CABLE CAR NEAR CIVILIAN CONTROL LINE

[Anchor Lead]

A cable car has been built in the Mt. Baekamsan area near the Civilian Control Line in Gangwon-do Province. The area stands one thousand meters above sea and is just one kilometer away from the military demarcation line between South and North Korea. The cable car offers glimpses of both Koreas from the mountaintop.

[Pkg]

A deep river comes into view among ravines under the northern sky. There is water in a dam standing 120 meters tall. It's North Korea's Geumgangsan Dam built in 2003. Underneath the dam is a cluster of one-story houses: a North Korean village. To the south, South Korea's Peace Dam comes into view. It was built to prevent floods and water supply obstruction should the North Korean dam be destroyed. This scenery can be seen from the top of Mt. Baegamsan located at 1,178 meters above sea level between the two dams. From now on, visitors in this area will be able to easily get a bird's-eye view. A two-kilometer cable car leading up to the mountaintop has been built here. Two cars accommodating 46 passengers each will operate round-trip. Tourists can take in the surrounding view through a telescope at the observatory. They can observe the natural scenery of Mt. Baegamsan, the pristine environment of the demilitarized zone, and the gravestone of an unidentified soldier which inspired the song "Bimok.“

[Soundbite] Yoon Jung-ran(Hwacheon Guide) : "I hope tourists visit this area again because you can get a view of pristine nature untouched by humans for nearly 70 years."

To use the cable car, tourists must request approval to enter the Civilian Control Line and obtain a permit from the local military unit.

[Soundbite] Ko Young-jae(Hwacheon-gun County Government) : "This tourist belt created around Paro Lake, Peace Dam and Baegamsan Mountain represents ecological treasures and peace."

Located on the northernmost tip of South Korean territory, the cable car will debut as early as May after a pilot operation.