Press Releases
Inter-Korean summit venue attracts keen interest from foreign media
Apr 19,2018- Panmunjom tour attended by 76 news outlets from 14 countries
Inter-Korean Summit Preparatory Committee ｜2018.4.19
Ahead of the upcoming inter-Korean summit, foreign media outlets are showing growing interest in Panmunjom, the United Nations truce village where the summit will be held.
Panmunjom is where the armistice that halted fighting in the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953. Located 62 kilometers north of Seoul and 215 kilometers south of Pyongyang, Panmunjom consists of the central Joint Security Area (JSA), where South and North Korean soldiers stand face to face, the Peace House on the South Korean side, and Panmungak and Tongilgak on the North Korean side.
Since its selection as the summit venue, the site is attracting more tourists. With few exceptions, tours of the area are available only through advance reservations.
Journalists from 76 media outlets in 14 countries on April 18 go on a tour of Panmunjom.
The Inter-Korean Summit Preparatory Committee on April 18 organized a media tour of Panmunjom for both domestic and foreign journalists nine days before the summit. The reporters in attendance represented 76 news outlets from 14 countries. They were divided into morning and afternoon teams, with each team touring Panmunjom for approximately 2.5 hours.
The journalists underwent an ID check at Unification Bridge before being briefed at the JSA Visitor Center on rules for taking photos and proper conduct within the area. They then headed to Panmunjom on a tour bus.
Thanks to a sunny spring day, the bus ride offered clear views of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in spring. The tour guide directed the group’s attention to Daeseong-dong Village on the South Korean side of the DMZ and Gijeong-dong Village on the North Korean side. Cherry blossoms and green buds were in bloom on both sides, but with photography prohibited in the area, these sights had to remain in the heads of the reporters.
After their arrival at the Peace House, the journalists engaged in a flurry of picture shooting as they scrambled to take photos of the single-story blue buildings lining the JSA.
Reporters from CNN, NHK and CCTV asked about the possibility of live broadcasts and practiced reporting in front of the Military Demarcation Line that bisects the JSA.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t shoot from more angles, but I understand that the security situation requires that,” said Andres Sanchez Braun, a reporter for the Spanish wire service EFE. “We’re preparing very thoroughly for coverage of the summit.”
The participating journalists were also keen on exploring the Peace House, the summit venue. The three-story building was built for the purpose of hosting more active dialogue with the North. The tour participants took photos of the building’s interior and also shot video footage of summit preparations.
“It’s too bad that we couldn’t actually go inside the Peace House because of renovations,” said Frederic Ojardias, a reporter for France Médias Monde. “The Peace House was the most interesting part of the tour for me. It made me curious about whether (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un will arrive by car or on foot and how President Moon will greet him.”
The Peace House, on the South Korean side of Panmunjom, is the venue for the Inter-Korean Summit slated for April 27
The last stop on the tour was the Inter-Korean Transit Office, located along the Gyeongui Railway Line, where transit between both Koreas is managed. The journalists took pictures of the sign hanging over the tollgate reading in Korean “Peace, a New Beginning,” the official slogan of the summit.
According to figures released April 18 by the preparatory committee, 2,833 domestic and foreign journalists have registered to cover the summit, a record high among the three inter-Korean summits thus far. Of them, 858 are from abroad, representing 180 media outlets in 34 countries.
Inter-Korean Summit Preparatory Committee ｜2018.4.19
Ahead of the upcoming inter-Korean summit, foreign media outlets are showing growing interest in Panmunjom, the United Nations truce village where the summit will be held.
Panmunjom is where the armistice that halted fighting in the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953. Located 62 kilometers north of Seoul and 215 kilometers south of Pyongyang, Panmunjom consists of the central Joint Security Area (JSA), where South and North Korean soldiers stand face to face, the Peace House on the South Korean side, and Panmungak and Tongilgak on the North Korean side.
Since its selection as the summit venue, the site is attracting more tourists. With few exceptions, tours of the area are available only through advance reservations.
Journalists from 76 media outlets in 14 countries on April 18 go on a tour of Panmunjom. The Inter-Korean Summit Preparatory Committee on April 18 organized a media tour of Panmunjom for both domestic and foreign journalists nine days before the summit. The reporters in attendance represented 76 news outlets from 14 countries. They were divided into morning and afternoon teams, with each team touring Panmunjom for approximately 2.5 hours.
The journalists underwent an ID check at Unification Bridge before being briefed at the JSA Visitor Center on rules for taking photos and proper conduct within the area. They then headed to Panmunjom on a tour bus.
Thanks to a sunny spring day, the bus ride offered clear views of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in spring. The tour guide directed the group’s attention to Daeseong-dong Village on the South Korean side of the DMZ and Gijeong-dong Village on the North Korean side. Cherry blossoms and green buds were in bloom on both sides, but with photography prohibited in the area, these sights had to remain in the heads of the reporters.
After their arrival at the Peace House, the journalists engaged in a flurry of picture shooting as they scrambled to take photos of the single-story blue buildings lining the JSA.
Reporters from CNN, NHK and CCTV asked about the possibility of live broadcasts and practiced reporting in front of the Military Demarcation Line that bisects the JSA.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t shoot from more angles, but I understand that the security situation requires that,” said Andres Sanchez Braun, a reporter for the Spanish wire service EFE. “We’re preparing very thoroughly for coverage of the summit.”
The participating journalists were also keen on exploring the Peace House, the summit venue. The three-story building was built for the purpose of hosting more active dialogue with the North. The tour participants took photos of the building’s interior and also shot video footage of summit preparations.
“It’s too bad that we couldn’t actually go inside the Peace House because of renovations,” said Frederic Ojardias, a reporter for France Médias Monde. “The Peace House was the most interesting part of the tour for me. It made me curious about whether (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un will arrive by car or on foot and how President Moon will greet him.”
The Peace House, on the South Korean side of Panmunjom, is the venue for the Inter-Korean Summit slated for April 27The last stop on the tour was the Inter-Korean Transit Office, located along the Gyeongui Railway Line, where transit between both Koreas is managed. The journalists took pictures of the sign hanging over the tollgate reading in Korean “Peace, a New Beginning,” the official slogan of the summit.
According to figures released April 18 by the preparatory committee, 2,833 domestic and foreign journalists have registered to cover the summit, a record high among the three inter-Korean summits thus far. Of them, 858 are from abroad, representing 180 media outlets in 34 countries.