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DMZ Peace Trail route with Mount Kumgang Observatory to reopen

Published: 06 May. 2025, 15:23

Visitors take part in the DMZ Peace Trail program in Goseong, Gangwon. [GOSEONG COUNTY]

The Mount Kumgang Observatory near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Goseong County, Gangwon, is reopening to the public on May 9 after a three-year closure prompted by rising tensions between the two Koreas in 2023.

The Gangwon provincial government announced on Tuesday that it will operate the DMZ Peace Trail program’s Course B through Nov. 30. The program in Goseong comprises two distinct routes named A and B.

Course B, which is reopening this year, spans 7.2 kilometers (4.4 miles). Visitors will travel by vehicle from the Unification Observatory to the Mount Kumgang Observatory, where they will view North Korean territory and participate in a security tour before returning.

Course A, currently in operation since April 29, is a 3.6-kilometer round-trip walk along the coastal fence from the Unification Observatory to the Coastal Observatory, the Tongjeon Tunnel and the Southern Limit Line.

Located farther north than the Unification Observatory, the Mount Kumgang Observatory offers the closest view of the North’s Mount Kumgang and Haegeum River. Touring the observatory was suspended after a 53-year-old woman from Seoul was fatally shot by a North Korean soldier in July 2008. According to local officials, requests from visitors wanting a closer look at Mount Kumgang have continued over the years, prompting renewed calls to open Course B.

Visitors take part in the DMZ Peace Trail program in Cheorwon, Gangwon. [CHEORWON COUNTY]

The trail program will run five days a week — Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays — with two sessions per day at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Each session will accommodate up to 20 participants per route, capping daily visitors at 40.

“Course B of the Goseong Peace Trail is reopening for the first time in three years,” said Yoon Kwang-soon, director of border area affairs in Gangwon. “With all six theme routes in the province now fully open this year, we expect tourism and security education in the border region to see a significant boost.”

Previously, five other DMZ Peace Trail routes in the border areas of Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje and Goseong reopened on April 18 and will also remain open until Nov. 30.

The DMZ Peace Trail is designed to showcase the ecological, cultural and historical assets of the DMZ and areas north of the Civilian Control Line (CCL), offering a hands-on experience of Korea’s security and the value of peace.

Each route offers a different experience. The Baekmagoji course in Cheorwon features a 15-kilometer route including a 2.8-kilometer walking section and highlights key Korean War sites such as the White Horse Hill and the Peacock Observatory.

The Dutayeon Valley in Yanggu, Gangwon [YANGGU COUNTY]

The Mount Baegam Bimok course in Hwacheon is an 87.9-kilometer trail with a 2-kilometer walking segment. The Yanggu course is 16.7 kilometers with 2.7 kilometers on foot, tracing paths once fought over by UN and Chinese forces. The Inje course is a 46-kilometer round-trip course with a 1-kilometer walking section, featuring Hill 1052 and views of unreclaimed territories.

The routes also offer expansive views of geographical landmarks such as Punchbowl in Yanggu, Hyangno Peak and Biro Peak on Mount Kumgang and the Baekdudaegan mountain range.

Applications can be made via the Korea Tourism Organization’s Peace Trail website or the “Durunubi” mobile app. The participation fee is 10,000 won ($7).

“Opening the DMZ Peace Trail routes, along with the easing of military restrictions and northward shift of the CCL, will help reinvigorate tourism in border areas and support regional economic recovery,” said a Gangwon official.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK JIN-HO [[email protected]]