On the halfway to DMZ you can make a stop at Sohung Tea House that bridges the road: have some tea, ginseng and beer, and taste some local snacks. Virtually all out group tours include DMZ as a half day adventure. Access to the DMZ is occasionally curtailed at short notice when tensions rise, most recently in May in the aftermath of the Cheonan incident.
Panmunjom originally was a village between Kaesong and Seoul, now it is an abandoned village on the de facto border between North and South Korea. The village is 53 kilometers north-northwest of Seoul and 8 kilometers east of Kaesong.
You can visit the Peace Museum - the meeting hall where Armstice Talks were held, and the hall where the Armstice Agreement was signed. After the Armistice Agreement was signed there was made a decision to construct the Joint Security Area JSA on a new site located approximately one kilometer east of the village, construction began in September and all meetings between North Korea and the United Nations Command or South Korea have taken place here since its completion.
After the war, when all civilians were removed from the DMZ except for two villages near the JSA on opposite sides of the Military Demarcation Line , the empty village of Panmunjom eventually disappeared from the landscape. Visit the theater to learn more about the Korean War and its aftermath through 3D documentary films. Hwajinpo is a lagoon, a rarely seen ecological feature in Korea.
This ocean-formed lake is home to reeds and is visited by thousands of migratory birds. Surrounding the lake is a forest of hundred-year-old pine trees. Here, people can learn more about Korea's history and security education, covering over 50 years of modern history. Panmunjeom and the surrounding Joint Security Area are famous as the only place in the world where North and South Korean leaders meet. It has stood for over half a century as a symbol of the Korean War and a testimony to the conflict and extreme efforts required for reunification.
As Panmunjeom is the closest access point to North Korea, many international visitors wish to visit this historical site. A variety of tour programs are offered by tour agencies for those who are interested.
This page was last updated on May 27, , and therefore information may differ from what is presented here. Get your bearings. When imagining the 2. Surprisingly quiet, the JSA has been called "haunting" and "unsettling" due in part to barbed wire fences and steely military personnel. Bill Clinton, who visited in , famously called it the "scariest place on Earth. But that's just one part of the DMZ experience. How to visit. On both sides of the DMZ, travelers must book a guided private or group tour with an official operator, such as Koryo Tours in the North, or Viator in the South.
In North Korea, there are two major points of interest within the DMZ: Panmunjom and the Concrete Wall observation post, which overlooks the South Korean anti-tank barrier on the southern end of the treaty zone.
In contrast, the South Korean side of the DMZ, and the surrounding area, encompasses several parks, observation towers and museums -- plus a plethora of tour itineraries. US travelers have been banned from visiting North Korea since September 1, , so access via the South is the only option. The demilitarized zone DMZ incorporates territory on both sides of the cease-fire line as it existed at the end of the Korean War —53 and was created by pulling back the respective forces 1.
It runs for about miles km across the peninsula, from the mouth of the Han River on the west coast to a little south of the North Korean town of Kosong on the east coast. It was the site of peace discussions during the Korean War and has since been the location of various conferences over issues related to North and South Korea , their allies, and the United Nations.
The areas north and south of the DMZ are heavily fortified, and both sides maintain large contingents of troops there. Over the years there have been occasional incidents and minor skirmishes but no significant conflicts. Once farmland and subsequently a devastated battleground, the DMZ has lain almost untouched since the end of hostilities and has reverted to nature to a large extent, making it one of the most pristine undeveloped areas in Asia.
The zone contains many ecosystems including forests, estuaries, and wetlands frequented by migratory birds. It serves as a sanctuary for hundreds of bird species, among them the endangered white-naped and red-crowned cranes, and is home to dozens of fish species and Asiatic black bears, lynxes, and other mammals. In mid limited freight-train service was resumed across the zone.
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