Odusan Unification Observatory is at the top of Mt. Odu, which stands 118m above sea level and overlooks the confluence of the Han and Imjin Rivers. This has been a strategically important point since ancient times, and the ruins can be seen of an ancient fortress (Historical Site No.351) mentioned in ancient Korean historical records Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) and Goryeosa (History of Goryeo). This is also the tragic site of Korean division, standing at the northernmost end of the western front. The river is only two kilometers wide, but people have not been allowed to cross it for more than a half century.

The Odusan Unification Observatory was completed on September 8, 1992 in the hope of Korean reunification, and more than 20 million people have visited it to date.

• location : Pilseong Rd. 369 Tanhyun-myeon
• TEL : 031-956-9600
• website : http://www.jmd.co.kr

Imjingak

Imjingak was built in 1972 for the benefit of displaced North Koreans. It is at the end of National Road No. 1, which civilians can access. Various facilities have been added since then. The surrounding area of Imjingak has become the Imjingak Tourist Resort managed by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization. On the 3rd floor of the Imjingak building, visitors can enjoy the beautiful surrounding view of Freedom Bridge crossing the Imjin River, and on the 1st floor, they can purchase local products from the DMZ and various souvenirs.

The sorrow brought by the Korean War and post-war confrontations is written in stone at Imjingak. On display are various monuments for the Battle of Gloster Hill and for the U.S. Armed Forces, while a rusty locomotive that used to run the rail line between Seoul and Sinuiju on the North Korean border. This locomotive was in the DMZ for more than half a century after it was bombed during the Korean War. The 1,020 bullet marks in the surface of locomotive and the bent wheels testify to the terrible violence of war.

Mangbaedan is an altar where North Korean refugees in the South hold ancestral rites on the two biggest national holidays to their parents and grandparents left behind in the North. An exhibition hall that used to be a military bunker holds diverse events for visitors inside the resort.

• location : Imjingak Rd.148-53 Munsan-eup
• TEL : 031-953-4744
• website : https://tour.paju.go.kr

Freedom Bridge of Imjingak

Freedom Bridge crosses the Imjin River in front of Imjingak in Majeong-ri, Paju, connecting the South and North. It was first built during the Japanese colonial era as a pair of railroad bridges (one northbound and the other southbound) on the Seoul-Sinuiju line, but they were destroyed during the Korean War. After the signing of the Armistice Agreement in 1953, a temporary wooden bridge was erected beside the destroyed railway bridges to exchange POWs. About 12,773 Korean and UN POWs returned to the South. The name "Freedom Bridge" recalls the phrase "Long live freedom!" shouted by those soldiers when they stepped onto the South side of the bridge.

Freedom Bridge has, along with the Bridge of No Return in Panmunjom, symbolized the tragedy of the Korean War. It was used as a major route to and from Panmunjom until Unification Bridge was opened. The temporary wooden bridge hastily built for the prisoner exchange was demolished, while the Imjin Railroad Bridge was rebuilt and is now part of the rail line track between Munsan Station and Dorasan Station. On the right side of the bridge, the remains of the old southbound bridge on the Seoul-Sinuiju line can be seen in the river.

• location : Tongil Rd.2390 Munsan-eup
• TEL : 031-940-5831
• website : https://tour.paju.go.kr/

Imjingak Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park

Imjingak Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park was established after the 2005 World Peace Festival to transform Imjingak, a symbol of division and tension, into a symbol of reconciliation, co-prosperity, peace and unification. Various performances, exhibitions, film screenings and festivals are held here throughout the year.

Artworks such as Reunification Stones and Life Candlelight Pavilion are displayed along both sides of the Pyeonghwa-Nuri driveway, while the walkway goes past a wide grass-covered hillside and a floating outdoor theater that can accommodate some 20,000 spectators. A recreation area called “the Duru-nanum Traditional Play Experience Center” and “Sand Hill Nature Playground” for children are in front of the Peace Hill Fountain.

• location : Imjingak Rd.148-40 Munsan-eup
• TEL : 031-956-8300
• website : https://tour.paju.go.kr/

National Memorial Hall for Korean War Abductees

The National Memorial Hall for Korean War Abductees was completed at the entrance of Imjingak Tourist Resort in November 2017. This place was designed to commemorate the pain of war-induced division and recover the honor of abductees and their families, while strengthening the commitment to peaceful unification.

The issue of victims’ wartime abduction is recognized as an ongoing matter, and therefore halls for special and permanent exhibitions were created to respect the wishes of abductees and their families. The hope remains that this issue will reach resolution. The memorial hall displays materials donated by families of the abductees.

• location : Imjingak Rd.153 Munsan-eup
• TEL : 031-930-6000
• website : http://www.abductions625.go.kr

Dorasan Station

Dorasan Station, named for Mt. Dora, is on the Gyeong-ui (Seoul-Sinuiju) Line. It was completed in early February 2002 during the Gyeong-ui Line Railway/Road Reconnection Project. This is the northernmost station in South Korea inside the civilian-controlled zone, which is seven-hundred meters away from the Southern Limit Line.

Dorasan Station, which has a milestone that reads "Pyongyang 205km, Seoul 56km," is on a rail line that could be used for inter-continental travel via North Korea to Europe over the Trans-Eurasia Railway. The Immigration and Customs Offices have been already installed here in anticipation of the day when the inter-Korean railway opens.

Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and former U.S. President George W. Bush visited Dorasan Station on February 20, 2002. They gave speeches and signed their name on a railroad tie, expressing hope for peaceful unification. After their visit, Dorasan became synonymous with the longing for unification.

The Mangbae train for displaced North Koreans began to operate on February 12, 2002, and Dorasan Station opened on April 11 of that year. A test run of trains was made between Munsan Station in the South and Gaeseong Station in the North on May 17, 2007. Saemaeul train service was provided from June 1, 2007, and freight trains operated between Dorasan Station and Panmunjom Station in North Korea for about a year, starting from December 11, 2007. The DMZ Peace Train has been in operation from Seoul after the Gyeong-ui Line was opened in the Seoul metropolitan area on July 1, 2009,.

Dorasan Peace Park

Dorasan Peace Park was established near Dorasan Station in June 2008 to serve as a serene meeting place as well as an educational venue to remind teenagers of the importance of peace and ecology and teach the history of the DMZ. An eco-pond resembling the Korean peninsula is here, along with observation decks that let visitors experience the ecological environment of the DMZ. Inside the 352m² exhibition hall, visitors can watch a state-of-the-art 3D stereoscopic of Mt. Dora's history and the DMZ's natural ecology.

• location : 3rd Tanggul Rd.310 Jangdan-Myun Paju-si
• TEL : 031-953-4854
• website : https://tour.paju.go.kr/

Dora Observatory

Dora Observatory, the northernmost observatory on the west side of the Republic of Korea, opened in January 1987 atop Mt. Dora. On clear days, the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, Mt. Songak in Gaeseong, statues of Kim Il Sung, Kijeong-dong in the North, the outskirts of Gaeseong, and Geummamgol (cooperative farm) can all be viewed through the numerous telescopes installed on the rooftop.

• location : 3rd Tanggul Rd.310 Jangdan-Myun Paju-si
• TEL : 031-954-0303 (DMZ box office)
• website : https://tour.paju.go.kr/

The 3rd Tunnel (DMZ exhibition hall)

The third tunnel refers to one of the tunnels dug by North Korea southward under the DMZ. It is located 12km from Munsan and 52km from Seoul and was discovered on October 17, 1978. The tunnel measures 2m wide, 2m high, and over 1,635m long—large enough to accommodate some 30,000 soldiers per hour.

Kim Bu-seong, a tunnel engineer who defected from the North, reported the tunnel’s existence, and the detection work began on September 5, 1974. It was discovered at a site four kilometers south of Panmunjom in 1978.

The shuttle elevator to the tunnel operates 8 times a day, and visitors can go down and look around on foot. The DMZ theater, equipped with the latest visual system, shows 3D images that demonstrate the history of Korean division and the natural ecosystem around the DMZ. Tourists can see symbolic sculptures and visit souvenir shops as well.

• location : 3rd Tanggul Rd.210-358 Kunnae-Myun Paju-si
• TEL : 031-940-8526(Tourism Promotion Center), 031-954-0303(box office)
• website : https://tour.paju.go.kr/