Opening of 5 Courses on the 'DMZ Peace Trail Theme Route' at the Northernmost Part of Gangwon-do

From the 18th to the End of November: Reservations Required Due to Visitor Limits
Unique Experiences on Each Course, Including Nature, Ecology, and Security Programs

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on the 16th that the five ‘DMZ Peace Road Theme Routes’ in the five counties bordering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) (Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje, Goseong) will be open from the 18th of this month until November 30.

Opening of 5 Courses on the 'DMZ Peace Trail Theme Route' at the Northernmost Part of Gangwon-do

DMZ Peace Trail, Cheorwon Baengmagoji Course view. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

The theme routes are paths created to allow visitors to experience the value of freedom, security, and peace by utilizing the ecological, cultural, and historical resources of the DMZ and the areas north of the Civilian Control Line. Each route offers a unique experience.

The DMZ Peace Road theme routes limit the maximum number of visitors per session to 20, and the daily maximum number of visitors ranges from 20 to 40, so reservations are mandatory. Program reservations can be made through the Korea Tourism Organization’s ‘Peace Road’ website and the walking travel mobile app ‘Durunubi.’ The participation fee is 10,000 KRW.

However, some local governments such as Yanggu County and Inje County operate on specific days, so participants must contact the local government offices instead of using Durunubi. Inje County, which operates independently on Saturdays and Sundays, should be contacted through the Seorak Geumgang Seohwa Village Corporation, and Yanggu County, which operates independently on Wednesdays, should be contacted through the Gangwon Peace Tour Cooperative.

Participants will move by vehicle and on foot while listening to explanations from accompanying guides.

Lee Hee-yeol, Director of Planning and Coordination at Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, said, “The opening of these theme routes will help revitalize tourism in the border areas, which have been stagnant, along with the northward expansion of the Civilian Control Line following the lifting of military restrictions, and will also contribute to the revitalization of the local economy.”

Below is an explanation of the ‘DMZ Peace Road’ theme routes in the border areas of Gangwon Province.

▲ Cheorwon County Baengmagoji Course (15km, 2.8km on foot)

This course allows visitors to appreciate the Baengmagoji battlefield site, which commemorates the fierce battles between the South Korean and Chinese armies during the Korean War, the Peacock Observatory, and the ‘Triangle Footprints’ that tell the history of Cheorwon residents who transformed a wasteland filled with mines and grenades into a golden land. This year, visitors can walk 2.8 km along the DMZ from the Baengmagoji battlefield site following the Southern Limit Line.

‘DMZ Peace Trail’ theme route Baengmagoji course view. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

▲ Hwacheon County Baegamsan Bimok Course (87.9km, 2km on foot)

Taking the Baegamsan cable car to the summit at 1,178 meters above sea level, the northernmost point in South Korea, visitors can simultaneously view the Peace Dam and North Korea’s Geumgangsan Dam. Additionally, visitors can see the world’s only artificial ecological wetland in the DMZ formed by these two dams, as well as the Yangui University river wetland. From this year, with the northward expansion of the Civilian Control Line, access is possible without checkpoints.

The Baegamsan Bimok Course in Hwacheon-gun, part of the 'DMZ Peace Road' theme route. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

▲ Yanggu County Dutayeon Bloody Ridge Course (16.7km, 2.7km on foot)

Starting from the Geumgangsan Information Center, this route follows the old path to Dutayeon and Geumgangsan, offering a close view of the natural environment of the Korean Peninsula, including Geumgangsan. The course along the Bloody Ridge reveals traces of fierce hill battles between the UN allied forces and the Chinese army.

‘DMZ Peace Road’ theme route Yanggu-gun Dutayeon Blood Ridge course view. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

▲ Inje County Daegok-ri Outpost-1052 Hill Course (46km, 1km on foot)

This course goes from Daegok-ri in Seohwa-myeon through Eulji Samgeori to 1052 Hill and back. Visitors can see historical sites such as the Eulji Unit 854 Hill Battle Monument commemorating one of the fiercest hill battles in 1953, as well as other unrecovered areas. It also offers panoramic views of the Punch Bowl in Ha-an-myeon, Yanggu, Geumgangsan’s Hyangrobong and Birobong peaks, and the beautiful scenery of the Baekdudaegan mountain range.

The 'DMZ Peace Road' theme route, Inje-gun Daegok-ri Outpost - 1052 Hill course. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

▲ Goseong County Unification Observatory Course (3.6km on foot)

Starting from the Unification Observatory, this route follows the coast past the Coastal Observatory, the Tongjeon Tunnel, and the Southern Limit Line, allowing visitors to view the pristine Goseong Sea along with the spectacular scenery of Haegumgang and Geumgangsan up close.