A demilitarized Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, the United Nations truce village between the two Koreas, will be opened to the public from May 1. Pictured here are President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on April 27, 2018, walking on a foot bridge during their summit. (Yonhap News)
By Kim Minji
Symbolic sites from the inter-Korean summit held on April 27 last year will be opened to the public from May 1.
The two main sites are the foot bridge on the southern part of the United Nations (U.N.) truce village of Panmunjom, on which President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walked during the summit, and the spot where both men planted a pine tree.
The Ministry of Defense in Seoul said on April 29, "Tours to Panmunjom will be resumed from May 1 from the (South Korean) side," adding, "Unarmed soldiers will guide tourists who can visit a guard post jointly operated by the two Koreas. They will experience a demilitarized Panmunjom."
Under a military agreement reached in their summit on Sept. 19 last year, Seoul and Pyeongyang agreed to demilitarize the Joint Security Area (JSA). In October last year with the U.N. Command, both Koreas also began a project for alleviating military tension through measures such as removing landmines and conducting on-site research, thus tours to Panmunjom were suspended.
The ministry also said a tripartite discussion on crossing the inter-Korean border had yet to reach an agreement, so the two sides decided to first resume tours on the southern side of the JSA.
Those who wish to go on the tour can do so in groups of 30-45 people via the travel agency on the National Intelligence Service's website (www.nis.go.kr:4016) or the homepage of the Office of South-North Dialogue (dialogue.unikorea.go.kr).
kimmj7725@korea.kr
