[Korea] Paju DMZ (A place where the pain of division is intact)

 

The Korean War created a military demarcation line (disarmament) that separates the South and the North, covering 248 kilometers from Paju to Goseong. In addition, the South and the North drew another line 2 kilometers apart from the military demarcation line to prevent clashes in case of emergency. This is the Southern Limit Line and the Northern Limit Line. In addition, this area was called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) because it stipulated that no military facilities would be installed between the southern and northern limit lines. As a result, the DMZ, or the Demilitarized Zone of about 300 million pyeong, was created on the Korean Peninsula.

Paju DMZ is the most well-known DMZ. Paju DMZ is a key area of ecological conservation in the western DMZ area where you can see various migratory birds and animals harmonized along the Imjin River. There are many ecologically excellent wetlands such as Chopyeongdo wetland, Jangdan Peninsula wetland, Munsan wetland, and Imjingak wetland, and it is close to the tidal flat on the west coast, playing an important role as a habitat for wild animals and an intermediate stop and wintering ground for mobile water birds. Various species, including endangered wildlife designated by the Ministry of Environment, live there.

One of the most desired tours for foreign tourists visiting Korea is Paju DMZ Peace Tour. Paju DMZ has various peace tourism sites as it is called a living education center where you can learn the pain of division and peace efforts between the two Koreas. You can see traces of division such as Panmunjom, Daeseong-dong Village, Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory, and Camp Greaves, and facilities for exchange and cooperation toward unification such as Kaesong Industrial Complex, Gyeongui Line Railway, and Dorasan Station. In particular, since the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, it has attracted worldwide attention as a space for peace.

Paju DMZ Peace Tour is available to anyone with an ID card and is operated for a fee of 6 days a week (closed on Monday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but cars are restricted from entering because it is located in a civilian-controlled area. The tour takes about 3 hours, and you can tour tourist attractions in the third tunnel, Dora Observatory, Dorasan Station, and Tongilchon Village.

At the DMZ Tourist Ticket Office in Imjingak Parking Lot, groups must be sold until 14:30 and individuals must be sold until 14:50. Group tours of more than 30 people are only available, and less than 30 people can watch by shuttle bus. Shuttle buses may be closed early during the peak season, so it is better to inquire in advance. You can apply for the DMZ course by train at Imjingang Station. In the case of Panmunjom, which is called the Joint Security Area, you must apply in advance to the Panmunjom Tour Support Center of the Ministry of Unification.