Civilian hikers walk along the Goseong DMZ Peace Trail in Goseong, Gangwon Province, on April 27, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The ‘DMZ Peace Trail’, located at the northernmost tip of the east coast of South Korea, is gaining huge attention and popularity.
According to the DMZ Peace Trail Information Office on Monday, a significant number of people are requesting access to walk the path of peace in the Goseong Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which began operating on April 27.
In particular, course A, which is gaining popularity because it allows users to walk along a fence along the coast, is already booked solid on weekends and holidays.
About 790 people applied for course A, which only allows two groups of 20 per session. It once showed a 39.5-to-one competition rate.
On the other hand, course B, which is less popular than the course A, allows 80 people per session. Also, people are less likely to compete for sessions during weekdays.
However, competition is still fierce during the weekend.
The DMZ Peace Trail is divided into two courses.
Course A, which starts from the Unification Observatory, travels to the Mount Kumgang Observatory by car, and course B travels back and forth from the Unification Observatory to the Mount Kumgang Observatory by car.
The program is operated twice a day, six days a week, excluding Mondays. Course A can accommodate 20 participants at a time compared to 80 for course B.
During every session, participants are accompanied by a tour guide to introduce security facilities and the local environment.
Those who wish to participate can make a reservation with the Korea Tourism Organization’s travel information service portal (www.durunubi.kr) or at the DMZ integrated information system (www.dmz.go.kr) run by the Ministry of Interior and Safety.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
