The North – South Korean DMZ used to be one of the most popular places that travelers to South Korea would visit. Is it today? I have no idea. Seriously I don’t. But my dad helped put it in perspective during his visit here.

He told us that, when someone would mention ‘Korea’ or ‘South Korea’ to him, this is one of the only places that his generation has heard about or was familiar with. I had no idea how strong his yearning was to visit the DMZ until he had been in Korea several days and asked if we were going there.

So we decided to go.

One has several options (approx.. 3) if you want to visit the South Korean DMZ:

1. The half day tour from Seoul.

2. The full day tour from Seoul including a stop by Panmunjeon.

3. The Unification Observatory in the Northeast corner of the country.

We chose option 3 for two reasons. First off, we were already in that area from having visited Soraksan National Park the day before. Secondly, you have to arrange the DMZ tours from Seoul days, if not weeks ahead of time. Furthermore, even the half day tours tire you out and take up much of your day, including usually waking up at some ridiculously early hour to go there.

The Unification Observatory is nice because you can drive there at your leisure, and go during normal business hours whenever you want.

If you’re still reading this, check out the Scholarship Fund Campaign we have launched on Indiegogo.com to support the families that lost a child in the recent Korean ferry boat accident. Please consider making a donation if you haven’t already. Those families in Ansan could really use your help. ☺