[One Day Walk] A Glimpse of Jogang's Scenery and North Korean Village at a Glance... DMZ Gimpo Course

From April 21, the ‘DMZ Peace Trail Theme Routes’ will be fully opened. The ‘DMZ Peace Trail Theme Routes’ consist of 11 differentiated theme courses across 10 border local governments?Ganghwa, Gimpo, Goyang, Paju, Yeoncheon, Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje, and Goseong?that border the Demilitarized Zone. By applying in advance through Durudubi, etc. (participation fee 10,000 KRW), visitors can explore the routes by vehicle and on foot.

Today’s focus is the Gimpo course. From the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park observatory, you can see the North Korean village and Jogang (祖江). The Han River estuary was originally called ‘Grandfather River,’ Jogang (祖江), as it collected all the waterways of the central inland of the Korean Peninsula. From the Aegibong Peace Ecological Park observatory, you can view the scenery of Jogang where the Imjin River and Yesong River converge with the Han River, as well as the daily life of the North Korean village. Departures are every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 12:30 PM. The total length is 62.8 km, with 4.8 km on foot.

The Siam-ri barbed wire path is a civilian control zone where you can experience diverse wildlife and ecologically excellent natural scenery. At the end of the path lies the Siam-ri wetland, part of the Han River estuary wetlands, famous as a habitat frequently visited by endangered species such as the red-crowned crane, a natural monument.

Scenic view of the Jogang River crossing North and South Korea
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

Jogang, located at the point where the waters of the Han River and Imjin River meet and flow into the West Sea, is the starting point of the West Sea NLL. In the past, there was a large-scale port in this area; during the Three Kingdoms period, the country that controlled this region gained hegemony, and in the Goryeo Dynasty, it was an international trading port. During the Joseon Dynasty, it was a place where people from all over the country gathered, making it a region with a developed commercial district.

Aegibong Peace Ecological Park is located in the only South-North joint use water zone (Free-zone) on the Korean Peninsula, symbolizing peace and harmony and serving as a space that continues the peace will of the Han River estuary. Within the park, there is the Peace Ecology Exhibition Hall themed on peace, ecology, and the future; the Jogang observatory, from which you can view North Korean land at a distance of about 1 km; the World Peace Bell made by melting rusty barbed wire and bullet casings bearing the scars of the Korean War; and ecological trails harmonized with nature.