In July this year we had an amazing holiday in Seoul, and one of the highlights was an organised tour from Seoul into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. The DMZ is the buffer zone which marks the border between the two countries. It's about 4km wide and is a site of ongoing tension, with a significant military presence on both sides.
We booked our tour with Get Your Guide and the tour was operated by PLK Travel. We chose the Seoul:DMZ, 3rd Tunnel and Optional Suspension Bridge Tour including the suspension bridge, and paid £213 total for four adults.
Travelling with an organised tour is really the only way to see many of these sights. You can visit Imjingak Park without a tour, but you can only enter the DMZ on a guided tour in an official tour bus. It is possible to make your way to Imjingak independently and transfer to an official tour bus but this would require some extra planning and research and I'm not sure how easy it would be.
Our tour departed from and returned to Myeongdong Station which was very convenient for us as our hotel was located close by. It was a full day tour, we left early in the morning and arrived back mid-afternoon, and it's about an hour's drive from Seoul to the DMZ without stopping.
Our tour guide was Paul and he was fantastic. While driving between the sights, as well as telling us about what we were seeing he also shared a lot of information about his own personal history relating to North and South Korea. It was fascinating, and gave us a huge amount of background information to help us understand the history of the two countries.
There was also the opportunity to buy some North Korean currency on the bus which we took advantage of, a great souvenir to take home!
Gamaksan Suspension Bridge
Our first stop was the Gamaksan Suspension Bridge (I've read that these extra stops offered as part of tours are a way of spreading out the tourists a bit to avoid congestion at the DMZ sights). It's quite a steep hike up to the suspension bridge, but we were left to do this independently so we could take our time and stop along the way to admire the views. It was a fun hike and the bridge was very impressive. At the bottom of the hill there are toilets and a convenience shop for snacks.
Then we returned to the coach to drive to Imjingak. Imjingak Park symbolises the hope of a reunification between South and North Korea, and there are many sights monuments, memorials, and other interesting things to see here. We started with a guided walking tour which highlighted the main sights, for example the Freedom Bridge which was temporarily built to exchange prisoners of war in 1953. The Mangbaedan Altar, below, is a place for South Koreans to remember their loved ones that remain in North Korea. Our guide told us many stories about his own family's escape from North Korea, along with the possibility that he has cousins living in North Korea that he knows nothing about.
You can also see an old steam locomotive which was the last train to cross the Korean border. It was rescued from the DMZ and is filled with bullet holes. You can pay a little extra to walk a short way down the partially finished train track towards North Korea which has been built in the hope of one day connecting the two countries.
The Statues of Peace can also be seen here in Imjingak Park. These statues are memorials to 'comfort women', women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII. There are a number of these identical statues located across South Korea, and here in the park there are two side by side. The idea is that after reunification, one of these statues will be relocated to North Korea, and the statue intended for North Korea has a blank tablet ready for a future engraving.
We had plenty of time to spend here in the park, and there was lots to see. Some tours include a ride on the Imjingak Peace Gondola, and you can climb up to the gondola station and see the view. There is also a Dunkin' Donuts here and a few other food options, so it was a good place to grab some lunch. There's a really good article here with
15 Interesting Things to do at Imjingak Park near the DMZ which is worth a read if you are visiting and don't want to miss anything.
Dora Observatory
The drive to the Dora Observatory is when you enter the military checkpoint which is very strictly controlled. It's essential that you bring your passport on the tour with you, as soldiers enter the bus and check everyone. One of the many interesting sights along the way is the old toll gate on the road into North Korea, which is no longer operational.
There are also lots of signs warning of landmines, and signage to make sure that you know you are entering a military area.
Inside the observatory there are large windows which look out over North Korea, and lots of information about what you can see. This model shows the area, the big building is the observatory and the blue lines mark the edges of the DMZ. You used to be able to go outside up to the roof but this is not currently permitted, however the windows on the top floor offer a similar view.
At the current time you are not allowed to take photographs into North Korea from the Observatory, and this is very strictly enforced. Our guide had a selection of photos which he had taken before this rule, and he shared them with anyone interested. There was also a video playing which showed the same scenery that you can see from the windows, and the photograph below is taken from the video.
Our guide gave us lots of really interesting information about what you can see from the observatory, including the flags of North and South Korea, the speaker system in South Korea which broadcast K-pop and news reports (
the speakers were recently demolished), guard towers, housing tower blocks and industrial buildings).
The Third Invasion Tunnel
Then we drove to the The Third Invasion Tunnel. This is one of four (known!) tunnels built by North Korea underneath the DMZ with the purpose of invading South Korea. It was discovered in 1978 and is an incomplete 1.6km long tunnel. The tunnel has been blocked and turned into a tourist attraction where you are able to walk down a section of the tunnel.
Before entering the tunnel you must leave all your belongings in a locker (so there is no photography), and don a hard hat. One tip - be quick with the locker and get ahead of the tour group. We spent too long faffing and ended up at the back, meaning that we got caught in a long queue at the end of the tunnel before the turn around point. The entrance to the tunnel is a wide, smooth pathway but the actual tunnel is very narrow and low, so it can be quite claustrophobic if you are there with a lot of other people not moving. It's also quite a tough climb, so you do need to be physically fit. If you don't fancy it you can just wait for your group at the top, there is plenty to see to keep you busy.
There is an illustration of the tunnel outside which is quite misleading - it's not to scale and the tunnel that you walk down on the left is much longer than it looks in the picture! There is an old monorail to the tunnel entrance, but I don't think it's operational at the moment.
Outside there is a reconstruction of the end of the tunnel so that you can take pictures, and also lots of other photo opportunities, including the large DMZ sign. Even though we were last out of the tunnel we still had plenty of time to look around the area.
Unification Village
Our final stop was The Unification Village. This is a small farming village located within the southern area of the DMZ. We didn't stop here for very long, just time for a quick visit to the gift shop which sells various DMZ souvenirs. There is also a stand selling vegan ice cream which was very popular!
Historically, DMZ tours have also included a stop at the JSA (Joint Security Area) but it is currently closed to the public after a
US soldier crossed the border in 2023 during a tour which triggered increased tensions. It's unclear whether the JSA tours will resume in the future.
Although I was a little apprehensive about taking this tour because of the ongoing tensions in the area, I'm really glad that we did it, and it was definitely a highlight of our entire trip. We never felt at all unsafe at any point, and it really was fascinating.
It was very interesting to learn about the history between the two countries, and to realise that the people of South Korea are genuinely longing for a reconciliation with North Korea.
If you are visiting South Korea I would absolutely recommend taking a tour to the DMZ, it will really enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of a trip to the country.
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