What It’s Really Like To Visit the DMZ in South Korea

As we were planning our honeymoon to three countries in Asia, I feel like we put a lot of time and energy into booking things for Japan — just because it was the first stop of the trip. We planned a few things for Taiwan, since it was second. And since South Korea was last, we prepared the least. Which meant we didn’t really stop to think about whether we wanted to visit the DMZ, or the Demilitarized Zone between North & South Korea, until very late in the planning process.

Neither of us felt super strongly about it, but in the end we decided that if we were going to be so close to it, in Seoul, then we might as well. When in Korea, right?

Here’s what it was really like to visit the DMZ between North and South Korea.

What Is the DMZ?

The Demilitarized Zone (typically known as the DMZ) is a 4-km-wide strip of land at the border of North and South Korea that is essentially a buffer between the two countries. Despite its name, which might make you think the area is *not* militarized, it’s actually very heavily fortified with soldiers from both countries — each on their own side of the Demarcation Line, which is the exact middle of the DMZ.

The Demarcation Line is the result of the 1953 ceasefire agreement that brought the hostile phase of the Korean War to an end, though technically the war has never been officially declared to be over.

But ever since 1953, North and South Korea have been formally divided.

A Demilitarized Zone as a concept isn’t unique to Korea — there are several other active DMZs around the world — but the Korean DMZ is unique in its status as a tourist “destination,” receiving more than a million visitors each year. And I think it’s fair to ask… why are people so interested in visiting the Korean DMZ?

Of course, there’s not just one answer. For Matt and me, we were interested in learning more about a topic we didn’t have much prior knowledge on. And we love getting the chance to learn through our travels whenever we can. (Plus, I read a book written by a North Korean defector a few years ago, so I wanted the chance to see the border for myself.)

So if you’re interested in history or politics, you might be interested in taking your own trip to the DMZ.

How To Book Your DMZ Experience

If you decide to visit the Korean DMZ, you must go with an official tour group. They will take care of your registration and make sure you have the right “clearance” to enter the DMZ.

We decided to book our trip with Viator, which we typically do because of the Viator Rewards Program — which gives you money back on future Viator trips. But as we started our search, we noticed there were a ton of different DMZ visit options, which was a little bit overwhelming at first.

Like, there were tours offering multiple variations of the trip, including options like:

• Red Suspension Bridge
• 3rd Tunnel
• Boat
• North Korea Experience Hall
• Majang Lake Crossing
• Gondola

I didn’t know what any of those were, and I also wasn’t sure which elements were important to the experience. In the end, we went with this tour: Small Group Tour to DMZ & Suspension Bridge with Hotel Pickup

The reason we went with this one was mainly because it promised to be a small group tour, lol. From what I remember, there were fewer than 20 people in our group — other experiences I was considering stated that group sizes could be 45 or more. I didn’t know what the suspension bridge was, but just the group size alone was enough to make me book it. With all those potential add-on options, having a determining factor made the decision easier.

For the most part, you shouldn’t need to book too far in advance unless you’re looking for a specific experience — it seems like a lot of the tours have next-day availability.

Note: Previously, some tours to the DMZ included visiting the Joint Security Area (JSA) / Panmunjom. But thanks to an incident in July 2023 — in which an American soldier on a tour attempted to defect to North Korea by crossing the Line of Demarcation — visits to the JSA have been suspended. 

Our Day: Visit the DMZ Itinerary

The night before the DMZ visit, I got a WhatsApp message from our tour guide, Joo-Ee, confirming our pickup time and location. We got picked up at the metro station right next to our hotel, which was lucky because our pickup time was 6:20 a.m. 😵‍💫

We were the first ones to board the 20-seat white passenger van, so we snoozed on and off until everyone else in our group got picked up. Then, Joo-Ee started by giving us an overview of the Korean War and the significance of the DMZ.

Imjingak Park & Rest Stop

We arrived at our first stop around 7:30 a.m., which was the Imjingak Park and rest stop. This park is a symbol of the division and pain caused by the Korean War, and it was meant to be a place of comfort for those who were cut off from their families in the North. Here, you will find a variety of monuments and memorials — as well as the Freedom Bridge, where Korean and UN forces who were captured during the war, returned to their freedom by crossing the bridge.

Another major part of Imjingak Park is the massive rest area building. As our van pulled into the huge Imjingak parking lot, we found ourselves surrounded by other tour buses and cars. It seems like most DMZ tours stop here — and it’s a good opportunity for visitors to grab a bite to eat from one of the cafes, especially since meals aren’t typically included in the tours.

Joo-Ee gave us 30 minutes to eat breakfast before meeting back up with her. From there, she gave us a guided tour of the memorials in the area, until around 9 a.m., when it was time for her to acquire our actual DMZ tickets.

So, here’s how it works: The tickets for the actual DMZ become available each day at 9 a.m., and it’s first-come, first-served. At that point of the tour, you then move to a public shuttle bus for the transport between Imjingak and the DMZ. Joo-Ee was able to get “in line” for our tickets right at 9 a.m., and our group was able to get tickets for the first shuttle of the day! At 9:20, we loaded up the public bus along with a couple of other small tour groups and made our way to the Korean DMZ.

The 3rd Tunnel of Aggression

We only spent about 20 minutes on the shuttle… and that included an experience that kind of makes you remember just how serious the whole thing is.

As we entered the DMZ, the shuttle stopped at a military checkpoint. And several South Korean soldiers entered the bus, where they had a list of the passengers and their nationalities. At that point, we were instructed to open our passports to the photo page and hold them above our heads, as the officers cross-referenced their lists. It wasn’t scary or anything — just a bit surreal.

Our next stop was the 3rd Tunnel of Aggression. This is one of four known tunnels that stretch under the border between North and South Korea. And we were going to go down into the tunnel!

But it only allows so many people at once, and we weren’t the only group there, so we spent some time exploring the informational exhibits surrounding the area — particularly those explaining the history of the tunnel.

Apparently, the 3rd Tunnel was designed by North Korea to aid in attacking Seoul (hence why it’s called a tunnel “of aggression”) but the mile-long tunnel (about 1.6 km) was discovered in 1978 before it could be completed. There are currently four known tunnels between North and South Korea, but there are thought to be up to 20 more undiscovered ones!

When it was our turn to venture into the 3rd tunnel, we had to start by putting all our belongings in lockers. Having and using your phone in the tunnel is strictly prohibited — I was a little sad about this because I wanted to take a selfie of me and Matt wearing our hard hats as we got ready to go down!

Turns out that the hard hats were very much necessary. After a steep 300-meter ramp descent into the tunnel, the maximum height of the rudimentary tunnel is 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m) high, and much shorter in some places, to where you’ll probably have to crouch most of the time if you’re taller than about 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m). I definitely smacked my hard hat on the ceiling a few times.

You’ll be able to continue (crouched) through the tunnel about 250 meters toward the North Korean border, but a series of three barricades stop you from getting anywhere close. At that point, you peer through the little barricade window, turn around, make your way back through the tunnel, and make your way back up the loooong, steep ramp.

Note: I really don’t recommend going down in the tunnel if you’re claustrophobic or have any health problems that might impact your ability to do this activity safely. Joo-Ee made it clear that the tunnel was optional, and there are plenty of seats in the room with the lockers where you can wait it out!

Dora Observatory

From the 3rd Tunnel of Aggression, we went to the nearby Dora Observatory. It was around 11 a.m. at this point.

This is yet another place where you cannot use your phone or take any pictures — austere signs warning you not to have your phone out are pretty much everywhere. Inside the Dora Observatory, there are a few exhibits about the DMZ, as well as a couple of cafes where most people were able to grab some lunch.

But the most interesting part of the observatory… was observing.

Upstairs on the roof, you can look straight into North Korea from only one mile (~1.7 km) away. And not only that, but there are those built-in binoculars to make it easier to zoom in. Joo-Ee also had a few pairs of handheld binoculars she’d brought for our group to use. As we looked through and observed, she shared a few points of interest.

The North Korean flag and the South Korean flag, facing each other — this was the “flagpole war,” each one trying to build a taller flagpole that would raise its country’s flag higher than the other. The Hollywood-sign-esque Hangul letters on top of a mountain in the distance: 우리 민족제일주의 / Our country is the best.

The strangest part for me, though, was actually seeing tiny people out in the fields, riding their bikes on the dirt roads. Humans just like me. So close, yet so far away. With no cars, no electricity, and no freedom — at least not for them.

These were the moments when it really hit me where I was.

Gamaksan Suspension Bridge

After leaving the Dora Observatory, we took the shuttle out of the DMZ — where we had to once again hold our passports above our heads so the soldiers could ensure everyone who went into the DMZ came back out.

We returned to our original tour van at Imjingak Park before we set off for the last stop of our tour, the Gamaksan Suspension Bridge, arriving around 1 p.m.

It’s also known as the “Red Suspension Bridge” in some tour listings, or the “Gloucester Heroes Bridge,” as it was built to honor the 1st Battalion Gloucester Regiment of the British Army who fought in the Korean War. Set in the Gamaksan Mountains, this 200-meter bridge is the longest suspension bridge in South Korea. On your way to the bridge (it’s a fairly easy hike, if you want to call it that) you’ll find several remnants of the war, including old bunkers.

Of our visit to the DMZ, Matt and I felt that the suspension bridge stop wasn’t super necessary — it had been a long day already, and if we were able to just get back to Seoul a little earlier, we would have preferred that. However, the mountains were really pretty! In our opinion, we probably would have enjoyed it more if we’d been able to spend a whole day in the area doing more hikes, with more time to explore.

Return to Seoul

We had four choices of drop-off point upon our return to Seoul:

• Hongdae
• Myeongdong
• Gwangjang Market
• Dongdaemun

We originally wanted to be dropped off at Gwangjang Market since we hadn’t been there yet and it was our last day in Seoul, but it was Saturday afternoon and the traffic started getting really bad. Plus, everyone else wanted to be dropped off at either Hongdae (first stop) or Myeongdong (second stop). We realized it would take just as long to get from Myeongdong in the van as it would by metro, so we got off at Myeongdong.

However, all of these drop-off points are very popular spots in Seoul, so you shouldn’t have a hard time getting back to your hotel from any of them!

Final Thoughts on Visiting the DMZ

It was a long day, but I’m really glad we decided to visit the DMZ, even though we weren’t sure about it at first.

Being able to come face-to-face with not only history, but its impacts and the geopolitical conflicts that are very much taking place today, was such a valuable learning experience. I’m so thankful that travel gives me these opportunities to learn and understand the world a little bit better.

I’d definitely recommend it if you’re interested in a similar experience!

Plan Your Trip to the DMZ from Seoul

What do you think? Would you ever visit the DMZ on your trip to South Korea, or are you planning to? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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