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DMZ turns to peace tourism with new fall festival across Korea's borderlands
Two United Nations Command soldiers, right, and a South Korean soldier stand guard at the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone in the inter-Korean village of Panmunjeom, Oct. 4, 2022. AFP-Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
The borderlands of Korea’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will take on a different role this fall, as a new festival invites visitors to experience the region through nature, local life and reflection rather than its history of division.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that it will hold the inaugural DMZ Peace Festa with the Korea Tourism Organization, Incheon’s Ganghwa County and Gangwon Province’s Cheorwon County.
The festival will begin in Ganghwa County on Saturday, Sept. 12, and continue in Cheorwon County on Saturday, Sept. 26, with programs running through the following Sundays.
Organizers said the festival is designed to connect tourism resources that have largely been developed separately by local governments along the DMZ.
In Ganghwa, programs under the theme “Walking peace on an island where time stands still” will include sunrise meditation and yoga, a walk along the DMZ fence to collect sounds from nature, and a nonalcoholic cocktail-making class inspired by the lives of displaced residents.
Ganghwa will also designate September as a DMZ Visit Month, with programs including a mission-based visit to Gyodong Market.
In Cheorwon, the festival will take the theme “A land of peace brimming with life,” with street performances linked to media art, a disco event and a stay-in-place backpacking experience against the backdrop of Soisan.
A BMW riding tour will take visitors by motorcycle to major security sites in Cheorwon, and the program will continue through October as part of the DMZ Visit Month.
The ministry said the festival could help transform the DMZ from a symbol of division and pain into a place of nature, community and healing.
Detailed schedules, registration information and required items are available through the Korea Tourism Organization’s Visit Korea website.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.