A view of North Korea from atop Baegamsan Mountain in Hwacheon County, South Korea, May 2, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
Public access to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea is limited, but sightseers may look beyond the border atop a mountain where silence dulls the ears and the scenic view overpowers other senses.
Roughly 50 miles north of Seoul and right along the border in Hwacheon County is a cable car service that provides tourists with a view into North Korea. In 15 minutes, the 1.3-mile ride takes visitors to the top of Baegamsan, or Baegamsan Mountain, at an altitude of about 3,860 feet.
A marker denotes the summit of Baegam Mountain at an altitude of 1,178 meters in Hwacheon County, South Korea, May 2, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
At the summit, visitors can look through the free, mounted binoculars on the observation deck and see the surrounding area, including the 5,370-foot-tall Mount Kumgang and Imnam Dam in North Korea.
A visit to the Peace Dam on the Bukhan River, or North Han River, in Hwacheon County, South Korea, May 2, 2023. It was built to prevent catastrophic flooding should North Korea's Imnam Dam collapse, either accidentally or intentionally. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
North Korea started construction of the Imnam Dam along the Bukhan River, or North Han River, to generate hydroelectric power in 1986 and completed it in 2003.
Fearing North Korea could discharge the water, whether intentionally or negligently, and cause flooding in the South, Seoul started construction of the Peace Dam, 15 miles downstream, in 1988 and completed the project in 2005.
A cable car take visitors to the summit of Baegam Mountain in Hwacheon County, South Korea, May 2, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
Hwacheon county launched its cable car service on Oct. 22 and takes roughly 1,200 visitors to the top of Baegamsan each month. The same car shuttles food for South Korean soldiers stationed at and near the mountain at least twice a day.
Baegamsan’s summit is not as high as Hallasan on Jeju Island, the tallest mountain in South Korea at nearly 6,400 feet, but it is the tallest mountain in the country that provides a cable car service to its peak.
A memorial dedicated to troops killed in the Korean War sits roughly seven miles from the border with North Korea in Hwacheon County, South Korea. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
The view of Paro Lake in Hwacheon County, South Korea, May 2, 2023. The lake is about 15 miles from the border with North Korea. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
A short drive from the base of the mountain are memorials reminding visitors of the divided Korean Peninsula, such as a monument to unidentified troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Korean-to-English translation services during the trip are not available but many of the informational posters are in English.
There are some restrictions. Due to security concerns, visitors are not allowed to bring pets and taking pictures of South Korean military outposts is prohibited. Smoking of any kind is also prohibited.
“Winds of Peace.” A sign on a barbed wire fence broadcasts a hopeful message on Baegamsan Mountain in Hwacheon County, South Korea, near the border with the North, May 2, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
Peace ribbons hang from a barbed wire fence on Baegamsan Mountain in Hwacheon County, South Korea, near the border with the North, May 2, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
On the QT
Directions: The Baegamsan cable car station is at 3351 Choonhwa-ro, Hanam-myeon, Hwacheon county, South Korea
Times: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March to October; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November to February
Costs: Adults, 19,000 won, or $14.22; children, 14,000 won
Food: There are snack shops at the base and vending machines at the summit.
Information: Online: baegamcable.ihc.go.kr/portal
