The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Peace Link Train on April 10 enters Seoul Station on the first day of the relaunch of its operations. (Yonhap News)

By Hong Angie

A tourist train connecting Seoul Station in the capital's Yongsan-gu District and Dorasan Station in Paju, Gyeonggi-do Province, has resumed service for the first time since its suspension in 2019.

The Ministry of Unification on April 9 announced the April 10 relaunch of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Peace Link Train linking both stations.

The name symbolizes the train's role as the starting point of inter-Korean connection. Passengers will go through Imjingang Station and get off at Dorasan Station in the Civilian Control Line, where they can visit Dora Observatory and Unification Village.

Dorasan Station was established under a deal on restoring the Gyeongui Line and reconnecting railways as part of the declaration of the 2000 inter-Korean summit and subsequent ministerial talks. This is the northernmost station in South Korea and the first gateway to travel to North Korea.

Through next month, service runs once a day on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, with a capacity of 120 passengers per trip. From June, the schedule will be four times a month on Fridays.

Reservations are available on the official websites of Korail, aka the Korea Railroad Corp., (http://www.korail.com), Korail Tourism Development (http://www.korailtravel.com) and the DMZ Peace Tourism website (http://dmz.paju.go.kr).

"Resuming the suspended train service to Dorasan Station reflects the government's dedication to ending inter-Korean confrontation and pursuing peaceful coexistence," the ministry said. "We will broaden public support for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula by stimulating peace tourism in the DMZ."

shong9412@korea.kr