04 Feb 2010, Posted by Matt in Gyeonggi,Historic Korea, 5 Comments

Touring the DMZ, Part 1: The Sights

Just one hour from Seoul is a peculiar land of misnomers – kilometers of barbed wire line Freedom Road and block access to the sea, and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the world’s most heavily armed border.

An estimated one million troops stand at the ready along both sides of the 4-kilometer buffer that has divided the Korean Peninsula since a 1953 armistice paused a bloody, fratricidal war. In the 50-some years since, the DMZ has seen occasional flare-ups, an axe murder incident and the discovery of invasion tunnels capable of funneling 10,000 North Korean troops an hour toward Seoul. Yet, in spite of the ever-present danger, or perhaps because of it, the DMZ endures as one of South Korea’s most popular tourist destinations.

Inside the Military Armistice Building at the Joint Security Area (JSA), the only place where South Korean and North Korean troops directly face each other.

Gyeonggi Province is home to some of the most popular DMZ sites, including the Joint Security Area (JSA). The JSA is the only place where South Korean and North Korean troops directly face each other, head-to-head, and the tension is palpable.

If you’d like to see and feel it for yourself, I’ve put together a two-part series of posts to help you plan your trip into the Demilitarized Zone. Here in Part 1, we’ll take a look at some of the major sites. Later, in Part 2, we’ll look at some of the most popular tours.

First up, some of the most popular DMZ sights…

Dora Observatory (도라전망대)

The Dora Observatory is painted in camouflage with the words, “The best army under the sky” on prominent display. Located just inside the DMZ near Dorasan Station, the building houses an auditorium with a diorama of the western DMZ with a wall of windows facing North Korea. Outside is a 28-square-meter platform with a row of telescopes facing northwards. Pay 500 won to see North Korea’s Gijeongdong propaganda village, the world’s tallest flagpole (160m) and the Gaeseong Joint Industrial Complex. A word of caution: don’t take photos from outside the yellow lines unless you want your camera confiscated by security personnel.

Cost: Free
Open: Open year-round, 10:00-18:00 (closes at 17:00 in the winter)
Closed on Mondays and public holidays.
More Info: 031-953-3334
Note: Restricted Access. Passport Required.

Imjingak (임진각)

Located just seven kilometers from the Military Demarcation Line, this three-story building was erected in 1972 with the eventual goal of Korean re-unification. Four million people visit the site annually, which includes several monuments, the North Korea Center, and a Unification Park. Also on site is an octagonal drum pavilion and the Mangbaedan, an altar where South Koreans with family ties in the North can honor their ancestors on important holidays.

Cost: Free
Open: Open year-round, 10:00-18:00 (closes at 17:00 during the winter)
The Gyeonggi Peace Center is closed on Mondays.
More Info: 031-953-4744
Note: Access is not restricted.

3rd Infiltration Tunnel (제3땅굴)

Located near the Dora Observatory is one of four infiltration tunnels dug by the North to facilitate an invasion of the South. The third tunnel, discovered in 1978, was bored some 73 meters underground and extends over 1,635 meters – infiltrating 435 meters of South Korean territory. Discovered thanks to a Northern defector, tourists can proceed down a steep pathway 265 meters into the tunnel with a helmet and a hunched back, or take a tram. A short video presentation is also on site. Photographing the tunnel is prohibited.

Cost: Walking Tour: Adults: 8,700 won; Students: 6,700; Seniors: 5,900
Elevator Tram Tour: Adults: 11,700, Students: 9,200, Seniors: 7,400
Open: 09:00-15:00; Closed on Mondays and public holidays
(open New Years Day and Chuseok)
More Info: 031-940-8345
Note: Restricted Access. Passport Required.

(photo from www.lifeinkorea.com)

Odusan Unification Observatory (오두산통일전망대)

Technically located outside the DMZ, this five-story observatory is located just 460 meters from North Korea. Over 10 million people have visited this scenic spot overlooking the confluence of the Han and Imjin rivers since it was opened in 1992. Inside the observatory are exhibits depicting everyday North Korean life. Outside, twenty telescopes point northwards where an abandoned show village sits among hills stripped of their vegetation.

Cost: Adults: 2,500 won; Students/Soldiers: 1,600; Seniors: 1,000
Open: November-February: 09:00-17:00, March and October: 09:00-17:30,
April-September: 09:00-16:30
More Info: http://www.jmd.co.kr

Panmunjeom/Joint Security Area (JSA) (판문점/공동경비구역)

Probably the highlight of any DMZ tour is to actually step foot in North Korea, which can happen if your tour includes the Joint Security Area (JSA). Feel the tension inside the bright blue Military Armistice Commission building where highly formal negotiations take place between the North and the United Nations Command Security Force, which represents the South. Inside, two SK soldiers donning dark glasses and helmets stand in a silent, strained Taekwondo pose with gloved fists and blank expressions. A long wooden table is split halfway into either nation, allowing visitors to cross into one of the world’s most reclusive states – if only briefly.

Cost: Please see the Panmunjom and USO tours for more information.
Open: Tours occur Tuesday-Saturday.
More Info: Please see the Panmunjom and USO tours for more information.
Note: Access is restricted.

(A version of this text appeared on the Seoul Tourism Organization website on December 9, 2009.)