Tourists may soon get the chance to walk through one of the world’s most dangerous and heavily guarded borders; the one that separates South and North Korea.
It comes as South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that visitors to the Join Security Area will be able to freely cross the demarcation line into North Korea “in the near future”.
What a surreal experience that would be.
No one can confirm just when tourists may have the freedom to do this; although, Bloomberg reported the ministry was planning to work with relevant officials, including the US and the United Nations, to lift the restrictions as soon as possible.
South Koreans themselves have been barred from stepping over this border crossing since 1953 ( except for special reunions in which elderly South Koreans were allowed to cross the border to visit relatives).
Once it does open, it is expected that the most popular activities among tourist will be reenactments of last April’s iconic embrace at the border between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in.
It was here the two leaders signed an agreement pledging to “transform the Demilitarized Zone into a peace zone”.
Image: AP News
Opening the border to tourists is one strategy expected to help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula following Kim Jong Un’s willingness to speak to Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump earlier this year.