Exploring Korea: Is the DMZ Worth Visiting in 2024?
Many people visiting South Korea have been asking, is the DMZ worth visiting in 2024? The answer is yes, although you can no longer visit the Joint Security Area (JSA) which famously allowed tourists to step across the border into North Korea
I visited the DMZ in January 2024 having been living as an expat in South Korea teaching English since mid-2023. Visiting the JSA had been at the very top of my South Korea bucket list. And whilst this hasn’t been possible so far, the DMZ is still a unique and fascinating place to visit in its own right. And whilst you can’t quite step inside North Korea, you can still see the hermit state with your very own eyes.
What Is the DMZ?
The DMZ is short for “Demilitarized Zone”. The Korean DMZ is a buffer zone between South Korea and North Korea that split the Korean peninsula in two. It is 4km wide with a Military Demarcation Line (MDL) which marks the official border.
Despite the name “demilitarized”, this is the most heavily fortified border in the world and it’s full of landmines. So perhaps don’t try running across it (like one idiot did in July 2023).
I saw countless signs on the fences of the DMZ warning of landmines. On a tour you don’t need to worry about these, but they are there to stop people crossing between the two Koreas.
The two countries are technically still at war, having signed the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement which was designed to temporarily stop the conflict whilst they looked for a more permanent solution.
Well, 71 years later and that permanent solution has not been found.
So technically you don’t need to visit Ukraine or Gaza to claim you’ve been to a warzone. A trip to Seoul will suffice!
How to Visit the DMZ
There are a handful of companies in South Korea currently offering tours to the DMZ. They often offer so-called half day DMZ tours which take around 7 hours on average, give or take an hour or two.
Tours generally offer day trips from Seoul, which in itself is a great place for a day trip!
Here I will talk about each one and what they offer as well as how much it costs.
VIP Travel
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall, Dora Observatory, Unification Village (passing through only)
Cost: ₩70,000 (£40.43/US$50.28)
One of the most popular is VIP Travel and they are the company I went with. They take you to key sites including Imjingak Park, the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory (from where you can see North Korea with your own eyes) and the Unification Village.
I can’t recommend them however. Our tour guide ditched us and around 10-15 others at Imjingak Park. She disappeared and many of us missed the tour of the area. We found her towards the end of the tour, but others weren’t so lucky and missed everything.
She also took us to a shop selling North Korean money and was rude and impatient towards us whilst trying to hurry everyone through as much as possible leaving little time to see anything properly.
The DMZ was awesome and I’d say it is absolutely worth visiting. But not with these guys. See below for other options.
Viator
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall, Dora Observatory, Unification Village (passing through only)
Cost: ₩77,124 (£45.09/US$55.95)
Now Viator also offer DMZ tours on their website, however these tours are actually the VIP Travel tours, just under a different name. They will put you on the VIP tour with the same staff, same everything, except…
The price. The Viator option is more expensive. Now they do offer a lowest price guarantee which means you can save money. But in all honesty it’s a lot more hassle. You’re better off going straight to the cheapest option.
VIP Travel has a better offering than Viator (same itinerary, lower price and no messing around with price guarantees). However you will have to read on to find the best options.
DMZ Tours
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall, Dora Observatory, Dorasan Station, Unification Village (passing through only)
Cost: ₩70,000 (£40.43/US$50.28)
Another company offering tours is DMZ Tours. Pretty smart since anyone looking for DMZ tours will certainly be drawn to a company labelling itself as exactly that.
Look at the cost and the itinerary and you’ll think this is the same as the VIP Travel tour.
Take a closer look at the itinerary.
You will see there is an additional stop at Dorasan Station. This train station used to connect Seoul all the way through to Europe. DMZ Tours will take you here on top of the other popular stops.
Trazy
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall, Dora Observatory, Dorasan Station, Unification Village (passing through only)
Cost: ₩65,472 (£38.40/US$47.50)
With an identical itinerary to DMZ Tours, Trazy may tempt a few more visitors to the DMZ with its slightly cheaper offering.
I would recommend Trazy as it has the best package in terms of both itinerary and price.
Klook
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory
Cost: ₩71,881 (£42.03/US$52.15)
Honestly, avoid Klook. Their price is higher than most other options and they offer a much shorter itinerary.
Get Your Guide
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory, Choice between Mt. Gamaksan Suspension Bridge and Majang Bridge
Cost: ₩92,654 (£54.17/US$67.22)
Get Your Guide has by far the most expensive package to offer.
Although it does include a couple of different options. You can choose either the Mt. Gamaksan Suspension Bridge or Majang Bridge to add to the other options that come with most tours.
There is no trip to the DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall or Dorasan Station with Get Your Guide however.
Therefore I’d only recommend this is if you’re really set on visiting one of the two additional bridges offered.
Koridoor Tours
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory
Cost: ₩70,020 (£42.01/US$49.01)
This package from Koridoor Tours offers the bare minimum really. Well almost, it does at least offer The Bridge of Freedom which is slightly more than Klook.
The cost is marginally higher than VIP Travel, DMZ Tours and Trazy but without so many stops.
I wouldn’t advise booking this tour.
Hanatour ITC
Itinerary: Imjingak Park, Gallery Greaves (including gondola ride), The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory, Unification Village (passing through only)
Cost: ₩117,160 (£68.50/US$85)
By far the most expensive option is with Hanatour ITC. It does at least include an added bonus that the other tours do not.
From Imjingak Park, you can take a short gondola ride to Gallery Greaves for ₩11,000 (£6.60/US$7.70). With Hanatour ITC, this is included.
Still, the price without the gondola ride would still be ₩106,160 which makes this the most expensive offering regardless.
And most other tours give you the freedom to choose whether or not you want to pay extra for the gondola ride whilst you are at Imjingak Park (where the gondola is based).
My advice would be to give this one a miss.
Which is the Best DMZ Tour to Take
I would recommend the Trazy DMZ tour as it is both the cheapest (₩65,472/£38.40/US$47.50) and has the most stops.
It is one of only two tours that stops at Dorasan Station, whilst also including all of the common locations (Imjingak Park, The Bridge of Freedom, The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall, Dora Observatory) and passing through the Unification Village.
If I’d done more research, then I would have gone with Trazy rather than VIP Travel. Fortunately I’ve made all the mistakes through my own DMZ visit, and can share my tips and advice so you don’t do the same!
Can You Visit the DMZ Without a Tour?
You can visit Imjingak Park without a tour. You cannot go any further into the DMZ than this. Therefore Dora Observatory, Dorasan Station and the Third Infiltration Tunnel are only accessible on official tours.
You need your passport to access tours and this will be checked by the military. Do not even think about attempting to access the DMZ (beyond Imjingak Park) independently.
You will be arrested when caught (not if, when) and could face far worse consequences if you stumble across some of the many landmines still in the area.
A tour is necessary not just to ensure everything is done legally, but also to keep you safe.
Where Can you go on a DMZ Tour?
I’ll keep this brief, and perhaps expand in more detail in a future post, but these are the places you can visit on a DMZ tour:
Stops on All Tours
- Imjingak Park: The main start point on pretty much every tour. It was built as a place dedicated to families divided by the split of North and South Korea. It has many memorials, and a shop that sells souvenirs including North Korean money. There’s even a theme park next door (Pyeonghwa Land) which was built as a propaganda tool to show North Korea that the south is more fun
- The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel: North Korea attempted to invade its neighbor by building a series of tunnels under the border. They were caught before the tunnels were completed, and you can visit the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel today. Make sure you wear a hard hat, the tunnel is narrow and if like me you’re over 6ft tall, expect to bump your head a lot. At the end of the tunnel you can see through a narrow window into North Korea’s side of the DMZ
- Dora Observatory: The highlight by far. There are several sets of binoculars up here, and you can look directly into North Korea. You can see the North Korean flag, a propaganda village set up to show the south that the north is a good place to live, and the famous JSA where you could once step inside North Korean territory
Stops on Some Tours
- The Bridge of Freedom: Next to Imjingak Park, this bridge was once a key location for sending prisoners of war back to their home country
- Gallery Greaves: Accessible from a gondola in Imjingak Park, this mini museum has a lot of history on the Korean War. It is near the Camp Greaves Youth Hostel and a viewpoint across the Imjin River, back towards the park
- DMZ Theater/Exhibition Hall: Here you can watch a video on the Infiltration Tunnels and how they were used in an attempted invasion of the south
- Dorasan Station: A train station which once connected South Korea to Europe. It was destroyed but later rebuilt in the hope of being an important transit point after the reunification of Korea which many hope will happen one day
- Unification Village: A small village inside the DMZ where locals still live today. Many are elderly people who had family in the north and wanted to live as close as possible to their loved ones
- Mt. Gamaksan Suspension Bridge: A lengthy bridge across the Gamaksan Valley. It was built in memory of British soldiers who fought for South Korea in the Korean War
- Majang Bridge: A scenic lake bridge which is just as close to Seoul as it is the DMZ
Can You Visit the JSA (Joint Security Area) in 2024?
No, you cannot visit the JSA in 2024. It has been closed to tourists ever since American soldier Travis King ran across the border into North Korea in July 2023.
There are occasional special tours to the JSA, but these are not available to the general public. The United Nations Command controls access to the area and has allowed special tours for groups including Korean War veterans and members of South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
An agreement has been reached to restart tours as of November 2023, however a date has not been set for when they can resume as of April 2024.
Previously tourists would head to Panmunjom within the JSA and step across the North Korean border. It is where the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, which ended the Korean War, technically…
Is the DMZ Worth Visiting in 2024?
Yes! It’s a major disappointment that we cannot currently visit the JSA, and therefore say we’ve stepped foot inside North Korea. But the DMZ on the South Korean side has a lot to offer regardless.
It is a suitable place in Korea for solo travellers, couples, friends and even families with young children. Although the latter may not be able to truly appreciate the history and fascination of the place.
Imjingak Park is a bit gimmicky in my opinion. It’s swamped with tour buses and shops that mark up their prices because being within the DMZ is a big selling point.
But it gets better after this. The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel is cool because you stand just a few metres from North Korea and can peer inside the hermit state. Albeit without being able to see much through a narrow window built into the tunnel.
Dora Observatory however is what really made the DMZ worthwhile. Whilst the tunnel gives you a tiny glimpse across the border from the underground, the observatory lets you see right into the other side where you can observe what goes on inside the world’s most mysterious nation.
If you’re used to South Korea’s mainstream attractions such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, Ikseondong Hanok Village, N Seoul Tower, Beopjusa Temple and Jeju Island, this is certainly something a little different.
The DMZ is very safe to visit and you can learn a lot about the history of the Korean split and how the DMZ was formed.
It can be visited at any time of year, although I’d advise against going in the winter as it’s so cold and windy by the exposed border.
If you want to visit the JSA, you will have to wait for now. But if you learn about what you need to teach English in South Korea, then you can live here and bide your time, making it easy for when this special place reopens.
