Visit korea & Seoul city tour

Why Cosmojin

Welcome to Cosmojin. Thanks for your interest and support for our service.

Cosmojin travel has run Seoul daily city tour for more than 15 years. We developed the most attractive tour packages for visitors and will continue to create new programs to meet international traveler’s need.

We help you to plan your own Seoul city tour with well-prepared theme and organized time table. You will find the most convenient way to enjoy Seoul with Cosmojin.

We hire the best tour guides with good service experience especially for foreigners and they all get great feedbacks from the customers. They are all proud of what they do for visitors to make your every corner of visits memorable and meaningful.

Transportation is another important things define travel quality. We provides brand new and clean cars with reasonable price for various tour packages.

There is Korean saying "Even a chance meeting is due to the Karma in a previous life." We will serve you as our family and friend as we want you to remember the time with us as a great memory. There are so much fun in Seoul and we cannot wait to introduce all of them. It does not matter morning, afternoon or late night. You will be surprised what you can enjoy in every second. We look forward to meeting you soon. You will enjoy guided tour with interesting secret and meaningful information that you cannot find elsewhere. Aren’t you excited about the best guide, the best customer, the best place and the best tour course?

Information

Since 1953, Korea has been divided into two separate countries, now known as South and North Korea. North Korea has become a more of closed off country with widespread poverty and ever- lasting dictatorship while South Korea has been continuously developing as one of the leading countries economically, sharing its culture with the rest of the world. The DMZ area is the only place that you can see the reality of the most divided nations in the world.

This tour includes an entry to the most tensed military zone in the world, tour guides who are designated and certified by Korean Army, shuttle bus, and entrance fees to venue that help you explore and understand the history of war and the current situations between these two countries whilst other so called “Big Dogs” have very close eyes on the Korean Peninsula.

You will also appreciate the fact that our North Korean defector will give you vivid information on North Korea that you would’ve never heard before, and get a chance to ask questions you would always want to ask when facing a real North Korean. They will also let you know the difference living in both South and North Korea in which might shock you and appreciate what you have around you. The most visited and richly educative places within this DMZ tour include the Third Tunnel Experience, which was designed to invade South Korea by tanks, the observatory where you can view North Korean residents, the War History Pavilion, and Imjingak.

Enjoy other sites such as: 

The Unification Bridge

ID Check

DMZ theater and exhibition hall

Dora Observatory

Dorasan Station

Amethyst or Ginseng Center

Course

• 

  President Hotel
  The President Hotel has two advantages that will make your stay in Seoul more enjoyable - comfort and convenience.
  The hotel is located in the heart of the downtown' City Hall area' Seoul's vibrant centre for business. Convenient transportation is available through the hotel's shuttle service and through the city's extensive public transportation system.
  These provide quick access to downtown offices and shops. Inchon International airport is 1 hour 50 minutes away by car and a shorter time by subway).
  Duksu Palace and the National Museum are accessible in a 10~20 minute walk- Address : 188-3' 1 Ga' Eulji-ro' Jung-gu' Seoul' Korea
  - Homepage : www.hotelpresident.co.kr
  - Tel : +82-2-753-3131
  - Fax: +82-2-752-7417
  
• 

  Imjingak Park

  Imjingak, located 7 km from the Military Demarcation Line, is now at the forefront of tourism related to the Korean War. It was built in 1972 with the hope that someday unification would be possible. Three-storied Imjingak is surrounded by several monuments, Unification Park and North Korea Center.

  400 kinds of photos and documents showing the stark reality of North Korea are displayed in the North Korea Center of Unification Board. Outside Imjingak, there are 12 kinds of tanks and crafts on display that were used during the war.

  Mangbaedan Alter, which stands opposite of Imjingak, is famous for the place where people from North Korea visit and perform ancestral rites by bowing toward their hometown every New Year's Day and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). The Bridge of the Freedom, South Koreans crossed when they came back to their mother country from North Korea, stands behind Mangbaedan Alter.

  In front of Imjingak is the Gyeongui Train Line which was destroyed during the Korean War in 1950. It has been under construction since 2000. Every year many events for unification are held at Imjingak. Imjingak is now one of the famous tourist spots for foreigners in Gyeonggi-do because it is possible to visit without going through any security check points

• 

  Freedom Bridge
• 

  DMZ theater and exhibition hall

  It’s a unique museum within the civilian control line. The museum, on which the nation and provinces had spent 44.5 billion Korean won, officially opened on 08, 14, 2009. DMZ Showroom displays leaflets used during the 6.25 Korean Civil War, military letters, bayonets, empty cartridges, pottery found in DMZ, taxidermied birds and etc. DMZ Video Room features three-dimensional moving pictures. By watching them, you can easily understand how Korea got divided. 
  

   

• 

  The 3rd Tunnel
  Right now, we are going to the very first place which is the 3rd infiltration tunnel. We found this tunnel based upon some information we got from a defector from North Korea. His name was Kim Buseong. After he defected to South Korea, he told us that he was a measuring engineer for this particular tunnel, which means he was related to this tunnel somehow himself. So he was able to provide us with some reliable information particularly about the location of this tunnel. With all the tips we got from him, what our government did was to place 107 PVC sylinder pipes along the expected invasion route to South Korea, and we filled all the pipes with water. And then 3 years later in 1978 water erupted from one of those pipes because of pressure from dynamite explosion. They used so many dynamites as a major tool to dig this tunnel. If dynamites explode, this creates pressure which pushes water out of the pipe. And then what our government was trying to do next was to place 5 additional pipes nearby the place where water came out in order to confirm the exact location of this tunnel. Later in the middle of making 5 boreholes for those 5 additional pipes, we just happened to penetrate this actual tunnel. We were confirmed that there must be a hollow space under the ground by noticing that the water keeps sinking down through one of those pipes. This is how we found this tunnel.

   

  We’ll stay here for 1 hour, so please come back to this bus by 11:00. 

  We are going to watch a short movie first. Please follow me off the bus and into the theater.

   

  This is where the tunnel lies. Before we actually explore it, let me tell you in more detail about this tunnel looking at this picture here. First of all, the total length of this tunnel is 1635 meters, but the majority of this tunnel stays in North Korea and only small portion of it stays in South Korea. This is the border called MDL and this side is North Korea and this side is South Korea. As you can see, 1200 meters of this tunnel stays in the North and the rest stays in the South which is 435 meters. After we found this tunnel, what our government did was to install these three blockades in order to prevent North Korea from using this tunnel again. Because of all these blockades, tourists can explore this tunnel only from the beginning to this 3rd blockade. The distance between these two is 265 meters. All these blockades are really thick concrete walls with a small opening and door on them. Through the opening on this 3rd blockade you can see another blockade which is supposed to be the second blockade. This 3rd blockade is very close to the border, only 170 meters away from the border. Once you reach this 3rd blockade, you are standing only 170 meters away from the border in the middle of DMZ. Once again this tunnel lies 73 meters under the ground which is as high as 25-story building. We have to go down this deep using this walkway tunnel built by South Korea for tourists. The length of this walkway tunnel is 358 meters, but the only problem with this walkway which will make you do good exercise is the slope. It’s sloped 11 degrees, so walking down is very easy but walking back up will not be as easy as it might look and will be the most difficult part of this tour. Most of the time you walk through the tunnel, you have to bend down or bend over a little like this because the top is quite low. Because of this, if you have any knee, back, or heart problem, or particularly claustrophobia or asthma or high or low blood pressure, please do not join us. You can just wait outside. Inside this building, they have many cabinets prepared for you. 

   

  You are required to leave your bag and camera in the cabinet before you actually go in. Taking pictures is not allowed in the tunnel. If you are done with that, I need you to wait here in two lines. Let’s go in. Please grab one of these yellow helmets and put it on. This is very important to protect your head. 

   

  This is the end of this walkway tunnel, and this is the actual infiltration tunnel dug by North Korea. This is the specific point where this walkway tunnel penetrated this actual tunnel and this is the point where they ended up when we found this tunnel in 1978. All those holes you see on the rock walls are dynamite holes, facing the South and marked with yellow color paint. If you look up here, you can see two boreholes. This is the borehole which happened to penetrate this actual tunnel. From this, we knew the exact location of this tunnel. This is another borehole made by South Korea to bring down a camera to observe this tunnel. From this point, we will walk 265 meters up to the 3rd blockade. Please be careful from here and stay down. 

   

  Finally, this is the 3rd blockade. This is as far as we can go toward the North. Through the opening here, you can see another blockade which is the 2nd blockade. So once again all of you are standing only 170 meters away from the border in the middle of DMZ. If you look up, you can see this black color thing. This is the coal which was put manually by North Korea to make this tunnel look like a coal mine. I want each one of you to check out this 3rd blockade before you go out. I’ll see you on the bus. 

   

  Did you enjoy this tunnel exploration? This must have been very good exercise for you. For a long time after we found this tunnel, North Korea denied that they dug this tunnel. They even argued that we dug this tunnel. However, we have found some clear evidence that proves that they are the one who dug this tunnel, not South Korea. We discovered that all dynamite holes on the rock walls are facing the South, and additional evidence is that the actual tunnel is sloped 0.003 degrees toward the North. Can you guess why they did this? They did this for automatic water drainage. There is a water tank between the 2nd and 3rd blockade. After all, North Korea confessed that they dug this tunnel but even after that they kept telling us that this tunnel is not for infiltration but just a coal mine. However, coal is not produced from here. This whole area is a granite area which does not produce any coal. 

   

  We found the first tunnel in 1974, second one in 1975, this third one 1978, and the fourth one in 1990. Since we found the fourth one in 1990, we have not found any additional tunnels, but we are still in the process of looking for tunnels that might be somewhere out there, using all kinds of modern technology.
• 

  Dora Observatory

  Dora Observatory, or OP Dora is the closest observation post to North Korea.

  From the observation platform, North Korean scenery is visible, and so are the outskirts of Gaeseong City, the 3rd largest city of North Korea. Especially, you can view the Gaeseong Industrial Complex operated by both Koreas. If you use the binocular, a statute of Kim Il-sung can be found near the Gaeseong City.

  You can also observe a fake North Korean border village. Within DMZ of North side, there’s a small village called “Propaganda Village.” On a clear day, you can view through binocular that it is actually a deserted town. Like a multi-million dollar Hollywood filming set, some lights flicker on and off at set times to create the illusion of people living there. 

• 

  Dorasan Station

  A sign in the station reads, “Not the last station from the South, But the first station toward the North.”

  For now, it is the northernmost station of South Korea which is only 700m, or a half mile away from the southern boundary of DMZ. The milestones of Dorasan Station (205km to Pyeongyang, 56km to Seoul) imply the reality of the division between two Koreas and the hope of a future. Although the tracks are connected, the north regime doesn't allow trains to pass through, making $40 million station sit unused.

  However, it serves as a beacon of hope for the reunification of two Koreas. Currently, it’s the last stop, but someday it will take you to Europe through the Trans-Siberian Railway.

• 

  Amethyst or Ginseng Center

  The colour of Amethyst is as unique as it is seductive, though in fact this gemstone of all gemstones is said to protect its wearer against seduction. Korean Amethyst is extravagance in violet since it has been formed from granite stone base since 5000 years. Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews, and the Russian Empress Catherine the Great sent thousands of miners into the Urals to look for it. It was said to protect crops against tempests and locusts, bring good fortune in war and in the hunt, drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect. 

  Ginseng is renowned for its effectiveness as a great healer for living ever so young.
  Especially if you eat ginseng when you lose your energy, it really helps to regain energy.
  Korea is acknowledged by the world because of the quality of ginseng as if it is the birthplace of ginseng.
  You can experience various kinds of ginseng products like gingersnap, extract, ginseng preserved in honey, and other great quality of products made in Korea.

• 

  President Hotel
  The President Hotel has two advantages that will make your stay in Seoul more enjoyable - comfort and convenience.
  The hotel is located in the heart of the downtown' City Hall area' Seoul's vibrant centre for business. Convenient transportation is available through the hotel's shuttle service and through the city's extensive public transportation system.
  These provide quick access to downtown offices and shops. Inchon International airport is 1 hour 50 minutes away by car and a shorter time by subway).
  Duksu Palace and the National Museum are accessible in a 10~20 minute walk- Address : 188-3' 1 Ga' Eulji-ro' Jung-gu' Seoul' Korea
  - Homepage : www.hotelpresident.co.kr
  - Tel : +82-2-753-3131
  - Fax: +82-2-752-7417
  

Reviews

Why Cosmojin

Welcome to Cosmojin. Thanks for your interest and support for our service.

Cosmojin travel has run Seoul daily city tour for more than 15 years. We developed the most attractive tour packages for visitors and will continue to create new programs to meet international traveler’s need.

We help you to plan your own Seoul city tour with well-prepared theme and organized time table. You will find the most convenient way to enjoy Seoul with Cosmojin.

We hire the best tour guides with good service experience especially for foreigners and they all get great feedbacks from the customers. They are all proud of what they do for visitors to make your every corner of visits memorable and meaningful.

Transportation is another important things define travel quality. We provides brand new and clean cars with reasonable price for various tour packages.

There is Korean saying "Even a chance meeting is due to the Karma in a previous life." We will serve you as our family and friend as we want you to remember the time with us as a great memory. There are so much fun in Seoul and we cannot wait to introduce all of them. It does not matter morning, afternoon or late night. You will be surprised what you can enjoy in every second. We look forward to meeting you soon. You will enjoy guided tour with interesting secret and meaningful information that you cannot find elsewhere. Aren’t you excited about the best guide, the best customer, the best place and the best tour course?

Information

Since 1953, Korea has been divided into two separate countries, now known as South and North Korea. North Korea has become a more of closed off country with widespread poverty and ever- lasting dictatorship while South Korea has been continuously developing as one of the leading countries economically, sharing its culture with the rest of the world. The DMZ area is the only place that you can see the reality of the most divided nations in the world.

This tour includes an entry to the most tensed military zone in the world, tour guides who are designated and certified by Korean Army, shuttle bus, and entrance fees to venue that help you explore and understand the history of war and the current situations between these two countries whilst other so called “Big Dogs” have very close eyes on the Korean Peninsula.

You will also appreciate the fact that our North Korean defector will give you vivid information on North Korea that you would’ve never heard before, and get a chance to ask questions you would always want to ask when facing a real North Korean. They will also let you know the difference living in both South and North Korea in which might shock you and appreciate what you have around you. The most visited and richly educative places within this DMZ tour include the Third Tunnel Experience, which was designed to invade South Korea by tanks, the observatory where you can view North Korean residents, the War History Pavilion, and Imjingak.

Enjoy other sites such as: 

The Unification Bridge

ID Check

DMZ theater and exhibition hall

Dora Observatory

Dorasan Station

Amethyst or Ginseng Center

Tour Included

English Tour Guide, North Korea Defector, Transportation, Admission Fee

Pick-up & Sending Service

1. Tour start and finish at the President Hotel.

Payment / Cancelation

1. Cancel by 18:00 one day before the scheduled tour: 100% REFUND
2. Cancel after 18:00 one day before the tour date: cancellation fee of 100% of the tour cost.
3. Cancel at or after the tour begins or no-show: NO REFUND

Note

-Confirmation will be received at time of booking

-Sneakers are required for your safety

-Every tourist must travel on the authorized bus and follow the time photo regulation

-If there’s an unannounced military training or official event in the DMZ, the tour will be replaced with a tour of Tomorrow's Whistle-Bunker Beat 131-Odusan Unification Tower-The War memorial of Korea

-Children must be accompanied by an adult

-Not wheelchair accessible

-A current valid passport is required on the day of travel

LIABLITY INSURANCE (CLAIMS-MAKD BASIS). 
Cosmojin is registered in liability insurance corresponding KRW 300,000,000 for travel business license.

- The customers are not registered for accident insurance covering the medical expenses in case of accidents happening on the day of the event, so please check beforehand with the tour guide if customers are registered with travel insurance from homeland.

- Please refer to the special terms and conditions on the website for insurance coverage.

Reviews

Why Cosmojin

Welcome to Cosmojin. Thanks for your interest and support for our service.

Cosmojin travel has run Seoul daily city tour for more than 15 years. We developed the most attractive tour packages for visitors and will continue to create new programs to meet international traveler’s need.

We help you to plan your own Seoul city tour with well-prepared theme and organized time table. You will find the most convenient way to enjoy Seoul with Cosmojin.

We hire the best tour guides with good service experience especially for foreigners and they all get great feedbacks from the customers. They are all proud of what they do for visitors to make your every corner of visits memorable and meaningful.

Transportation is another important things define travel quality. We provides brand new and clean cars with reasonable price for various tour packages.

There is Korean saying "Even a chance meeting is due to the Karma in a previous life." We will serve you as our family and friend as we want you to remember the time with us as a great memory. There are so much fun in Seoul and we cannot wait to introduce all of them. It does not matter morning, afternoon or late night. You will be surprised what you can enjoy in every second. We look forward to meeting you soon. You will enjoy guided tour with interesting secret and meaningful information that you cannot find elsewhere. Aren’t you excited about the best guide, the best customer, the best place and the best tour course?

Information

Since 1953, Korea has been divided into two separate countries, now known as South and North Korea. North Korea has become a more of closed off country with widespread poverty and ever- lasting dictatorship while South Korea has been continuously developing as one of the leading countries economically, sharing its culture with the rest of the world. The DMZ area is the only place that you can see the reality of the most divided nations in the world.

This tour includes an entry to the most tensed military zone in the world, tour guides who are designated and certified by Korean Army, shuttle bus, and entrance fees to venue that help you explore and understand the history of war and the current situations between these two countries whilst other so called “Big Dogs” have very close eyes on the Korean Peninsula.

You will also appreciate the fact that our North Korean defector will give you vivid information on North Korea that you would’ve never heard before, and get a chance to ask questions you would always want to ask when facing a real North Korean. They will also let you know the difference living in both South and North Korea in which might shock you and appreciate what you have around you. The most visited and richly educative places within this DMZ tour include the Third Tunnel Experience, which was designed to invade South Korea by tanks, the observatory where you can view North Korean residents, the War History Pavilion, and Imjingak.

Enjoy other sites such as: 

The Unification Bridge

ID Check

DMZ theater and exhibition hall

Dora Observatory

Dorasan Station

Amethyst or Ginseng Center

Tour Included

English Tour Guide, North Korea Defector, Transportation, Admission Fee

Pick-up & Sending Service

1. Tour start and finish at the President Hotel.

Payment / Cancelation

1. Cancel by 18:00 one day before the scheduled tour: 100% REFUND
2. Cancel after 18:00 one day before the tour date: cancellation fee of 100% of the tour cost.
3. Cancel at or after the tour begins or no-show: NO REFUND

Note

-Confirmation will be received at time of booking

-Sneakers are required for your safety

-Every tourist must travel on the authorized bus and follow the time photo regulation

-If there’s an unannounced military training or official event in the DMZ, the tour will be replaced with a tour of Tomorrow's Whistle-Bunker Beat 131-Odusan Unification Tower-The War memorial of Korea

-Children must be accompanied by an adult

-Not wheelchair accessible

-A current valid passport is required on the day of travel

LIABLITY INSURANCE (CLAIMS-MAKD BASIS). 
Cosmojin is registered in liability insurance corresponding KRW 300,000,000 for travel business license.

- The customers are not registered for accident insurance covering the medical expenses in case of accidents happening on the day of the event, so please check beforehand with the tour guide if customers are registered with travel insurance from homeland.

- Please refer to the special terms and conditions on the website for insurance coverage.

Course

• 

  President Hotel
  The President Hotel has two advantages that will make your stay in Seoul more enjoyable - comfort and convenience.
  The hotel is located in the heart of the downtown' City Hall area' Seoul's vibrant centre for business. Convenient transportation is available through the hotel's shuttle service and through the city's extensive public transportation system.
  These provide quick access to downtown offices and shops. Inchon International airport is 1 hour 50 minutes away by car and a shorter time by subway).
  Duksu Palace and the National Museum are accessible in a 10~20 minute walk- Address : 188-3' 1 Ga' Eulji-ro' Jung-gu' Seoul' Korea
  - Homepage : www.hotelpresident.co.kr
  - Tel : +82-2-753-3131
  - Fax: +82-2-752-7417
  
• 

  Imjingak Park

  Imjingak, located 7 km from the Military Demarcation Line, is now at the forefront of tourism related to the Korean War. It was built in 1972 with the hope that someday unification would be possible. Three-storied Imjingak is surrounded by several monuments, Unification Park and North Korea Center.

  400 kinds of photos and documents showing the stark reality of North Korea are displayed in the North Korea Center of Unification Board. Outside Imjingak, there are 12 kinds of tanks and crafts on display that were used during the war.

  Mangbaedan Alter, which stands opposite of Imjingak, is famous for the place where people from North Korea visit and perform ancestral rites by bowing toward their hometown every New Year's Day and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). The Bridge of the Freedom, South Koreans crossed when they came back to their mother country from North Korea, stands behind Mangbaedan Alter.

  In front of Imjingak is the Gyeongui Train Line which was destroyed during the Korean War in 1950. It has been under construction since 2000. Every year many events for unification are held at Imjingak. Imjingak is now one of the famous tourist spots for foreigners in Gyeonggi-do because it is possible to visit without going through any security check points

• 

  Freedom Bridge
• 

  DMZ theater and exhibition hall

  It’s a unique museum within the civilian control line. The museum, on which the nation and provinces had spent 44.5 billion Korean won, officially opened on 08, 14, 2009. DMZ Showroom displays leaflets used during the 6.25 Korean Civil War, military letters, bayonets, empty cartridges, pottery found in DMZ, taxidermied birds and etc. DMZ Video Room features three-dimensional moving pictures. By watching them, you can easily understand how Korea got divided. 
  

   

• 

  The 3rd Tunnel
  Right now, we are going to the very first place which is the 3rd infiltration tunnel. We found this tunnel based upon some information we got from a defector from North Korea. His name was Kim Buseong. After he defected to South Korea, he told us that he was a measuring engineer for this particular tunnel, which means he was related to this tunnel somehow himself. So he was able to provide us with some reliable information particularly about the location of this tunnel. With all the tips we got from him, what our government did was to place 107 PVC sylinder pipes along the expected invasion route to South Korea, and we filled all the pipes with water. And then 3 years later in 1978 water erupted from one of those pipes because of pressure from dynamite explosion. They used so many dynamites as a major tool to dig this tunnel. If dynamites explode, this creates pressure which pushes water out of the pipe. And then what our government was trying to do next was to place 5 additional pipes nearby the place where water came out in order to confirm the exact location of this tunnel. Later in the middle of making 5 boreholes for those 5 additional pipes, we just happened to penetrate this actual tunnel. We were confirmed that there must be a hollow space under the ground by noticing that the water keeps sinking down through one of those pipes. This is how we found this tunnel.

   

  We’ll stay here for 1 hour, so please come back to this bus by 11:00. 

  We are going to watch a short movie first. Please follow me off the bus and into the theater.

   

  This is where the tunnel lies. Before we actually explore it, let me tell you in more detail about this tunnel looking at this picture here. First of all, the total length of this tunnel is 1635 meters, but the majority of this tunnel stays in North Korea and only small portion of it stays in South Korea. This is the border called MDL and this side is North Korea and this side is South Korea. As you can see, 1200 meters of this tunnel stays in the North and the rest stays in the South which is 435 meters. After we found this tunnel, what our government did was to install these three blockades in order to prevent North Korea from using this tunnel again. Because of all these blockades, tourists can explore this tunnel only from the beginning to this 3rd blockade. The distance between these two is 265 meters. All these blockades are really thick concrete walls with a small opening and door on them. Through the opening on this 3rd blockade you can see another blockade which is supposed to be the second blockade. This 3rd blockade is very close to the border, only 170 meters away from the border. Once you reach this 3rd blockade, you are standing only 170 meters away from the border in the middle of DMZ. Once again this tunnel lies 73 meters under the ground which is as high as 25-story building. We have to go down this deep using this walkway tunnel built by South Korea for tourists. The length of this walkway tunnel is 358 meters, but the only problem with this walkway which will make you do good exercise is the slope. It’s sloped 11 degrees, so walking down is very easy but walking back up will not be as easy as it might look and will be the most difficult part of this tour. Most of the time you walk through the tunnel, you have to bend down or bend over a little like this because the top is quite low. Because of this, if you have any knee, back, or heart problem, or particularly claustrophobia or asthma or high or low blood pressure, please do not join us. You can just wait outside. Inside this building, they have many cabinets prepared for you. 

   

  You are required to leave your bag and camera in the cabinet before you actually go in. Taking pictures is not allowed in the tunnel. If you are done with that, I need you to wait here in two lines. Let’s go in. Please grab one of these yellow helmets and put it on. This is very important to protect your head. 

   

  This is the end of this walkway tunnel, and this is the actual infiltration tunnel dug by North Korea. This is the specific point where this walkway tunnel penetrated this actual tunnel and this is the point where they ended up when we found this tunnel in 1978. All those holes you see on the rock walls are dynamite holes, facing the South and marked with yellow color paint. If you look up here, you can see two boreholes. This is the borehole which happened to penetrate this actual tunnel. From this, we knew the exact location of this tunnel. This is another borehole made by South Korea to bring down a camera to observe this tunnel. From this point, we will walk 265 meters up to the 3rd blockade. Please be careful from here and stay down. 

   

  Finally, this is the 3rd blockade. This is as far as we can go toward the North. Through the opening here, you can see another blockade which is the 2nd blockade. So once again all of you are standing only 170 meters away from the border in the middle of DMZ. If you look up, you can see this black color thing. This is the coal which was put manually by North Korea to make this tunnel look like a coal mine. I want each one of you to check out this 3rd blockade before you go out. I’ll see you on the bus. 

   

  Did you enjoy this tunnel exploration? This must have been very good exercise for you. For a long time after we found this tunnel, North Korea denied that they dug this tunnel. They even argued that we dug this tunnel. However, we have found some clear evidence that proves that they are the one who dug this tunnel, not South Korea. We discovered that all dynamite holes on the rock walls are facing the South, and additional evidence is that the actual tunnel is sloped 0.003 degrees toward the North. Can you guess why they did this? They did this for automatic water drainage. There is a water tank between the 2nd and 3rd blockade. After all, North Korea confessed that they dug this tunnel but even after that they kept telling us that this tunnel is not for infiltration but just a coal mine. However, coal is not produced from here. This whole area is a granite area which does not produce any coal. 

   

  We found the first tunnel in 1974, second one in 1975, this third one 1978, and the fourth one in 1990. Since we found the fourth one in 1990, we have not found any additional tunnels, but we are still in the process of looking for tunnels that might be somewhere out there, using all kinds of modern technology.
• 

  Dora Observatory

  Dora Observatory, or OP Dora is the closest observation post to North Korea.

  From the observation platform, North Korean scenery is visible, and so are the outskirts of Gaeseong City, the 3rd largest city of North Korea. Especially, you can view the Gaeseong Industrial Complex operated by both Koreas. If you use the binocular, a statute of Kim Il-sung can be found near the Gaeseong City.

  You can also observe a fake North Korean border village. Within DMZ of North side, there’s a small village called “Propaganda Village.” On a clear day, you can view through binocular that it is actually a deserted town. Like a multi-million dollar Hollywood filming set, some lights flicker on and off at set times to create the illusion of people living there. 

• 

  Dorasan Station

  A sign in the station reads, “Not the last station from the South, But the first station toward the North.”

  For now, it is the northernmost station of South Korea which is only 700m, or a half mile away from the southern boundary of DMZ. The milestones of Dorasan Station (205km to Pyeongyang, 56km to Seoul) imply the reality of the division between two Koreas and the hope of a future. Although the tracks are connected, the north regime doesn't allow trains to pass through, making $40 million station sit unused.

  However, it serves as a beacon of hope for the reunification of two Koreas. Currently, it’s the last stop, but someday it will take you to Europe through the Trans-Siberian Railway.

• 

  Amethyst or Ginseng Center

  The colour of Amethyst is as unique as it is seductive, though in fact this gemstone of all gemstones is said to protect its wearer against seduction. Korean Amethyst is extravagance in violet since it has been formed from granite stone base since 5000 years. Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews, and the Russian Empress Catherine the Great sent thousands of miners into the Urals to look for it. It was said to protect crops against tempests and locusts, bring good fortune in war and in the hunt, drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect. 

  Ginseng is renowned for its effectiveness as a great healer for living ever so young.
  Especially if you eat ginseng when you lose your energy, it really helps to regain energy.
  Korea is acknowledged by the world because of the quality of ginseng as if it is the birthplace of ginseng.
  You can experience various kinds of ginseng products like gingersnap, extract, ginseng preserved in honey, and other great quality of products made in Korea.

• 

  President Hotel
  The President Hotel has two advantages that will make your stay in Seoul more enjoyable - comfort and convenience.
  The hotel is located in the heart of the downtown' City Hall area' Seoul's vibrant centre for business. Convenient transportation is available through the hotel's shuttle service and through the city's extensive public transportation system.
  These provide quick access to downtown offices and shops. Inchon International airport is 1 hour 50 minutes away by car and a shorter time by subway).
  Duksu Palace and the National Museum are accessible in a 10~20 minute walk- Address : 188-3' 1 Ga' Eulji-ro' Jung-gu' Seoul' Korea
  - Homepage : www.hotelpresident.co.kr
  - Tel : +82-2-753-3131
  - Fax: +82-2-752-7417