Situated right along a part of the DMZ is the city of Paju. With such a close proximity to the “hermit kingdom” of North Korea, you’d think that it would be a heavily militarized and dangerous place. The truth is, it’s far from it. With it’s incredible suspension bridges, peaceful parks, and friendly people, Paju is absolutely worth a visit. A few days ago, we made a trip up there to experience some of its attractions: and we didn’t leave disappointed. Our first stop: Gamaksan Suspension Bridge.
Gamaksan Suspension Bridge & Pyeonghwa Nuri Park
Gamaksan Suspension Bridge is the longest towerless pedestrian suspension bridge in South Korea… maybe. I say “maybe” because sources differed on the actual length of the bridge. Some said it’s 150 meters across, while others said 220 meters. If the former, then it WAS the longest for a while. But if the latter, then it would still hold that record. All that being said: I’m leaning more toward 150 meters, because it didn’t seem quite 200 meters long when we crossed it.
Whether or not it holds that record doesn’t really matter – the views are incredible (and can you imagine how the trees will look in a few weeks when the colors start to change?!) and the area is so fun to visit. Some intense stair-climbing is necessary to get to the bridge, but trust me when I say it is well-worth the climb. Once you cross the bridge, you can continue the journey with a hike up to Gamaksan (Gamak Mountain). We opted not to do a full hike, since we were trying to hit up multiple stops in Paju in one day. Still, I imagine the hike later in the fall would be the perfect outing.
One thing we loved about this bridge was how wobbly it was. Listen, we’ve been to some wobbly bridges (remember Sogeumsan Suspension Bridge or Cheonjangho Suspension Bridge?), but this one absolutely takes the cake. Even though it only sits about 10 meters (about 33 feet) above the ground, it weebles and wobbles enough to add just the tiniest little thrill to it all. The kids had NO FEAR and didn’t hesitate to go sprinting across the bridge – all while Ajummas and Ajushis tried their best to slow them down.
After our adventure on Gamaksan Suspension Bridge, we stopped at the CU and grabbed some snacks. Then we loaded back up in the car and drove 30 minutes to Pyeonghwa Nuri Park (sometimes called the DMZ Peace Park). This park sits right along the Imjingang River – which in some areas makes up parts of the border between North and South Korea. The park is built on land that was originally used for people who had been displaced due to the Korean War. Now, it stands as a beacon of hope that there will one day be a unification of North and South Korea.
Of course, not everybody is for unification of the Korean peninsula – but it’s a nice sentiment either way. However someone feels about possible unification, they can probably agree that what most people want is peace. And the activities in the Imjingak area are ALL about fostering peace between the two nations. The Peace Park puts on different festivals (and we saw signs for a “peace run” that happened in September) and is just a really beautiful place to visit, even if you’re just wanting to walk around. There are hundreds of colorful windmills which are aesthetic as heck, and the kids loved having so much open space to run around in. People were flying kites, kids were running around playing, and everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather.
And yet, only about 7 kilometers away from the park sits the DMZ – a 4-kilometer-wide section of land surrounding the 38th parallel (the border of North and South Korea). And behind the North Korean border lies a country full of poverty and secrets. As the most isolated country in the world, it’s impossible to understand exactly what happens behind their borders. Still, from the little bit that we know, it doesn’t seem to be good.
It never gets old for me to look at Google Maps anytime we near the DMZ and see just how close we really are to the border. And, of course, back when we took our tour of the JSA, we were actually able to step over the border into North Korea. Although JSA (Joint Security Area) tours have been suspended (with no sure date as to when or IF they will resume) due to an incident that happened in July, it’s absolutely worth taking a tour of the DMZ. As someone who has been low-key obsessed with North Korea for the last 20 years, I find any chance I have to get close to the DMZ a rewarding one.
The weather has been GLORIOUS lately and I’m hoping (possibly beyond all hope) that the temperatures wait a while to plummet. I’m getting used to temps in the 70s and I’m not ready to say goodbye to those just yet. Still, we’ve got more adventures planned (whether it’s cold or not) and more posts to catch up on still!
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit Gamaksan Suspension Bridge
Directions & Parking: Gamaksan Suspension Bridge is located in Paju – about two hours from Camp Humphreys when traffic is good. There are a few large parking lots for the Gamaksan area, but I recommend parking in parking lot 1 which I have included a pin for below. This parking lot is the closest lot to the bridge and will save you a LOT of walking. From there, you can use the other Naver pin I provided to navigate to the bridge. It takes climbing a lot of stairs, but we were able to complete it easily enough with our five children.
Naver pin: Gamaksan Chulreong Bridge 1st Parking Lot Entrance
Naver pin: Gamaksan Mountain Chulreong Bridge
Cost:
Bridge
FREE
Parking
₩2,000 – CREDIT CARD ONLY (our AMEX was accepted without issue)
Hours of operation:
Gamaksan Suspension Bridge
Open daily from 9:00am – 6:00pm
Gamaksan Suspension Bridge Hiking Trail
Open from sunrise to sunset
Accessibility: The suspension bridge is NOT accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.
Amenities: There are bathrooms located in parking lot 1 that I pinned above. There are a variety of restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores on the same street as the parking lot.
Things to know before you go: This bridge and trail get busy in the fall once the trees start changing colors – and it’s no surprise why! For that reason, if you’re planning to visit in the fall to see the foliage from the bridge, plan to arrive right when it opens at 9:00am (or even a little earlier).
How to visit Pyeonghwa Nuri Park
Directions & Parking: Perhaps because of its close proximity to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), when you look up the park on Naver, it’s blurry. Still, if you use the pin I include below, it should take you to a huge campus where you can visit the park, explore Imjingak Peace Land (a small amusement park with rides – see below for details), and ride the Imjingak Peace Gondola (see below for details). Within the complex, there is a very large FREE parking lot.
Naver pin: Imjingak Resort
Cost: FREE
Hours of operation: Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Amenities: There are bathrooms located on the park grounds, as well as a playground. There is also a cafe on the park grounds. Across the parking lot from the park is the ticket office for the Imjingak Peace Gondola, as well as a convenience store and some restaurants.
Imjingak Peace Land
Cost:
Individual attraction passes
Varies by each attraction, but all are between ₩3,500 – ₩4,500
Unlimited attraction passes (only available on weekends)
Adults & Teens – ₩33,000
Children – ₩31,000
*Hours of operation:
April – October
Weekdays: 11:00am – 6:00pm
Weekends: 11:00am – 6:40pm
March & November
Weekdays: 11:00am – 5:30
Weekends: 11:00am – 6:00pm
December – February
Weekdays: 11:00am – 3:40pm
Weekends: 11:00am – 5:40pm
*Hours of operation are subject to change at anytime without notice. Information is true according to the information available at the time of this posting.
Imjingak Peace Gondola
Cost (round trip):
Crystal Gondola (glass bottom)
Adults – ₩14,000
Children – ₩12,000
Standard Gondola
Adults – ₩11,000
Children – ₩9,000
Hours of operation:
Saturday – Monday: 9:00am – 7:00pm
Tuesday – Friday: 9:00am – 6:00pm
