Panmunjom tours to resume next month

Civilian tours of the demilitarized border village of Panmunjom will reopen early next month after being suspended for more than a year due to an outbreak of African swine fever, the Unification Ministry said Monday.

The tours of the Joint Security Area and other sites inside the Demilitarized Zone are set to begin Nov. 4 for a trial run with a limited number of visitors. The official opening will be Nov. 6, the ministry said.

There have been no cases of the animal disease since June in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, the border city to which the village belongs. The authorities have vowed to take the necessary precautions at the tour sites. The tours of Panmunjom, where the armistice that ended the Korean War was signed in 1953, were halted last October as part of efforts to stem the spread of African swine fever along the inter-Korean border.

“We will start the program in small groups to ensure the safety of visitors in consideration of the African swine fever and COVID-19 situations, and then gradually increase the number and size of the tours,” Yoh Sang-key, the ministry’s spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

The ministry said it had neither consulted with North Korea nor notified it of the resumption of the tours. But it added that there shouldn’t be any security issues, as unarmed security guards from both sides are stationed in Panmunjom.

Seoul hopes the reopening will serve as the cornerstone for the demilitarization of Panmunjom and freedom of movement there, as agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration and the inter-Korean military agreement that accompanied it, Yoh said.

The US-led United Nations Command, which authorizes access to the border area, welcomed the resumption of the tour.

“UNC welcomes the Ministry of Unification announcement on their new JSA tour registration system, and we look forward to resuming UNC tours in the JSA on November 6,” the command tweeted.

Unlike in the past, when tours were available only in groups of 30 to 40 people, individuals of up to five people could register as well. Applications must be made two weeks in advance, whereas it used to be necessary to apply at least 60 days ahead of time.

Those who wish to visit Panmunjom can register on the website http://www.panmuntour.go.kr, starting Tuesday.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)