Security Tourism at the Second Cheorwon Tunnel: Walking the 500 m Open to Civilians in the DMZ

Of the 3.5 km tunnel, civilians walk through a 500 m section

The Second Cheorwon Tunnel is one of several tunnels excavated by North Korea for the purpose of infiltrating South Korea, and it was discovered in 1975. Although its total length is 3.5 km, only 500 m is open to civilians, so this is not a place where tourists enter as far as the North Korean side.

The tunnel is presented as an arched passage 2 m high. It extends 2,400 m from North Korea to the Military Demarcation Line and another 1,100 m southward from the line, for a total of 3,500 m. The fact that eight South Korean soldiers searching the tunnel at the time of its discovery were killed by landmines and booby traps makes this site more than simply an underground tourist attraction—it is a place that embodies the division of the peninsula.

Individual admission is not available; enter only through DMZ Peace Tourism

Because the Second Cheorwon Tunnel is located in a Civilian Control Zone, it cannot be visited separately. You must book a DMZ Peace Tourism tour that also visits the Cheorwon Peace Observatory and Woljeong-ri Station. The course departing from Goseokjeong includes the Second Tunnel, Cheorwon Peace Observatory, Cheorwon Crane Pavilion, and Woljeong-ri Station.

Tours departing from Goseokjeong leave at 09:30, 10:30, 13:30, and 14:30; from November through February, the final departure is listed as 14:00. Tours departing from Baengmagoji Station leave at 10:40 and 13:30 and follow a three-hour course returning to Baengmagoji Station via the Second Tunnel, Cheorwon Peace Observatory, and Woljeong-ri Station.

Tours departing from Goseokjeong operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. They are closed every Tuesday, New Year's Day, Children's Day, the Lunar New Year holiday, and the Chuseok holiday. Operations may be canceled due to severe weather or security conditions.

Prepare to depart from the reception office at 15-19 Yangji 2-gil

The site address is San 47, Igil-ri, Dongsong-eup, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, but the first place tourists should go is the DMZ Peace Tourism reception office. The reception office is located at 15-19 Yangji 2-gil, Dongsong-eup, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, DMZ Durumi Peace Town. You must use either a tour departing from Goseokjeong or a shuttle tour departing from Baengmagoji Station.

Foreign visitors need identification such as a passport or Alien Registration Card (ARC) to enter. On weekends, private vehicles cannot be used for the course departing from Goseokjeong. The Baengmagoji Station option is a shuttle tour, so it should not be considered a schedule in which you get off the bus and move around freely like at an ordinary tourist attraction.

The DMZ Peace Tourism reception office can be reached at 033-450-5559 and 033-452-9989. The official Cheorwon County website is https://www.cwg.go.kr. Tour departure times and closing days are subject to change, so check the operating notices current at the time of your visit.

Budget separately for the KRW 4,000 combination ticket and shuttle and monorail fees

The combination admission ticket includes the Second Tunnel, Peace Observatory, Woljeong-ri Station, and Cheorwon Crane Pavilion. Individual rates are KRW 4,000 for adults, KRW 3,000 for teenagers, and KRW 2,000 for children and seniors. Group rates are KRW 3,000 for adults, KRW 2,000 for teenagers, and KRW 1,500 for children and seniors.

For the shuttle bus, individual rates are KRW 8,000 for adults, KRW 7,000 for teenagers, and KRW 6,000 for children and seniors. Preschool children aged six or younger enter free. The Peace Observatory monorail costs extra: KRW 2,000 for adults, KRW 1,500 for teenagers, and KRW 1,000 for children and seniors.

Walking instead of taking the monorail is reportedly possible. However, the full combination tour takes approximately two to two and a half hours depending on the guided format, while the Goseokjeong combination course in the English tourism information takes approximately three hours. Parking is available and costs KRW 2,000 per day for small vehicles and KRW 5,000 per day for large vehicles.

Wear a hard hat and pass through sloped sections and interior passages

When you arrive at the Second Tunnel, you must put on a hard hat before touring the interior. Information indicates that it takes approximately 30 minutes to travel from the reception office to the Second Tunnel, and visitors must walk through sections inside the tunnel.

Cheorwon County advises that the tour includes sloped sections and interior walking areas, which may be difficult for people with mobility issues. Wheelchair and stroller users therefore should not assume they can pass through the entire 500 m open section without difficulty. If assistance from a companion is needed, it is safer to inquire before departure.

After touring the tunnel, you can see enemy equipment seized when the tunnel was discovered at the exhibition hall beside the entrance. Restrooms are included in the visitor information, but the exact number of steps, gradient, and passage width inside the tunnel have not been specified.

Photography while traveling by vehicle and of military facilities is restricted

During the tour, you must follow the guidance and control of staff, cultural tourism interpreters, and military guides. Parking, stopping, and getting off outside designated areas are prohibited, so getting out wherever you happen to see a place from the vehicle to take photographs is not allowed.

Collecting military secrets and taking photographs while the vehicle is moving are prohibited, and photography is permitted only in authorized locations. Firearms, hazardous materials, camcorders, telephoto-lens cameras, alcoholic beverages, and fishing equipment are also listed as prohibited items.

The permitted photography areas inside the Second Tunnel, detailed information on signs prohibiting photography at the site, and whether English guidance or an audio guide is available have not been separately confirmed. Foreign visitors should use their phones for photography only in authorized areas and avoid taking arbitrary photographs with military facilities in the background.

A division-era site course requiring two and a half to three hours

It is not possible to make a brief visit just to the Second Cheorwon Tunnel. DMZ Peace Tourism itself takes approximately two to two and a half hours, and the combination course departing from Goseokjeong is listed as taking about three hours. It is therefore best to plan this as a half-day outing, including check-in and travel time.

The Goseokjeong course visits Cheorwon Peace Observatory, Cheorwon Crane Pavilion, and Woljeong-ri Station after the Second Tunnel. Since the itinerary combines an underground infiltration passage with an observatory, an abandoned station, and crane-related exhibits, visitors should prioritize the scheduled tour flow over spending unlimited time at each location.

At the site, the three key rules are wearing a hard hat, following the military guide's instructions, and not getting off outside designated areas. Sloped sections and interior walking may be burdensome for people with mobility difficulties or those wishing to avoid extended travel. Conversely, for visitors who want to see actual DMZ spaces shaped by the Korean War and its aftermath, this course offers a way to encounter traces of the division unlike an ordinary museum.