.html



Amur Leopard