The 250-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer wide stretch of land dividing South and North Korea has been known for its tourism potential as it is home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, including some that are endangered.
The area has been jointly administered by the United Nations Command and North Korea since it was created in 1953 by an armistice agreement calling for a cease-fire to the Korean War
The National Assembly’s Culture and Tourism Committee held a forum to draw up plans to make the DMZ a leading natural attraction. Government officials and academics got together to pour over the issue.
While these plans are in the right spirit we can only hope that as far as military activities outside the Demilitarized Zone are concerned, that neither side violates the armistice by introducing or reinforcing military personnel and materiel for resumed fighting. This last cold war frontier, a buffer zone that supports a diverse ecosystem but separates families, home to many violent skirmish needs peace at last.
