Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Morton]

Can Korean citizens go on the DMZ tour? I want to go for my birthday and was wondering if my girlfriend will be allowed to go on the tour. I know it's a strange question but she thinks that Korean people aren't allowed in the DMZ.

Thanks.

[ajgeddes]

I may be wrong, but Koreans can only go with 2 months advance notice and with permission from the ministry of defense (or another ministry). So, in short, if your birthday is within the next two months, she can't go.

[diver]

Call the USO and find out. They change their policy from time to time. The only reason the USO says no, by the way, is that there is extra paperwork for them involved in clearing a Korean to go. Koreans CAN go, but the USO staff (Koreans) can't be bothered to do the extra work.

I know this because I have been up there with Koreans on private tours. The guys who conducted the tours were the ones who ultimately decide who can enter the JSA and who can't. They had no problems with Koreans being on the tour. The problems are at the USO.

You might check out some of the Korean companies that do the tours as well. You might have better luck.

[Samantha]

The tour2korea site, one of the pop up windows for the Panmujeon tour, http://english.tour2korea.com/Popup/pop050630.asp has a list of countries that can visit with a 2 month notice and the countries that can't visit at all. According to that list S. Koreans can go just like Americans.

Tour details can be found at these sites (the first one comes with a list of tour agents as well).

http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/ThemeTours/dmz.asp?kosm=m3_3&konum=7

or if you want to go through the USO, I don't think the tour2korea tours are in English, check out....

http://www.uso.org/Korea/files/DMZ%20Tour%20Itinerary%20Jun%2007.doc
http://www.uso.org/Korea/files/dresscode.pdf The only thing with the USO tour is there is a strictly enforced dress code.
http://www.uso.org/korea/default.cfm?contentid=349

If these don't help at least you will have some numbers/websites that you can find more information on.

[Capo]

i'm pretty sure they have to go on korean only tours with advanced notice, basicly they need a a garenteed bus load of them to make it worth the effort

[pest2]

All the Korean English teachers in my province took part in the tour as a part of a provincial office of Ed convention... im not sure it was the actual, "dmz tour," but we were right there at the dmz, etc... And it all happened with 3 days notice (due to Korean no planning culture, of course).