Panmunjeom from the south · From the South in Panmunjeom
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From the South in Panmunjeom
From the South in Panmunjeom
Visits to Panmunjeom from the South Korean side must be arranged in advance as part of an organized tour, although for foreigners three days' notice usually suffices. Many companies advertise "daily" tours, but generally tours to the DMZ run only certain days, so check in advance. On tour days, depending on the day, various combinations of tours to 3rd tunnel, tours to Panmunjeom, and joint tours are available.
The rules for who can enter are set by the UN and the US, not North Korea. At present, citizens of China and South Korea will need to make arrangements well in advance (at least two months), while citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, the DPRK, Sudan, Syria and Libya cannot participate. Note that Hong Kong/Macau SAR passports are considered "Chinese", so use a British National (Overseas) or Portuguese passport instead if you can.
USO, tel. +82-2-795-3028, . The US military servicemen's organization offers tours that cover both the JSA and the Third Tunnel. Averaging twice a week, payment must be made no less than four days in advance and places fill up fast. US$77 for civilians, lunch not included (bring your own or W10,000 for chow at the canteen). The tours depart from USO's downtown Seoul complex near subway Samgakji stn at 7am and last until approx. 3.30pm. Tours never run on U.S. holidays and are announced on the month they occur.
Panmunjom Tour, tel. +82-2-7715593, . A specialist company offering various tours of the JSA (from W77,000) and the DMZ (W60,000; W120,000 with JSA tour). Tours start early in the morning, include lunch and get you back in Seoul by the afternoon.
International Cultural Service Club, tel. +82-2-755-0073,
Tour DMZ .
Some Seoul-based companies such as Cosmojin Travel and Grace Travel require only a minimum of 24 hours' notice, but their prices are much higher. Also, their itineraries vary, and may not include entry into the DMZ.
The 62-km journey towards Panmunjeom is a sight in itself. The 12-lane Freedom Road becomes eerily empty as you approach the border, as its primary purpose is to get tanks there as fast as possible if war breaks out. To repel an invasion, both sides of the highway, especially the side facing the Imjin River and open water to North Korea, are covered with barbed wire and dotted with observation posts every few hundred meters. Nearby hills house machine gun emplacements, the median strip has clusters of sandbags for defense, and some bridges above the highway have huge concrete blocks that can be dynamited to block the road. Large illuminated signs, proclaiming Freedom and Democracy in hangeul, face the North.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Panmunjeom
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Panmunjeom Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.