Panmunjom tourism to partially resume in form of special tour
Tour of Joint Security Area opens with special designated tour, planned to reopen to general public in future
Designated civilian tours of the Panmunjom truce village — suspended amid heightened military tensions between the two Koreas — are set to partially resume this week.
According to the Ministry of Unification, 17 trained employees of the National Institute for Unification Education will participate in a special tour of the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone on Friday. Located approximately 50 kilometers north of Seoul, the area has long been used as a venue for inter-Korean talks.
"We've established thorough safety measures for visitors and cooperated with the UN Command, and decided to partially begin operation with the special tours for now," a ministry official said.
The ministry did not say when tours will be open to the general public, and vowed to resume visits if the special tours do not present significant problems.
Panmunjom tours, organized by the ministry, grant civilians access to the South-controlled section of the truce village. The tours were initially opened to the general public following a 2018 inter-Korean agreement aimed at easing military tensions, which included the disarmament of Panmunjom.
Tours were suspended after US Army Pvt. Travis King crossed the border into North Korea during a tour in July 2023. Despite temporarily resuming in November of that year, subsequent military tensions, such as North Korean forces arming themselves, forced the full shutdown of tour operations.
The upcoming tour marks the first tour for Korean civilians since November 2023. Foreign nationals, such as Korean War veterans, had visited the area via United Nations Command programs, while tours held by the ministry remained on hold.
The NIUE said that the agency has had an array of petitions for the tour programs to be resumed.
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