# South Korea Opens Hiking Trails Along the World's Most Heavily Armed Border > South Korea is opening hiking routes along the world's most heavily armed border. Discover how the DMZ became an unexpected wildlife sanctuary. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/pivdenna-koreia-vidkryvaie-turystychni-stezhky-na-naibilsh-ozbroienomu-kordoni-svitu/ - Language: en - Published: 2025-05-26 - Categories: Hiking, Historic Sites, Leisure, Tours, Korea, Forests --- Travelers hoping to witness the abundance of wildlife thriving inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of the Korean Peninsula, often described as the most heavily armed border on the planet, now have a brand-new way to do it. The United Nations Command (UNC) has approved the first phase of South Korea's "Peace Trail" project, which includes plans to open three routes running along the DMZ. The first approved route sits in Goseong, in Gangwon Province, on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula. The Goseong tour program launched on April 27 to mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to South Korean media. Visitors begin their hike at the Unification Observatory and walk past barbed-wire fencing before arriving at the Mount Kumgang Observatory. "The United Nations Command and the Republic of Korea government have shown outstanding teamwork, cooperation and coordination throughout the entire process of creating the 'peace trail,' and will continue to do so," said General Robert Abrams, head of the UNC. "Republic of Korea forces worked extraordinarily long hours to ensure the success of this deeply important initiative, all while assuring visitors that their safety remains the top priority." ## An Unexpected Refuge for Wildlife The DMZ is a 160-mile-long strip of neutral territory located roughly 30 miles north of Seoul, established under the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement. For more than six decades, this 250-kilometer-long, four-kilometer-wide corridor has been sealed off from human interference, ringed with fences and minefields across the region. Thanks to these restrictions, the area has become an accidental haven for all kinds of endangered species, from migratory birds to wild mammals such as red-crowned cranes, white-naped cranes, mandarin ducks, musk deer, mountain goats and many more. There have even been reports of critically endangered Amur leopards being spotted inside the DMZ. South Korea's National Institute of Ecology says that around 6,000 different species of plants and animals live within the DMZ. ## The DMZ's Winged Residents "If you wanted to run an experiment on how new species can be restored once the Earth has been devastated, the DMZ would be the perfect place," says Kim Seung-ho, director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute. Founded by Kim in 2004, the institute studies the area and advises government departments, helping them find ways to better protect the environment. Kim says he has explored the restricted zones of the DMZ nearly every weekend for almost 20 years, sometimes bringing along fellow researchers and curious wildlife enthusiasts. It took him a decade, he says, to learn the roads and figure out where to find the zone's various inhabitants. "Then the next 10 years were spent really coming to understand these areas: why these animals are there, and at what time of year certain plants bloom," Kim says. The ecologist is especially drawn to the rare migratory birds that travel from Siberia to spend the winter in the warmer wetlands of the DMZ, such as the endangered red-crowned cranes and the vulnerable white-naped cranes. The World Wildlife Fund describes the DMZ as "a critical stopover during these birds' annual migration from their breeding grounds in northeastern China and southeastern Russia." When it comes to mammals, species like water deer (a native animal known for its vampire-like fangs) and leopard cats can be seen roaming the empty fields bordering the barbed-wire fences. Kim says he is especially fond of the water deer. "It's one of the very ancient, original animal species that has barely evolved genetically," Kim says. "They often appear in old murals." ## The Race to Save the DMZ A chorus of voices in North Korea and South Korea, along with international environmental organizations, has been calling for the preservation of the DMZ for decades. The process has not been easy, however, since it requires the joint efforts of both North Korea and South Korea. "One of the most painful questions for me is how North and South Korea can come together and use the DMZ as a tool for reconciliation," Kim says. "I want to protect the DMZ's biological resources as a tool for healing the wounds of division."