DMZ Eco-Peace Park

The DMZ Eco-Peace Park was created through a joint agreement between the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of National Defense (the Army's 3rd Division), and Cheorwon County. The pristine ecosystem, which had been completely closed to civilians for the 60 years since the armistice, has been developed into exploration courses that visitors can experience firsthand, receiving an enthusiastic response not only from Koreans but also from international visitors. The DMZ Eco-Peace Park consists of two exploration routes: Course 1, the Cross Tower Trail, and Course 2, the Yongyangbo Course. Course 1, the Cross Tower Trail, uses the Cross Tower installed on Seongjaesan Mountain by the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in the hope that love and peace would be conveyed to North Korea as an observation facility. From here, visitors can see the fences and defensive positions of both North and South Korea firsthand, experiencing the natural environment inside the DMZ and the reality of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula. Course 2, the Yongyangbo Course, is located in the middle of a fierce battlefield during the Korean War. Today, visitors can sense the traces of war at Amjeonggyo Bridge and the road origin marker of the Geumgangsan Electric Railway. Yongyangbo is located within the DMZ restricted-control area, where visitors can observe the natural environment of a beautiful lake-like wetland rarely found even in Korea. The DMZ in Cheorwon County is a wintering area for various migratory birds, including the red-crowned crane and white-naped crane, both Natural Monuments, as well as the cinereous vulture. Visitors can also see flocks of thousands of geese crossing the Military Demarcation Line several times a day and freely traveling between the southern and northern regions. In addition, the DMZ area upstream of the Hwagang River is a scenic place inhabited by various rare species, including otters and the Korean bitterling. Oak trees and Lespedeza bushes grow naturally on the slopes of the DMZ, while submerged plants, emergent plants, and riverside plants form communities in the natural wetlands.