GANGHWA COUNTY

Ganghwa Peace Observatory

Ganghwa Peace Observatory, which is a building with 1 story below ground and 4 stories above ground, was constructed on the forest land in the northern area of the Civilian Passage Restriction Line at Cheolsan-ri Yangsa-myeon. It can be recalled that the entry to this area was once strictly prohibited for the general public since the end of 2006. Since its public opening on September 5, 2008, it has been providing accessibility to visitors for them to get an in-depth look on the unique cultural ecosystem of North Korea that may not be experienced in other areas.

The basement and the 4th floor space are exclusively used for military purposes.
The 1st floor space is used for restaurants, administration offices, guest rooms and specialty shops selling specialty goods originated from Ganghwa and North Korea. The 2nd floor space is equipped with a high-performance telescope that enables a visitor to view images such as ‘Defense Experience at Ganghwa’ that depicts the traces and misery of war, ‘Endless War and We, the Korean Race’ that reminds the visitors about the provocation of North Korea, Comparison of Military power between South and North, and Unification Policy, ‘Way to Unification’ that enables the visitors to relive the experience of the trip to North Korea. Aside from the high-performance telescope, there is also an image providing device that shows a variety of images including the background of Korean War at that time, the process of occurrence of wars at home and abroad, and the damage sustained due to the war. At the 3rd floor, there is an observatory facility where the visitors can view the exquisite sceneries offered by the mountains and rivers. Being equipped with a highly advanced screen, this observatory facility is very much capable such that the feather of North Korea can be easily seen through the image even in bad weather condition.

Looking from this observatory, the Yesung River runs approx. 2.3 km ahead of it across the seashore while the Aegi-bong observatory in Gimpo, Odu-san Unification Observatory in Paju and Ilsan New Territory are located at its right side bordered with Gaesung Industrial Complex, Imjin River/Han River Junction area, and Nadul Island (Expected to be placed). On its left side, you can find Yeonbaik-gun, the place where you can observe the feature of life of the North Korean residents, the disguised village for propagation, Gaesung Industrial Complex Tower, Mt. Songak, a variety of barracks, etc.

Especially, it will be developed as a unique tourist’s course differentiated from the other sightseeing places in terms of security and service. It establishes a connection with daily theme tour course and the other historical and cultural relics distributed here and in Ganghwa. In doing so, it is able to provide a better service for the convenience and enjoyment of the tourists