Fear of war doesn't deter foreigners' DMZ trips

By Park Si-soo

North Korea’s tenacious pursuit of developing nuclear weapons continues to escalate fears of military conflict.

Hawkish U.S. congressmen pitched the need to strike Pyongyang preemptively to derail the program, while dovish people, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, try to thwart it with sanctions and diplomacy. North Korea claims nothing can stop the program, threatening military action should there be an attack.

No matter how the situation unfolds, it seems that the raging geopolitical crisis is not holding back foreign travelers’ desire to visit the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ), a demarcation line dividing the two Koreas. Perhaps the tension has strengthened their desire.

According to tour agencies, the number of foreigners buying travel tickets to the DMZ showed double-digit growth in recent months.

Cosmo.Jin Tour, a foreigner-only tour agency, said 2.8 times more foreigners than the same month last year visited the DMZ in November alone. The demand for DMZ tours peaked after U.S. President Donald Trump visited Seoul early last month, during which he wanted to inspect the DMZ but failed due to bad weather.

“After the news (of Trump’s visit) broke out, I received twice or triple more calls from foreigners seeking to visit the DMZ,” a tour agency official said. “The DMZ has great value as a tourist attraction because it’s the only living Cold War legacy in the world.”