Korean War and Division: Imjingak, the Third Tunnel and Dora Observatory
The 38th parallel was not a border. It was drawn 'for military convenience' in 1945. How that line became a frontier, why the war is still only suspended rather than ended, and where a traveller can look at the result.
Language
In Korea the division is not an abstract backdrop; it is a practical condition. The northern boundary is a little over an hour by car from Seoul, and the top of the subway map ends at stations you cannot travel beyond.
This article is about how the line came to be drawn and why it did not come out, rather than about the war itself. Knowing the order of events changes what you are looking at from an observatory. The last section covers where the boundary can be seen: Imjingak, the Third Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory in Paju, with the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul for background.
At a glance
The 38th parallel was 'military convenience'
After Japan's surrender in 1945 the peninsula was divided and occupied by US and Soviet forces at the 38th parallel for military convenience.
Independence came with a condition
The independence guaranteed at Cairo was conditional on being achieved 'in due course', and was reaffirmed at Potsdam.
Five years of trusteeship
In December 1945 at Moscow, the US, British and Soviet foreign ministers agreed on five years of trusteeship.
It is still an armistice
The armistice of 27 July 1953 halted the war, and that state of ceasefire still continues.
Independence was promised, with a condition attached
The division starts not in 1950 but in a sentence written in 1943.
The Cairo Declaration of December 1943 guaranteed the independence of Korea, and this was reaffirmed in the Potsdam Declaration of July 1945. But that independence was conditional on being achieved "in due course."
Other discussions were running in parallel. At Yalta in February 1945, a trusteeship made up of one representative each from the US, the USSR and China was raised, and on its duration the American side said 20 to 30 years was appropriate, based on the Philippines, while the Soviet side said the shorter the better — as recorded in American diplomatic documents.
In other words, the timing of Korea's independence was being negotiated in rooms where no Korean was present.
The line was drawn for 'military convenience'
This point is easy to misunderstand. The 38th parallel was not a border two Koreas agreed on.
When Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, the peninsula it had governed was divided at the 38th parallel and occupied by US and Soviet forces, for military convenience.
The sequence bears that out. On 9 August the USSR declared war on Japan under the Yalta agreement, and began landing at Unggi and Najin on the 12th and at Cheongjin on the 14th, going on to occupy the whole area down to the 38th parallel; as soon as Japanese forces were disarmed, people's committees were organised and took on the shape of a government.
The encyclopedia records how Koreans understood it at the time: until the 38th parallel appeared, people thought the division would be temporary. That changed once they watched Soviet forces occupy the north and, shortly after, American forces occupy the south.
How a temporary line became a frontier
The five years that followed were decisive.
In December 1945 the US, British and Soviet foreign ministers met in Moscow and agreed to impose five years of trusteeship on the peninsula. In response Koreans mounted a fierce anti-trusteeship movement, but political confusion followed when left-wing forces, on Soviet instruction, switched to supporting it.
A US–Soviet Joint Commission met twice, in 1946 and 1947, and broke down without producing any solution.
The outcome sits in a single sentence. The 38th parallel, which had been a provisional military demarcation line drawn by the United States and the Soviet Union, became a border that was not a border, once North and South each established separate governments.
After liberation, separate governments were established in the north and the south within the Cold War system, and the war was fought on top of that.
Why it is still not 'over'
The answer to this question is one line.
The armistice agreement of 27 July 1953 stopped the war. And the division subsequently became more entrenched, so that the state of ceasefire still continues.
"Stopped" and "ended" are different words. That is why a DMZ visit follows the procedures of entering a military area rather than those of visiting an attraction — identity checks, advance booking, and travel in designated vehicles.
Where you can look at the boundary
The places where the division is visible are not far from Seoul.
Imjingak can be reached without a separate military-control procedure, and the ribbons on its wire fence say what kind of place it is without a caption. The Third Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory lie further in and have different access conditions.
Check how each of the three actually operates on its own page. Some sections can only be reached by shuttle, so a plan built around your own vehicle can stop at the gate.
Imjingak, the Third Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory are all in Paju, Gyeonggi Province; the War Memorial of Korea is in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Their published hours are below, and several of them list closing days, so check before you set out.
Imjingak opening hours
| Paju DMZ Peace Tour · ticket office, on the day and for collection | 09:00–14:30 |
|---|---|
| Paju Imjingak Peace Gondola · Mon·Tue·Wed·Thu·Fri | 09:00–18:00 |
| Paju Imjingak Peace Gondola · Sat·Sun public holidays | 09:00–19:00 |
The DMZ Peace Tour closes on Seollal and Chuseok themselves only; the rest of each holiday runs normally. Paju publishes no opening or closing time for the grounds themselves, and states only that admission is free; the clocks above belong to the two ticketed operations inside. The gondola sells until 30 minutes before it stops running, which is the rule the operator publishes rather than a time. It also closes on national safety-inspection days, which have no schedule and so are not a rule here. Camp Greaves, listed alongside the gondola on the same fare page, is a separate facility with its own hours and its own closing days — including every Monday, which the gondola does not keep.
Source: Paju DMZ Peace Tour — visitor guide (ticket hours, closures, ID check, photography ban) · · Imjingak Peace Gondola — fares ·
DMZ Peace Tour ticket-office hours
| ticket office, on the day and for collection | 09:00–14:30 |
|---|
Seollal and Chuseok close the day itself only; the rest of each holiday runs normally. The tunnel has no hours of its own — it is reached only on Paju's DMZ Peace Tour, and the times above are that tour's ticket office at Imjingak. It often sells out earlier than 14:30. Individual shuttles leave ten times a day Tuesday to Friday, from 09:20 to 14:40, and fourteen times at weekends; each departure is designated monorail or walking. Collection closes 20 minutes before departure for an online booking and 10 minutes before for a walk-up, and everyone is identity-checked before a ticket is issued. Paju adds that the whole schedule can stop without notice for a security situation or bad weather, cancelling existing bookings — that has no schedule, so it stays here rather than becoming a closure rule. Online tickets for monorail sessions are sold at the walking-course price, with the lift charge paid separately on site. Under the notice dated 23 September 2026, the 09:20 session is available only at the on-site ticket office.
Source: Paju DMZ Peace Tour — visitor guide (closing days, ticket hours, ID check, photography ban) ·
Dora Observatory opening hours
| Tue·Wed·Thu·Fri·Sat·Sun | 10:00–17:00 |
|---|
Access follows the DMZ Peace Tour schedule from Imjingak. The listed hours are for the paid telescopes.
Source: Paju Tourism — Dora Observatory ·
War Memorial of Korea opening hours
| Tue·Wed·Thu·Fri·Sat·Sun | 09:30–17:40last entry 17:00 |
|---|
Where the division is visible
Imjingak
Near the boundary, and reachable without a separate military-control procedure.
Third Infiltration Tunnel
Further in than Imjingak. Access conditions differ, so check before planning.
Dora Observatory
The observatory from which you actually look north.
War Memorial of Korea
In central Seoul — somewhere to get the background straight before going up.
Frequently asked questions
Why the 38th parallel in particular?
After Japan's surrender in 1945 the peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel and occupied by US and Soviet forces for military convenience. It was not a border agreed between two Koreas.
Was the division seen as permanent from the start?
No. Until the 38th parallel appeared, Koreans expected the division to be temporary. That changed once Soviet forces occupied the north and American forces the south.
What was the trusteeship plan?
In December 1945 the US, British and Soviet foreign ministers agreed in Moscow to impose five years of trusteeship on the peninsula. Koreans mounted a fierce movement against it.
Is the Korean War over?
The armistice of 27 July 1953 halted it. The division then became more entrenched, and the state of ceasefire still continues.
Can I just go to the DMZ?
Imjingak is relatively easy to reach, but the Third Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory have different access conditions and some sections can only be reached by shuttle. Check each place's own page before planning.
Nearby Food
Travel Guides
Related articles
Last verified:
Official sources (2)
- Fact check: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture — the Korean War (the conditional independence promised at Cairo and Potsdam, the 1945 division at the 38th parallel for military convenience, the Moscow agreement on five years of trusteeship and the anti-trusteeship movement, the failure of the Joint Commissions, and the armistice of 27 July 1953)
- Fact check: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture — Liberation of 15 August (the trusteeship discussion at Yalta, the Soviet declaration of war and occupation down to the 38th parallel in August 1945, and the 38th parallel as a line of division)