The DMZ Peace Festa will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Cheorwon Labor Party Building, Cheorwon History and Culture Park, and Soisan.
The two-day event features a range of programs, including peace busking performances, nighttime media art installations, a Soisan trekking course, backpacking, DMZ peace tourism and a traditional market tour.
The DMZ is a travel destination found nowhere else in the world, consistently ranked among the top 10 bucket-list spots by global leaders and international travelers alike. Visiting heads of state routinely make the DMZ a stop during their trips to South Korea.
Also running through September and October, the DMZ Peace Way Ride will bring together about 2,000 cyclists and motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country for a stamp tour linking 50 major attractions in Cheorwon, along with a grand DMZ and nature-riding parade.
Among the municipalities partnering with Cheorwon on peace tourism, Incheon's Ganghwa held its own festival Sept. 12-13, while Gyeonggi Province's Paju will take the baton from Cheorwon with a festa of its own Oct. 31 through Nov. 1. Cheorwon is set to draw the holiday crowds, with Paju providing the grand finale.
The festival is also expected to strengthen ties between the Greater Seoul area and Gangwon Province, bringing the two regions together as neighbors through the shared theme of peace tourism.
"Through this event, we will work to raise awareness of Cheorwon's DMZ peace and security resources as well as its historical, cultural, ecological and geological tourism assets, and to attract more visitors and revitalize the local economy," said Cheorwon County Chief Kim Dong-il.
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