The 2023 "DMZ OPEN Festival," hosted by Gyeonggi Province with Gyeonggi Tourism Organization as the organizer, aiming for "Greater Peace," will kick off its grand journey from October 20 with the DMZ Peace Walk event and continue through November. This event holds special significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice.
On the 20th, at Paju Imjingak Peace Nuri, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization announced on the 11th that the festival will offer an opportunity to walk, feel, and enjoy the DMZ through the DMZ Peace Walk and Peace Concert, and will also debut the Peace Train.
The DMZ Peace Walk is an event where participants walk along the Imjin River ecological trail within the civilian control zone. The course is a total of 9 km, walking along the ecological trail from the southern end of the Unification Bridge to Yulgok Wetland Park, where visitors can also view the DMZ ecological photo exhibition. At Chopyeongdo, various participatory and experiential events will be held, including a performance of Haerang Garang (Gayageum and Haegeum performance).
About 1,300 participants, including Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, foreign ambassadors stationed in Korea including those from countries that participated in the Korean War, US Forces Korea, international students, and North Korean defectors, will join the event.
The "DMZ Peace Train," which conveys a message of peace, will also begin its first operation on the 20th. It will run a total of 13 times from Suwon Station to Dorasan Station on the first and third Saturdays of each month until October, with a round-trip fare of 5,000 KRW. Passengers will be recruited through online applications.
A public performance themed on the DMZ, the "Peace Concert," will also be held. The concert will start with the "Gyeonggi Pops Ensemble," which performs a fusion genre of traditional Korean music and Western music. Following them will be the "Dream With Ensemble," composed of youths with developmental disabilities and active as Gyeonggi Province ambassadors. Also appearing are "Gwak Pureunhaneul," a contestant from Superstar K, the "Myeong Children’s Choir," and "Wani Hwa," a Gyeonggi Fire Department ambassador.
The nationally renowned rock band "Guckkasten," with Ha Hyun-woo as the vocalist, and the "Musical Pops Orchestra," Korea’s first to combine musicals and pop music, will also be featured. The performances will run from 11:30 AM to 6:20 PM.
Gyeonggi Tourism Organization will host a wheelchair basketball tournament in August and the DMZ Marathon, which allows running beyond the civilian control zone, on October 7.
Performances and exhibitions under the theme "DMZ, Feel It" will also be prepared. From August to November, exhibitions themed on the DMZ and peace, reflecting the symbolism of the DMZ, will be held around Paju and Yeoncheon. On October 7, the "Peace Nuri Picnic Festival" will be held at Paju Imjingak Peace Nuri. Additionally, from November 3 to 11, the closing performance, the DMZ Open International Music Festival, will take place at Goyang Aram Music Hall.
Gyeonggi Tourism Organization will also hold academic events under the slogan "DMZ, Think About It."
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