Paju DMZ Peace Tourism 2026: ID, Closed Days and Photography Rules

The DMZ surrounds the military demarcation line established under the 1953 armistice. Among several border-area visits, this guide covers Paju City's DMZ Peace Tourism A course from Imjingak. Buy an official ticket and use the designated vehicle through checkpoints to the Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory and Tongilchon. The inclusions differ from a private Seoul-departure package; JSA, Dorasan Station and Daeseongdong are not automatically included. Adult fares are ₩9,200–12,200 depending on tunnel transport. Check Monday closure, accepted ID, group requirements and same-day controls below. Travel from Seoul to Imjingak and ticket queues are additional to the course duration.

Panmunjom / JSA is a separate booking check

This guide covers Paju DMZ Peace Tourism, not a confirmed JSA visit. Current Panmunjom/JSA availability was not verified in this September 25 update. Do not infer access from an old suspension notice or an agency product title. Before payment, check the official Panmunjom notice and require the operator to confirm the actual itinerary, visitor eligibility, documents and cancellation terms for your date.

What the Paju tour actually is: a tunnel, an observatory and a checkpoint

Paju’s published individual A course is Imjingak → Third Tunnel → Dora Observatory → Tongilchon → Imjingak, taking about three hours. That excludes travel from Seoul and ticket queues. Dorasan Station, Daeseong-dong and Panmunjom are not listed as stops on this course. The tunnel is narrow and steep, so wheelchair users and visitors with limited mobility may be restricted; a monorail fault means switching to walking. Visibility and open areas at the observatory depend on weather and controls. Paju does not supply a dedicated tour guide: if you need commentary, check whether your chosen product includes one. The gondola and Camp Greaves use separate tickets and operating hours.

How to do it from Seoul: the ID, the hours, and the day it is closed

Paju DMZ Peace Tourism issues tickets 09:00–14:30 only after the whole party reaches Imjingak; it may sell out earlier. Foreign visitors should bring an accepted valid ID such as a passport, alien registration card or US military ID, not a copy or screenshot. Korean mobile IDs must meet the official type and live-verification requirements. The tour closes Mondays, weekday public holidays, and Seollal and Chuseok day; security or weather can cancel reservations. Check transport from Munsan Station to Imjingak and back separately, and observe the course-wide ban on photos, video and drones. The separate Durunubi Peace Trail Paju programme is for ages 8+, requires application/cancellation by eight days before visiting and identity verification for everyone. It costs ₩10,000 per person, needs at least four confirmed participants and has a capacity of 20 per session. Morning and afternoon routes differ: check the booking screen.

Paju places: distinguish the main tour from separate visits

These are places to distinguish on a map, not stops all included in the main tour. Check separate opening and booking conditions for the gondola, Dorasan Station and other optional visits.

1. Imjingak (임진각) — the free park at the end of the public road where the tour starts: car park, ticket office, restaurants and the memorials. Open without a permit or ID.
2. Freedom Bridge (자유의 다리) — the 1953 prisoner-exchange bridge, its far end closed by a fence hung with thousands of ribbons and flags left by visitors and divided families.
3. Mangbaedan altar (망배단) — where people whose families are in the North bow toward their home towns at Seollal and Chuseok — the most affecting thing at Imjingak and the least photographed.
4. Peace Nuri Park (평화누리공원) — the hillside of coloured pinwheels and the open-air stage beside Imjingak; free, and the best place to wait for a shuttle time.
5. Imjingak Peace Gondola (임진각 평화곤돌라) — the cable car over the Imjin River into the Civilian Control Zone; standard or glass-floor crystal cabins, separate ticket from the bus tour.
6. Camp Greaves (캠프 그리브스) — the US Army base returned in 2007, two kilometres from the southern boundary, now an exhibition and youth hostel reached by the gondola.
7. Third Tunnel of Aggression (제3땅굴) — discovered in 1978 and driven toward Seoul through granite; walk down the access slope or take the monorail, then into the tunnel itself. No photography.
8. Dora Observatory — a viewpoint on the DMZ Peace Tourism course. Visibility and accessible areas depend on weather and restrictions. Follow the course-wide photography ban.
9. Dorasan Station — Not listed on Paju’s individual A course. If another programme advertises it, check that date’s actual itinerary and access authorisation separately.
10. Tongilchon — The village listed on Paju’s individual A course. It is not Daeseong-dong; visitors may not leave the designated route to enter residential areas.

Open Imjingak on Naver Map (Korea's default map app — Google Maps is unreliable for transit and walking directions here).

Prices, hours & what to carry

Once you choose an Imjingak departure, match the ticketing deadline with your return journey to Seoul. Check identification, closing days, photography rules and tunnel mobility requirements; do not assume the same ticket covers other DMZ programmes.