During my 2 week visit to South Korea in 2023, a friend and I took 2 separate day tours to Nami Island and the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ).
For the Nami Island tour, we met at a hotel in downtown Seoul at 9am and drove over 30 minutes to... Our first stop was at The Garden of Morning Calm.
Garden of Morning Calm is the oldest private garden in South Korea and absolutely stunning. I could have honestly spent the day there and been okay with it. The garden attracts both local and foreign tourists and they host a variety of festivals throughout the year.
Nami island holds a special place in the hearts of Koreans because it was used as the filming location for the famous Korean drama “Winter Sonata.” If you are a fan of the show, you can take a photo a the Winter Sonata statue in Gongsaengwon Garden. However, it is also famous for its beautiful tree lined roads and interesting landscapes.
You can enjoy being on the island by walking at your pace or renting a bike to cycle around. I recommend taking a scenic walk along the path by the river. There are benches around encouraging visitors to just sit still and take in the views.
Access to the island is via ferry or one of the longest ziplines in Korea.
After lunch, we drove over to Italian Village. This village was opened in 2008 and as the name implies, it is a village built to mimic visiting Italy.
Finally, we made a stop at Petite France.
This is a little vibrant French village that stands out with its brightly colored buildings.
The village has made appearances on many movies and shows including Beethoven Virus, Secret Garden, Running Man, You Who Came From The Stars etc.
To be honest, if I go back to South Korea, I'll definitely visit the Garden of Morning Calm for sure and maybe visit Nami Island but I'll certainly skip the last 2. However, if you don't have a car, I would still recommend the tour because I think it's worth checking out the first 2 stops. Here's a reel I made of the visit... the video quality was bastardized in the download process but you get the gist.
Korean De-Militarized Zone, DMZ
DMZ is a piece of land running across the Korean Peninsula between North and South Korea. The area is existing proof of the tragic history of Korea. Former US President, Bill Clinton, called it the “scariest place on earth.” It was a somber experience so I do not have photos for all the stops but I did my best to make sure that whatever I wrote below is historically accurate. If you spot something that isn't, my sincere apologies and please do not hesitate to let me know so I can correct it.
Our first stop in DMZ was Imjingak Park. Imjingak was built for those who left their hometown in North Korea after the announcement of Joint Communique beween North and South Korea on July 4, 1972. There are a variety of war memorabilia arranged around Imjingak and it is said to be the place for praying for unification while meditating on the tragic division of the country during the Korean war.
The site includes the park, Pyonghwanuri, Peace Gondola and the National Memorial for Abductees during the Korean War. It is equivalent to 40 soccer fields (288,295m) in size and gets over 3 milion domestic and foreign visitors annually.
Our second stop was at Freedom Bridge. The Bridge of Freedom, another symbol of the tragedies of the Korean War. The western part of the bridge was restored for the purpose of exchanging prisoners of war and in 1953, 12,773 South Korean armed forces and UN forces who had been prisoners of war in North Korea returned by crossing the bridge.
The third stop was The 3rd Infiltration tunnel. This tunnel is said to have been built by North Korea to invade South Korea. The 3rd Tunnel was found in the DMZ, 4km south from Panmunjeom on Oct. 17, 1978. Visitors without oxygen and mobility issues can take a guided walk into the dark horrowing tunnel, However, due to security reasons, they are only allowed to walk 265m (out of the 1,635m) of the Third Tunnel. On the ground floor of the building, there is a DMZ Multimedia Room, Exhibition Hall, Symbolic Structures, and a Souvenir Shop.
From the tunnel, we drove to Dora Observatory which overlooks North Korea. The Observatory is on the top of Dorasan Mountain - 167m above sea level and is 1.5km away from the Military Demarcation Line. From there, you can see DMZ, Gaeseong Industrid Complex, downtown Gaeseong, North Korea Propaganda Village, and Songaksan Mountain.
Dorasan Station. This is a station near the border that stands as a symbol of hope for unification. Dorasan Station is in the civilian control zone. It's about 700m from the Southern Limit Line of the DMZ. There is the railroad tie that former President Kim Dae-jung of the Republic of Korea (official name for South Korea) and former President George W. Bush of the USA signed on Feb. 20, 2002.
Finally, we made a stop at Odusan Unification Observatory. The observatory is on the top of Odusan mountain and overlooks the tragic site of Korean division, standing at the northernmost end of the western front. The observatory overlooks the confluence of the Han and Imjin rivers and though the river is only two kilometers wide, people have not been allowed to cross it for more than a half century. The observatory was completed on September 8, 1992, and it was built in hopes of Korean unification. The building provides educational programs about unification and holds nostalgia for separated families.
The observatory is 118m above the sea level so from there, you can see Kim Il-seong Revolutionary History Tower, an elementary school, observation posts of North Korean forces, and North Koreans in Hwanghae-do province. On a clear day, you can even see Songaksan Mountain.
This was a very sobering tour and I think it is an important one. We might travel for fun and to escape the monotony of our daily responsibilities but we also travel to connect with the world, connect with our humanity, and learn about different cultures. We need to remember that learning about other cultures is not limited to their food, clothing, and dance, it is also about their history, which is world history, which is all of our history. If we don't learn, we lack the capacity to understand, and we create room to make the same mistakes. When we learn and understand, we create capacity to lead with love.
Please read about the rest of my trip through South Korea here --------> Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island.