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.