The government announced on the 28th that starting from April 18, it will open 10 themed routes of the 'DMZ Peace Trail' created in local governments bordering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Citizens wishing to participate can apply online from March 28 through the 'Peace Trail' website and the Korea Dullegil walking travel mobile application (app) 'Durunubi'.
The themed routes, which allow direct experience of the importance of security, peace, and freedom through ecological, cultural, and historical resources north of the Civilian Control Line, have been established in 10 border local governments including Incheon (Ganghwa), Gyeonggi (Gimpo, Goyang, Paju, Yeoncheon), and Gangwon (Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje, Goseong). To operate the themed routes efficiently, the government has established and is operating an 'Integrated Operation System for the Creation of the DMZ Peace Trail' based on cooperation among related ministries including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Environment.
Each themed trail is designed to move by vehicle to protect various wild animals and plants inhabiting the DMZ and border areas and ensure participant safety, but in key sections, with the cooperation of military units, participants walk along the barbed wire paths themselves. Participants can experience the natural tourist resources unique to the border areas and listen to diverse and attractive stories hidden within through guides composed of professional interpreters or local village residents. Participants on the themed routes undergo identity verification procedures, and the participation fee is 10,000 KRW. The participation fee can be refunded in local gift certificates or specialty products to revitalize the local economy.
The government stated that with the opening of these themed routes, security and peace tourism in the DMZ border areas will be revitalized, and tourism and the economy in the border areas, which have been stagnant due to population decline and development restrictions, are expected to recover. It also emphasized the hope that people remember that the freedom and peace we enjoy today came at the cost of countless heroes who sacrificed themselves in unseen places. The government announced plans to continue fostering the themed routes as world-class peace tourism resources by sharing the historical and ecological values of the DMZ and its surrounding areas with the world through cooperation with related ministries and local governments.
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