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Tour program to Panmunjom to resume this week

Published: 15 May. 2025, 08:48

Panmunjom [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Unification is set to resume its tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone this week following its suspension in late 2023 due to military tensions, officials said Thursday.

"The government plans to resume the Panmunjom field trip Friday through a special tour program after it was suspended for public safety reasons," a ministry official said.

The government had initially halted the Panmunjom tour in July 2023 after U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King crossed the border into North Korea during a tour to the Joint Security Area near the border, resulting in heightened military tensions.

In November that year, the tour was partially resumed, but it was completely suspended again about a week later as North Korean soldiers on duty in the North's part of Panmunjom began carrying heavy firearms, pushing up military tensions in the border area.

Since then, only foreigners, including foreign Korean War veterans, have been allowed to visit Panmunjom through an irregular tour program, while it has remained off-limits to South Koreans.

As part of the upcoming resumption, the first group of 17 government officials and executives from state-run firms, who are currently taking a state-operated unification education course, is scheduled to tour Panmunjom on Friday, ministry officials said.

The resumption, however, will be currently limited to policy-related visitors, while the timing for reopening the tour for the general public will be determined later based on safety conditions.

Yonhap