Demilitarized Zone Project

[Anchor Lead]

It has been found that the South Korean government is pushing a project to make hiking routes inside the demilitarized zone. When this project is completed, it will be the first time since the cease-fire that the DMZ is opened to civilians.

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The 2-kilometer band south of the Military Demarcation Line is the demilitarized zone with restricted civilian access. The ecosystem in the DMZ is well preserved, as its been free of human presence for a long time. Now the South Korean government is planning to make hiking trails for civilians inside the DMZ. They will be named "Peace Dulle-gil Paths," consisting of three courses. The west course starts in Paju and passes through Dorasan Mountain to Daeseong-dong Village located inside the DMZ. The east course begins at Goseong and ends at the 717 Observatory that offers a view of Mount Geumgang in North Korea. The central path crosses Baengmagoji in Cheorwon and goes all the way to Arrowhead Hill, the site of one of the fiercest battles during the Korean War. Visitors will be able to walk about a kilometer into the DMZ after going through the fence at the armistice line. Seoul has set up a joint task force team comprised of several ministries under the oversight of the Office of National Security at Cheong Wa Dae. The team is currently discussing hiking course designs and safety issues. Seoul plans to bring up the matter with the parties directly involved in the armistice treaty, namely the United Nations Command and North Korea.

[Soundbite] Song Yeon-su(Seoul Resident) : "We are all for it. It would be nice to go somewhere new."

Seoul and Pyongyang's leaders agreed to make the DMZ a peace zone at their summit held at Panmunjeom on April 27th. Plans to use the DMZ for peaceful purposes have been on the table since the 1970s, but its interior has never been accessible for civilians.