Pyeonghwa (Peace) Train runs twice daily between Seoul Station and Dorasan Station starting May 4

◇ Gyeonggi Province announced on May 2 that, with the May 4 start of the special Pyeonghwa (Peace) tourist train, referred to as the DMZ train, it will resume operation of the Dorasan Station tour in Paju City. This tour had been suspended in 2009 due to a security incident involving a tourist. Pictured: Designs of the DMZ-train. ⓒ Gyeonggi G News

Gyeonggi Province announced on May 2 that, with the May 4 start of the special Pyeonghwa (Peace) tourist train, referred to as the DMZ train, it will resume operation of a Dorasan Station tour in Paju City. This tour had been suspended in 2009 due to a security incident involving a tourist.

The DMZ train runs between Seoul Station and Dorasan Station twice daily, passing Neunggok Station, Munsan Station and Imjingang Station. The province also offers a variety of associated programs such as scenery explanations and the screening of promotional videos regarding nearby tourist spots.

The train fare is KRW 8,900 each way between Seoul Station and Dorasan Station, and KRW 5,000 each way between Imjingang Station and Dorasan Station. The DMZ Plus Ticket is also offered at a price of KRW 16,000 for one-day unlimited round trips.

Since Dorasan Station lies within the northern area of the Civilian Control Zone (CCL), visitors will only be granted access after presenting a valid form of identification.

Attracting over 50,000 tourists every year, Dorasan Station had been a leading security tourist destination in Korea since opening in April of 2002 through the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration.

However, the tour was discontinued on June 4 of 2010 due to a security incident involving a tourist in 2009. The number of visitors dropped sharply to a mere 5,000 a year, and the Dorasan Peace Park was temporarily closed, Measures to address this situation were subsequently called for.

Accordingly, after a series of deliberations with the ROK Army’s 1st Infantry Division, the Ministry of Unification (Inter-Korean Transit Office), Paju City, the Korean Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization to restart the Dorasan Station tour, Gyeonggi Province finally signed a joint agreement to promote Dorasan Station tourism on December 28, 2012.

Then, on March 4 of 2012, the province signed an agreement to resume the Dorasan Station tourism which set forth details of relevant cooperation among the agencies. The resumption plan was finalized to officially begin on May 4 after the 1st Infantry Division checked the site.

“The resumption of Dorasan Station tourism is an exemplary case of cooperation between the military and the local government to enhance awareness of national security and vitalize tourism in northern areas of Gyeonggi Province,” said Oh Who-seok, head of Gyeonggi Province’s Balanced Development Bureau. “We will actively promote the DMZ to the whole world as a repository of history, peace and ecology, and publicize Dorasan Station and Dorasan Peace Park as global tourist attractions.”

ⓒGyeonggi G News | Kim Jin-kyoung jinkyoungkim@kg21.net 

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201405021257107055C049&s_code=C049