In recent years the South Korean government has been working hard to turn the DMZ into a tourism area in their efforts to create the impression that tensions between North and South Korea have eased drastically.  It seems like every year a new tourism project is started, but here is a list of all the official DMZ tourism sites in South Korea:

A look at South Korean tourist sites near the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea:

- Odusan Observatory: Offers a glimpse into North Korean villages, with defectors from North Korea serving as guides.

- Dorasan Observatory: With binoculars, tourists can watch North Korean army posts, farms and the North Korean propaganda village of Kijongdong.

- Panmunjom: “Truce Village” inside DMZ where armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.

- Bridge of No Return: Narrow wooden bridge near Panmunjom where Korean POWs were exchanged at end of the Korean War.

- Imjingak: Border town where South Koreans hold ancestral rites for family members in North Korea.

- “Invasion” tunnels: Tunnels blasted through rock under DMZ by North Koreans as part of apparent plot to stage surprise attack. Tourists can go down into one tunnel.

- Dorasan Peace Park: Opened in September, park has about 10,000 trees.

- Communist invasion route: Life-sized figurines depicting 1968 North Korean attempt to infiltrate Seoul.

- Typhoon Observatory: Offers view of North Korean border city of Kaesong.

- North Korean Workers’ Party regional headquarters: Abandoned building that served as communist party’s regional headquarters before outbreak of the Korean War.

- North Korean “Invasion” submarine: Displays North Korean submarine captured by South Korea in 1996 and retired South Korean naval ship.

- Kim Il Sung villa: North Korea founder’s summer home at Hwajinpo Beach.

- Unification Observatory: North Korea’s Diamond Mountain is visible from observatory.  [Charlotte Observer]

I have been to the Odusan Observatory, Panmunjom, The Bridge of No Return, multiple invasion tunnels, Imjimgak, the North Korean Workers’ Party Headquarters in Chorwon, the North Korean submarine, Kim Il-sung’s summer villa, and the Unification Observatory on the East Coast.

The only ones I haven’t been to is the Dorasan Peace Park, the Communist Invasion Route, and the Typhoon Observatory.  This is actually the first time I have even heard of the Communist Invasion Route memorial before.  Does anyone have any idea where this memorial is even located?

One site they don’t mention is the DMZ museum in Chorwon along with the observatory overlooking the Iron Triangle that is one of the best DMZ tourism sites to see.  Even though I have visited so many of these DMZ tourism sites, some of them multiple times, it is always an interesting experience and well worth checking out if in Korea.