YEONCHEON, South Korea -- At the start of each day, Song Joong-seop receives a text message from local military authorities informing him whether it is safe to commute to his farm in a pristine stretch of countryside a short distance from North Korea.
Song then drives from his home and passes through a military checkpoint to get to the patch of land where he grows rice and sesame leaves inside a restricted area, called the Civilian Control Zone. Most days pass quietly for the 68-year-old, who has been working the rolling green fields since childhood. "We live very peacefully," Song said under a clear blue sky on a warm spring afternoon.
