The Northernmost Location in South Korea

Gangwon province was hit with a snowstorm today.  It seems that March tends to bring a lot of snow to that province.  But earlier in January, Gangwon province had surprisingly little snow, even at its northernmost point.

The northernmost point in Gangwon province is also the northernmost point in South Korea.  It is known as the Tong-Il Unification Observatory (통일전망대).  The Tong-Il observatory is located in the demilitarized zone, the border region separating North and South Korea.  From there, it is possible to see North Korean territory.  And the coastline by the Tong-Il observatory is gorgeous!

Military hardware from the Korean war, at the Tong-Il Unification Observatory.

Looking southward at the east coast of South Korea, from the Tong-Il Unification Observatory.

Looking northward at the east coast of North Korea, from the Tong-Il Unification Observatory.

From the Tong-Il observatory, I could see no activity in North Korea.  But to my surprise, there was a highway crossing the border between the two Koreas, and it was completely deserted. 

An empty highway, crossing the DMZ from South to North Korea.

It is only after I returned form the Tong-Il observatory that I learned of the mount GeumGang tourist region.  Mount GeumGang (금강산) is a legendary mountain located near the inter-Korean border, in North Korea.  Since the late 1990's, South Koreans had been allowed to go on vacation tours to visit the mountain.  But in 2008, a South Korean tourist was shot and killed by North Korean soldiers while she was visiting the 금강산 tourist region.  Tours from South Korea to 금강산 have been suspended since then, and the highway from South Korea to the 금강산 tourist resort remains deserted. 

금강산 itself can be seen, in the distance, from the Tong-Il observatory.

Mount GeumGang (금강산), as seen from the Tong-Il Unification Observatory.