Dmz Highlights & Exclusive Defector Interview – True Human Story

Did DMZ tour with Jackie the Story Teller. He did a wonderful job as a guide and explaining everything as we spent the day checking out the DMZ. Would highly recommend Jackie

Knowledgeable experienced guide of ours called Jackie. Kept a tight grip and also engaged with the group

The tour was sufficient to see the DMZ, and is the only way. I hoped to learn more than I did, and felt like we rushed through a long day. You can’t avoid crowds when everyone has to do the same thing, but our tour guide Jackie made things more confusing and hectic. His instructions were often unclear, although he repeated himself over and over. It didn’t seem well planned or organized, as we were off and on the bus 4 times at one stop. First for a bathroom break, then everyone got back on for the Q&A, then we got off for 25 mins of free time, and then once we were all back on the bus he announced we were all getting off to do a walking tour of the area we had all just spent 25 mins at. The bus never moved. We did not know what was happening next the whole time, and those with mobility issues struggled. I also feel like I didn’t learn much. Jackie repeated basic facts over and over, but without much depth. I was disappointed to not learn more, and learned more from overhearing other tour guides around us. I’m glad I didn’t do the bridge add on, as the day was long enough for me. Add to that, they added a surprise stop at the end in Seoul for one more sales pitch. I didn’t get off the bus, and was frustrated by the unexpected detour through Seoul traffic. Jackie often diminished peoples question when instructions were unclear, the way he talked to some people wasn’t very nice. Also, during the Q&A, I could tell he wasn’t translating the speakers story directly, but was just saying what he thought. At the end of the tour, Jackie went row by row on the bus making sure everybody left him a “good review”, not backing down until someone was able to scan the QR code and show him they had the review screen up. I wanted to learn history, not be a part of an 8 hour sales pitch.

This was a very insightful and enjoyable experience. Jackie was informational and amusing. We had the North Korean defector on the tour (not the suspension bridge add-on though) and the interview was amazing and definitely a highlight. She was fantastic at answering questions and her story brought such an interesting dimension to the tour. Thought-provoking with plenty of things to do.

Best DMZ tour highly recommended with the excellent guide Han. He id extremely knowledgable. He made all the stops and he has all the information that you need about the history of the DMZ, Northkorea that he readily shares. The best tour!!!

It was informative and interesting. It was great to hear from the North Korean refugee on the bus. The tunnel was very hard and I would have avoided that if I had realised how difficult it was physically. The rest was all great! The host Han marvellous. Except he never sent the group photo from front of the DMZ sign he promised to send everyone…. But that is a small thing. It is a long day but worth it.

Jackie was a great guide who was very punctual and informative. He ensured all were well catered for in a safe and friendly environment. Highly recommend…5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The tour was just what I was looking for. The guide was Jackie the storyteller who did a great job! Besides being an excellent guide he had great communication through Whatsapp prior to meeting.

Great day tour to the DMZ 🙏 Our guide Rose was great & filled us in on many details of this terrible conflict . Very interesting & we enjoyed our day

What an incredible tour! So worth the time and money. Our tour guide SP Hong was informative and kind throughout the tour.

Many asked if it was scary. I was surprised to hear that question . but it wasnt at all. It was fascinating, Informative, exciting and surprisingly fun. We had a great tour guide. SP Hong is a Korean history major and a retired businessman who was the perfect balance of information, positivity, seriousness and comedy. Highly recommended.

Great q&a with a defector. Just be sure to have snacks as there is no time for lunch. A must see tour of you're visiting.

Such a surreal and unforgettable tour. The tour host, SP was so genuinely knowledgeable of the history and of the areas. Not scripted. He works hard to co-ordinate the tour so you have a great experience. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Broad coverage from Korean war, DMZ to modern Seoul. Excellent English, engaging storytelling, deep insights with Northern Korean defector. Highly recommend for those seeking a piece of Korean history since WWII🫰🏼

This tour DOES NOT include the suspension bridge. The fine print states it’s an option but there was no offer of this option either during the booking process or during the tour. Instead we were taken to an Amethyst Jewellery house to buy at the end of the tour. The rest of the trip is good and went reasonably smoothly. The host, SP provides some background to Korean politics but it gets repetitive. There is little time to explore the sights on your own. If you have mobility issues or are taller than 165cm the tunnel will be a challenge for you. We are both tall so decided to opt out on it and were told by others it was reasonably disappointing. The DMZ is a place you can say you’ve been to. You can’t take photos in most of it due to military control. You can no longer take photos from the observatory into Nth Korea. The discussion with the defector was interesting although I suspect the answers we were getting were a ‘version’ of what she said. She was interesting during the Q&A. On the bus ride home we were told to provide a review. We were each personally instructed, row by row to open the various booking apps and write the reviews naming the host. We were provided with a verbal example of what to write. SP insisted we provide his name. After this we were taken on a side trip to the amethyst shop which is not on the tour agenda. This was a disappointing sales pitch especially after we missed out on the key location of the suspension bridge. It’s a good tour into the DMZ but it has limitations.

really fantastic. well done...Cosmojin tour...Han was our guide....he was really good and we learned alot....very worthwhile and unique trip...super

Great visit to the DMZ. The highlight was the exchanges with the North Korean defector. She was very passionate, and the guide did an excellent job of translating. Lots of questions!

A must if visiting Seoul. SP Hong made the trip come to life, explaining the history of the conflict in an engaging, enthusiastic but humerous way. A top tier tour guide to see the DMZ. Meeting the defector was a personal highlight as she gave an honest, genuine account of like in North Korea and her experience defecting. No question was off limits. The time with her flew by. Note: The Third Tunnel is a very steep decent (17⁰) on an underground slope going down the equivalent of 25 stories but worth it to get 170m away from North Korea!

SP Hong is one top-notch tour guide, very funny and knowledgable too! I had been looking forward to visiting the DMZ for many months prior to this tour and SP’s gave us a great tour. Particularly interesting was the meeting with the North Korean defector prior to the tour were we got to ask her questions about her experience escaping North Korea. Fascinating story. Unfortunately, the Joint Security area is not open to the public now due to tensions between South and North Korea. I was disappointed by that. However, SP made sure we got to see and understand as much as possible in the time we had. He did a great job of that too! I found it interesting when the South Korean soldiers boarded the bus and checked our passports. That, plus seeing smaller checkpoints in the military zone with armed guards made me realize this is not simply a visit to the past. But, the DMZ is an ongoing, tense area very much of the present day. One highlight for me was seeing a North Korean flag flying in North Korea and hearing K Pop and counter propaganda being blasted by loudspeakers on the South Korean side. A very interesting tour which I enjoyed throughly! Thanks SP!

Really enjoyed the tour with Han - he was very informative and Ms Cho provided interesting insight into the DPRK. This was a convenient way to get to the DMZ from Seoul and to learn about an important part of our history. The drop-off at the end took a little long but this was still an excellent day and reasonable value.

This tour was the highlight of our trip to Korea. Our tour guide SP was energetic, knowledgeable and organized. Don’t hesitate to book this tour!

Long waits, apparently due to external events. This made for a tedious trip. Interesting to hear from the "defector" although, disappeared after a while. Maybe went back due to boredom?

SP was a great host and guide, the tour was informative and interesting. The opportunity to listen to a defector was very interresting

We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Mr Ron Han from this company. Even though the Dora Observatory was closed due to external factors, he took us to an alternative observatory where we were still able to get a view of the North Korean houses. Mr Han provided good explanation and anecdotes of the South Korean perspective on the inter-Korean conflict and tension over the DMZ. Would recommend as an easy, stress-free way to get to know the DMZ area.

I know enough history to want to spend a day at the DMZ learning more, and this trip was poor. Our guide, SP, talked a lot and included little information besides what was written or watched, and the time with the defector included mainly Q&A, where she was asked a question and was barely allowed to speak before the guide seemed to interpret what she said and then add his answers for her including sweeping generalities. Our tour was scheduled for 7:00, but a message arrived a few days before our tour stating, "Due to recent congestion in the DMZ area, a significant waiting time is expected during entry. To facilitate a smoother entry into the DMZ, we have changed the departure time to 06:30." We arrived early only to be rushed all day. Then we had enough time to visit an amethyst factory in Hapjeong, 30 minutes from the drop-off point, because why not give a sales pitch and make more money? I've enjoyed most of the tours I've taken, whether a few hours or weeks. This is the first one that I would highly recommend others to avoid.

The best part was seeing the border and seeing and hearing the defector stories .Mr S.p Hong the tour guide absolutely brilliant and spoke perfect English

The talk with the defector, ms Cho, was very interessting. Gave the tour more depth. She was polite and very elaborate

Very interesting tour. The talk with the defector was very special. Ms. Cho was very kind and gave elaborate answers to all our questions.

The primary reason to take this tour over others is being able to learn of North Korea from a former citizen. It was eye opening to hear her story, her struggles, and her hopes. Other tours will show you the same places, but this is a difference maker in my book.

The highlight of this trip for me was the tunnel. It was challenging a very rewarding to complete this tour is what you make it, scheduling is challenging due to security. It’s a lot of walking and not particularly accessible for everyone. If you don’t have any Mobility issues I say give it a try!

I personally liked the monuments and background of each introduced at Imjingak most, as well as the museum at the 3rd Tunnel. Dora Observatory was quite nice as well, especially being able to view the different sites talked about through the binoculars

Our guide was great. Bus was comfortable. Wish we had more time to explore the Imingjak (first stop) tour and could skip the Ginseng seller stop at the end. Otherwise it was only the fog and rain that killed the views!

Walking down tunnel 3 is quite the workout!! It also helps if you’re not tall! Very interesting experience.

We did not get to see the blue houses, our main aim was to see that area and it was not possible. The long wait in a bus to get access to the tunnels is unbeareable, incosiderate to have people sitting in a bus for 5 to 6 hours to get the access. There are many things that could be improve on the tour.

The conflict between North and South Korea was widely covered in the news. Irene, my tour guide, taught me a ton of useful facts. I want to learn more about the background of the Korean War. Enjoyed me much on this vacation.

We had a wonderful, energetic tour guide with Tracy. She was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and we had a great time visiting the DMZ.

Our tour with Irene was wonderful. She was very informative and friendly. Irene was very helpful in pointing out all the important things to note during each stop. I highly recommend this tour during your visit to Seoul.

Highly recommend this tour, Irene is so knowledgeable and very nice too. This is an experience of a lifetime.

It’s great experience joining this DMZ tour. The guide - Irene Kim is great, friendly & informative. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Had a fun filled experience with my family with guide (Irene Kim). Guide was welcoming and jovial, recommend to others though tunnel was tiring.

Irene was a great tour guide - very clear communicator and so friendly and approachable. Very interesting tour with lots of things to see.

The tour gives you a fantastic insight into the Korean War, the divide between north and south and let’s you see North Korea from your very own eyes. A recommended visit when travelling to Seoul.

Informative and enjoyable tour, with a great guide. Advertisement does mention a meeting North Korean defector however which didn’t happen, and this is a shame. Would also have loved to have spent more time at the Dora Observatory, which is easily the highlight.

The observatory and the Village. The whole experience was interesting, insightfull and full of historical facts.

Tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. It was an amazing experience. 100% recommended now with the Dora observatory fully revamped in 2020 i couldn't recognise it. I was here in 2016 and it felt like a whole new experience.

The tour guide, Irene Kim, is nice, friendly, and resourceful 👍👍👍. Enjoy the DMZ tour very much. The best $58 I spend in South Korea

It was a very interesting experience. Irene made sure she explained everything clearly and was very kind. It was short but very well organized. I really enjoyed it.

I loved this tour with Eva. She was so kind and informative. This is a must do if you are in Korea. You will love it!

I wasn't sure what to expect, but wound up having a really interesting day. It was a somewhat early start (8am), with an hour bus ride to Imjing Park, where we waited for a while for a shuttle bus (I think the exact wait time varies on the day). At 10:45 we met up and walked around the Park, with our lovely tour guide explaining everything we could see (and answering all of the numerous questions we put to her!). At 11:30 we left to visit the 3rd tunnel, then on to the Dora Observatory to look out at North Korea at 1, and finally leaving to pop into the obligatory gift shop at 1:30. Even on a foggy day we could see the nearby North Korean city, so the weather doesn't matter much! All round a fascinating tour, very well run, and I learnt a lot about the Korean War, the DMZ and also about the current relations between the two countries. Absolutely would recommend.