Ganghwa Peace Observatory — Attraction in Incheon

If you really want to go to North Korea but cannot then this Peace Observatory is the next best thing and about as close as you can get to the Hermit Kingdom. Some notes from my visit:

1. Doesn't matter how you get here, all must take the special tour buses from the parking lot below to the observatory at the top of the hill.
2. The entire facility is wheelchair friendly with elevators and ramps everywhere.
3. Obviously, the clearer the weather the better the views. That said, unless you have a foggy day, there should be no problems looking into the village on the other side and seeing people at work, vehicles moving, and other detritus of daily life.
4. There are free mounted telescopes outside for use.
5. Take note of the diorama showing the historic meeting between Trump and Kim Jung Un... hilarious in my opinion.
6. The grand piano made of wire from the actual fence between the two states was interesting, although don't expect the piano to be in tune or capable of playing anything.
7. Nice video presentation in Korean and English... and possibly other languages.
8. The wall with the last wishes and thoughts of a divided people was quite poignant and touching.
9. The ability to send an electronic message to North Korea is a nice touch but I doubt it is actually sent anywhere... possibly stored in the Cloud waiting for reunification day.
10. Food and drink available.

If this was as close as I could get to North Korea, I would probably rate this 5 stars. But the day after I visited this location I was on my way to Beijing and then into one of the most reclusive geographic areas in the world where I spent the next week traveling all around North Korea, from the Yalu River border to Panmunjon, from small villages in the countryside to the great capital city of Pyongyang. And for that reason alone, this...

A very interesting place. It kind of is odd to just peer over into North Korea. The area has binoculars (500 won to view) and you can see people across doing their daily things. You'll also notice a lot of active military sentries near. There is also a checkpoint on the way to the area.

The observation building is very nice, with lots of historical notes and facts (mostly in Korean with the titles being in English for a lot of displays. There is a small shop and some restaurants inside.

The building itself is an actual military building so it is not all accessible.

The way to the building is also fairly steep so keep that in mind.

Parking is free entry is 2500 won.

Worth going...

Very interesting place. At first I was worried that it would feel too much like a zoo as we observed North Koreans going about their daily lives, but it really does cement the reality that so close to our prosperity this other world certainly exists. Not only does it exist, but for many people in the area they still have family there and this may be the closest they can physically be to them. Very sobering and worth a visit. FITNESS LEVEL REQUIRED: to get to the observatory from the parking lot you have to walk a ways up...