Ultimate DMZ and JSA: Private Tour including North Korea Spy Commando Invasion Route

10 Hours

Mobile Ticket

Hotel Pickup Offered

Language Offered

Overview

Follow the invasion route of North Korean spy commandos on a private day trip to Korea's fortified border, or Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), including a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA). You'll peek into JSA conference rooms at Panmunjom and visit the Freedom House and Bridge of No Return with a private guide at your side. Imagine the confrontation that took place when US and South Korean militaries joined forces against North Korean infiltrators! Your full-day tour includes lunch and hotel pickup from Seoul by private vehicle.

Enjoy a lunch of barbecued duck, a North Korean specialty
Private DMZ and JSA day trip including North Korean spy commando infiltration route
Experience a private tour of the Joint Security Area at the infamous north-south border: the Korean Demilitarized Zone
Visit Imjingak Park, the JSA's Freedom House and the Bridge of No Return near Panmunjom with a knowledgeable guide
See the battlefield where US and South Korean forces confronted North Korean infiltrators in 1968
Stop at a civilian observation post for a glimpse of a North Korean village and tour the War Memorial of Korea at Yongsan-dong
Includes pickup at your hotel and drop-off in Myeong-dong by private vehicle

Inclusions & Exclusions

Departure & Return

What To Expect

Travel in the convenience and comfort of a private vehicle to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) after pickup from your hotel in Seoul. During the drive, ask any questions of your knowledgeable guide who describes your full-day itinerary and provides background information on the fortified border between North and South Korea. Following your morning JSA (Joint Security Area) tour - see Itinerary below for details - enjoy a North Korean-style lunch of barbecued duck (vegetarian meals arranged upon request) and continue along the spy invasion route of the DMZ. Here, look for evidence of the 1968 infiltration when 22 North Korean spies crossed into South Korea more than a decade after the Korean War. You'll spot a North Korean village from a civilian observation point, visit Imjingak Peace Park and see the Bridge of No Return before a final stop at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-dong on the return drive to Seoul, with drop-off in the Myeong-dong district.Please note: This tour operates under strict guidelines. Please visit the Important Information tab to read about passport requirements, dress code, and other pertinent details.ItineraryDriving along the banks of the Imjin River, make a stop in Imjingak Peace Park to see artillery used during the Korean War. Then pass the Unification Bridge and a series of checkpoints, where your ID will be verified, en route to the UN camp. Learn how the JSA - used for diplomatic dialogue by the two Koreas - was established as the negotiating site between North Korea and the United Nations Command (UNC) in the former 'truce village' called Panmunjom, where the 1953 Armistice Agreement split the peninsula in two.Upon arrival, your guide accompanies you to the briefing room for an orientation, including an informative slideshow. Then step inside a conference room to learn about inter-Korean dialogue at the Freedom House, a facility where North and South representatives meet. Afterward, visit the Bridge of No Return, named for the POW exchanges that began in 1953.After lunch, continue to an artillery base for a look at weapons such as an M109 Howitzer, currently aimed toward the DMZ to back up infantry soldiers under patrol. Then head back into the DMZ to an army base where 22 North Korean spy commandos infiltrated the border in 1968. It's a short climb to a South Korean military observation post (OP), where you'll discover how the spies got so close to the Korean Presidential House in their mission to assassinate President Park Jeong Hi and destroy the American Embassy.Visit a US Army fire drill center and then make a short trek to a civilian observation point, where you can peer through a telephoto lens to observe a North Korean village just across the border. Then stop by a site where a 3-day battle took place as the South Korean and US armies joined forces against the spy commandos. Here, just a mile (1.5 km) from the Presidential House, you'll find dozens of bullet traces around rocks and trees.Your last must-see location is the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-dong, with exhibits on Korea's military history. After viewing wartime equipment on display at the former Korean Infantry headquarters, your guide drives you back to Seoul, where you're dropped off in Myeong-dong, one of the city's main shopping districts.