A tour into the DMZ from Seoul - the border between North and South Korea

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. 

Imjingak Peace Park

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.

Attending a recording of The Show K-pop music television show in Seoul

One of our favourite experiences on our trip to Seoul this summer was the chance to watch a live recording of The Show - a South Korean music television show which is broadcast live every Tuesday from the SBS Prism Tower in Seoul. If you are a K-pop fan, or are travelling with one, it's a fantastic opportunity to watch some K-pop performances live on stage and to see how a live music show is put together.

We booked our tour with Trazy - SBS MTV The Show & Seoul Tour Package. The Show takes place every Tuesday, and this tour is available for foreigners only. The current price is £75 per person. There are other tour operators that offer this experience so you might want to shop around, but we were very happy with Trazy. We did notice that each tour operator entered the studio in turn and Trazy was first, so our group was seated in the front rows. 

We met our tour guides just inside Hangangjin Station and it was easy to find the group. The tour includes a sightseeing tour before you head to the studios. You don't have to do this - you can just meet the group at the SBS Prism Tower later in the day for The Show. However numbered tickets are allocated when you arrive at the station, so if you join the tour later you will receive a higher number. You'll still have a good view in the studio, but it's something to bear in mind.

The itinerary of the sightseeing tour changes seasonally, so you need to check what your tour includes. We visited in July and so our tour was the Gwanghwamun King Sejong Course. This included a self-guided visit to The Story of King Sejong Underground Museum, a stop and photo opportunity at the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Sin which is right outside the museum, a short walk and rest along Cheonggyecheon Stream and a visit to Hikr Ground. The bus took us between these locations, then dropped us off at the SBS Prism Tower. After the show it was up to us to make our own way back to our hotel.

Although our reason for booking the tour was to see The Show, we were really glad that we had chosen to do the optional sightseeing tour. It's always nice to be taken around places rather than having to find your own way, and our tour guide (Jamie) was really friendly. The King Sejong Underground Museum was very interesting, and there was the chance to learn how to write your name in Hangul. The river walk was lovely, and there was time to have a sit down with your feet in the clean water. The Hikr Ground part of the trip was a bit chaotic as it was very busy and also a bit confusing, but there was a nice cafe on the top floor and it got us in the K-pop mood!

Once we arrived at the SBS Prism Tower for the show there was quite a lot of waiting around. There is a cafe area and toilets but not much space to wait inside, so we were encouraged to wait outside with our group. We lined up by tour group in number order according to the tickets we received when we registered, and this was very strictly controlled. There were also separate lines for what I assume were the South Korean K-pop fans that can receive tickets by ballot to stand in front of the stage. Then we were taken into the studio in turn and directed to our seats. Once inside it wasn't too long to wait until the show started, and there was plenty to see as the studio prepared for the broadcast.

The line up for the show is only released just before the broadcast. We were given the details on the tour bus, although we had already looked it up online. On the day that we visited this was the line-up - Han Seung Woo, KARD, ONEUS, H1-KEY, POW, Baby DON'T Cry, AHOF, NouerA, TIOT, DPNS, RESCENE, Blingone and DIVA-X. 

All of these groups apart from Baby DON'T Cry were present in the studio. However not all of their performances were being filmed live - sometimes they danced along to a pre-recorded video, and they didn't always perform the whole routine. In spite of this, because the show moved very quickly from act to act there was plenty to keep us entertained. 

I'm fairly certain that apart from one group none of them were actually singing live, but they all showcased excellent and energetic dances. There was a great atmosphere in the studio, with the local fans in the standing area at the front and also in one of the seating blocks - they had light sticks, signs, balloons and so on and were very enthusiastic supporters. 

Here's a clip from the end of the show that we watched when they announced the winners:

For the K-pop fan in our family, going to watch The Show being recorded was an incredible experience. Even those of us less enthused by the magic of K-pop really enjoyed going along to watch and seeing how the broadcast was put together. I would absolutely recommend this tour if you are visiting Seoul and have even a vague interest in K-pop!

A couple of things to note before you book - Check the age restrictions. The tour that we chose was for children over age 10 only and children under the age of 15 need to be accompanied by an adult. You need to be at the studio in plenty of time, and you cannot take any photographs or videos inside the studio, even before the show starts. You cannot leave the studio once the show starts so make sure to use the restroom first. The Show is subject to cancellation, and if that happens you should receive a full refund, but do check with your tour operator.

If you are interested in more K-pop themed experiences in Seoul then you might find this post useful - Embracing K-pop in Seoul - K-pop activities, things to do and see in the city.

Embracing K-pop in Seoul - K-pop activities, things to do and see in the city

If you are a K-pop fan, you can't beat a trip to Seoul in South Korea to indulge your passion. From the moment you step off the plane you are surrounded by K-pop - posters welcoming you to Korea featuring photographs of your favourite idols, K-pop music playing in taxis and shops, screens broadcasting music videos, and merchandise filling the shop windows. 

Here are some ways that you can really indulge your love of K-pop in a visit to the city.

Watch a live broadcast K-pop performance - The Show and Inkigayo

The Show is South Korean music television show which is broadcast live every Tuesday from the SBS Prism Tower in Seoul. As a foreign tourist you can book a tour which includes tickets to watch the show, and I wrote all about The Show tour that we attended. 

We booked through Trazy - SBS MTV The Show & Seoul Tour Package. As well as a city tour you receive seated tickets to watch The Show being filmed. There were also some areas filled with enthusiastic Korean fans with their light sticks and signs, and I understand that these tickets are available for locals by raffle. 

It's worth booking early as spaces are limited, and our ticket numbers were allocated on arrival so it might be worth arriving early so that you end up closer to the front. It does also depend on which company you book tickets with as they are seated in turn - luckily we discovered that with Trazy we were seated first. 

When we visited we saw performances by Han Seung Woo, KARD, ONEUS, H1-KEY, POW, Baby DON'T Cry, AHOF, NouerA, TIOT, DPNS, RESCENE, Blingone, DIVA-X with all but one group there in person. Some of them performed a full song which was broadcast live, others danced along on stage to a previously recorded film of the song. I'm fairly sure that apart from one none of them were actually singing live, but they all performed excellent and energetic dance routines!

A larger live K-pop experience is Inkigayo which tends to have some better known groups. Unfortunately you need to be over 15 years old, and my daughter was too young! This show takes place on Sundays and can be booked in a similar way through various companies like this one - SBS Inkigayo (Popular Songs) & Seoul Tour Package.

Enjoy some free K-pop street performances

If you spend some time in the Hongdae area of an evening then you will likely find some street performers entertaining the crowd. We saw some excellent performances and although they were promoting their social media channels they didn't seem to be passing around a hat, they appeared to genuinely enjoy performing. 

Film your own K-pop music video

HiKR Ground is a fun and free place to visit if you have some spare time. We only found it because it was part of our tour to watch The Show! It's located inside the Korea Tourism Organization Seoul Center, and among other things it features some recreated K-pop themed sets which you can use to film your own music videos. It's all indoors over several floors, and there is a cafe on the top floor.

There are also plenty of filming locations from K-pop music videos all over the city, so it's worth doing a search for your favourites in case it's somewhere that you would like to visit.

Shop for albums and other merchandise

We spent a lot of time wandering the streets looking for K-pop albums and other merchandise. We spent most of our time in Myeondong which was near our hotel and had a huge selection of shops. The Myeongdong Underground Shopping Mall is great for browsing, and being air conditioned was a welcome relief from the heat. There were a few shops selling albums, and also lots of other merchandise.

It's worth noting that although the albums were the same as the ones that we can purchase at home in the UK, the prices were incredibly reasonable and in most cases around half the price that we are used to paying. Light sticks were also very well priced - we bought a Blackpink and Baby Monster light stick for around £20 each. I think it is also quite common to receive a free poster or photo card when you shop.

We had a couple of favourite shops in the Myeondong area. Music Korea was great for albums at really reasonable prices, and also offers a discount if you follow them on Instagram.

K-Mecca had a huge selection of merchandise, including a wide range of light sticks, and plenty of albums including very cheap mystery boxes.

Take photos "with" your idols

Photos and cutouts of idols are everywhere, and not just in the K-pop shops. You can find posters and advertisements featuring idols all over the place to take photographs with, and many shops have photo booths where you can take your photo and have it superimposed on to individual or group idol photographs.

Visit the headquarters of the entertainment companies

You are unlikely to see idols coming in and out, but many of the headquarters have a merchandise shop or a cafe, and fans may recognise the buildings from publicity around their idols. We made it to the YG Entertainment headquarters where we visited the shop and my daughter wrote a message on the wall outside. We weren't the only ones there!

You can find a list and map of entertainment company headquarters here - K-Pop Entertainment Buildings in Seoul.

Follow a trail of painted K-pop bears

K-Star Road connects Apgujeong Rodeo Station exit 2 and Cheongdam crossroads in Gangnam. Along a 1km stretch of road you can find seventeen bears (known as GangnamDols) to represent different K-pop groups. They tend to be the older groups, but they are fun to see and take photos with.

Spend some time in Gangnam

Also in Gangnam you can see the famous Gangnam Style statue with the crossed hands, great for photos! Close by is the COEX Mall for shopping, and outside are a couple of walls with handprints of K-pop idols. Again they are mainly older groups, but fun to visit. You can find detailed instructions for finding the handprints here - How to find the K-pop idols handprints at the Starfield COEX Mall. 

Check for special events

If anything exciting is happening in the K-pop world then it will definitely be celebrated in Seoul! We visited just after the start of Blackpink's 2025 tour, when parts of the city were lit up in pink to celebrate. The special locations were marked in the Naver app which we used for navigation, and were also highlighted on the Blackpink website. Although we just missed it, we were able to visit the Deadline pop up store and pick up some very reasonably priced Blackpink merchandise which wasn't available at home.

We were also there for the release of Blackpink's new single Jump which was broadcast on huge screens across the city, including one just outside our hotel which was very exciting. We joined with other fans to watch and record it!

If an idol is celebrating anything, perhaps a birthday, anniversary, new release and so on, fans will often organise special events in a cafe or other venue. As well as decorations you might find themed snacks, drinks and merchandise. These are often advertised on social media, although you might need to know some Korean to find out what is going on. You can try asking in some of the K-pop stores, or just keep your eyes open if you know that there is a special date coming up! We saw posters on the metro to say happy birthday to one idol!

Visit Idol Radio

Idol Radio is a live radio show run by MBC, and if you visit on a Monday or Wednesday evening you can watch it being broadcast from outside. We didn't manage to do this on our trip, but if you fancy it you can find full directions and instructions here -  Kpop Fan’s Guide to Visiting Idol Radio in Seoul.

I hope that you found some useful K-pop themed suggestions here if you are planning a visit to Seoul - let me know what I missed in the comments!

Visiting the Myeondong Cat Playground cat café in Seoul

Somewhere my children were desperate to visit in Seoul was a Cat Café. I was hesitant, mainly because my son has a mild cat allergy, but he was fully prepared to accept the consequences in exchange for the experience, and fortunately he was fine!

There are several cat cafés in the Myeondong area of Seoul where we were staying, but it was difficult to find out information online. In the end I chose the Myeondong Cat Playground because it was close by, had a reasonable fixed fee for entrance that included a drink, and you could stay as long as you wanted. It wasn't possible to make advance reservations, so we did have to wait for a short while to get in.

On arrival you need to swap your outdoor shoes for a pair of plastic sandals, and you are provided with a plastic sack to keep your belongings safe from the cats. There was a good selection of hot and cold drinks included in the entry price and you could buy more as you needed them as well as cat food. 

In the centre of the room was a tower structure with dozing cats, there was a heated floor area to sit and hope that a cat might want to sit on your knee, all the tables were provided with a basket and often a sleeping cat, and the cats also roamed around freely.

You aren't allowed to pick up the cats, and some of the cats were wearing a blue collar which means that they may get grumpy if you play with them too much. The cats all seemed really happy and well cared for, and they were all beautiful breeds, including a hairless cat.

I didn't like to disturb them too much but they honestly didn't seem to be bothered by the attention (and I know that a cat would make it pretty clear if they were fed up of being bothered!) There were plenty of hidden places that the cats could escape to if they needed a break, and they could rest high up and out of reach.

Our table had a basket but no cat, so we were delighted about halfway through our visit when a lovely cat jumped up on the table and came to visit! After some stroking and photographing the cat ended up settling down for a nap.

The café was beautifully clean with no cat hair in sight. It looked a little hectic at first when we were waiting to go inside, but once we were settled at our table it felt much calmer, and people were generally very respectful of the cats. It was a really relaxing space to sit with a drink, especially if you are lucky enough to end up with a sleeping cat on your table!

I would love to have a cat of my own but it's not practical for us, and probably not a good idea with an allergy in the family. So the cat café was a great place to hang out with some cats for a little while, and if we ever find ourselves in a part of the world with a cat café again I'd love to visit another!

Our fantastic summer holiday to Helsinki, Tallinn, Seoul and Shanghai!

We have just got back from our summer holiday, and it was a very exciting one for us! We travelled to Helsinki in Finland, took a day trip to Tallinn in Estonia, then spent a week in Seoul in South Korea followed by a week in Shanghai in China.

The itinerary came about for several reasons. Firstly, the trip was booked using Avios Air Miles. We wanted to visit Seoul, and because you can't fly directly from London to Seoul with British Airways we began the trip with a short stop in Helsinki. 

Secondly, we were able to easily travel to China without a visa by taking advantage of their 240 hour visa free transit policy. You just need to arrive from one country and depart to another within 10 days, with proof of your onward travel. So we took a short flight with Korean Air from Seoul to Shanghai, then used Avios points again for our return to the UK from Shanghai. 

Why did we choose those destinations? Seoul was inspired by our 14 year old daughter's love for everything K-pop and Shanghai was an opportunity to visit Shanghai Disneyland. I'll be sharing lots more about these places over the next few weeks!

We had to change our plans slightly at the very beginning after our outbound airline FinnAir announced strikes on the day we were due to leave. We decided not to take a chance and to fly to Helsinki a day early, giving us an extra day on the itinerary. We didn't have much planned for Helsinki, so we made the great decision to take a ferry over to Tallinn in Estonia for the day (an option we only knew about after investigating alternative options if our flight to Helsinki was cancelled!) It's not that we didn't like Helsinki, but it was a great opportunity to visit a city which we'd heard things about and were unlikely to visit separately.

Tallinn was lovely and I felt that it had much more of a heart to it than Helsinki. We visited on a weekend when there was a Song and Dance celebration taking place with a huge parade through the city centre and lots of people dressed in traditional costumes. Unfortunately it did rain quite heavily all day, but we stuck with it and carried out our sightseeing under umbrellas!

After a second rainy day in Helsinki we were ready for some warmth and sunshine, and fortunately that's what the rest of the holiday delivered in abundance! We landed in Seoul and my daughter was in K-pop heaven - shops, billboards, posters, merchandise and music everywhere you looked. 

We did a lot of shopping in Seoul. Everything was incredibly cheap, it was a friendly and pleasant city, easy to get around and we also took two excellent organised tours.

The first tour was to watch a recording of 'The Show' - a weekly K-pop show featuring idols galore performing live on stage - an incredible experience for a K-pop fan. The second tour took us to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) border between South Korea and North Korea which was fantastic. We covered a number of stops including a visit to the observation deck where you can peek out across North Korea, a tunnel dug from North Korea that is now a tourist attraction, and a drive through the land mined area that separates the two countries. I'll be sharing more about this tour because it was truly excellent, but for now here is a picture of the toll gate to North Korea, now no longer in use.

Then we travelled on to Shanghai which I must admit was quite a change after Seoul. It was even hotter, very busy, and although we knew in advance that most of the familiar apps wouldn't work on our phones it was a bit of a shock to actually encounter the Great Firewall of China! Fortunately we had purchased e-Sim cards which allowed us to access most things through our data, and a bit of pre-planning and downloading of Chinese apps meant that we were able to cope. 

We stayed in a hotel with an amazing view across the Huangpu river towards The Bund area. 

Shanghai Disneyland was definitely an experience. Although the tickets for entry were reasonably priced, we ended up paying extra for early entry and to get on two of the rides as it was just so busy and too hot to be waiting around for long. We enjoyed the rides that were different from the ones that we are used to and we had a couple of fun days there.

We also visited temples and gardens in Shanghai and spent some time in the shopping malls to escape the heat, although the prices on the high end goods weren't any better than at home. We struggled a bit for food as we aren't adventurous eaters, but towards the end we found a fantastic Italian restaurant opposite the the hotel that kept us filled up! 

We had an amazing holiday and saw some many interesting and unique things, I think I'm still processing it all and I'm definitely still recovering from the jet lag!