Status on 4 November 2026: Public JSA tours at Panmunjom are still paused. The Ministry of Unification's Panmunjom tour site says tours have been on hold since a US soldier crossed into North Korea on 18 July 2023, and that it will post dates once tours restart. Its newest notice is still dated 23 May 2025. The Third Tunnel and the Dora Observatory are a separate tour, listed by VisitKorea; we last read those listings on 11 October 2026.
The JSA at Panmunjom is closed to the public, and has been since 18 July 2023. The standard DMZ tour, which goes to the Third Tunnel and the Dora Observatory, is a separate trip. VisitKorea lists it with hours and fees, but we found no dated official page on whether it is running now. The change log at the bottom lists each check and its date.
The 3 things to ask a seller before you pay for a DMZ tour:
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Does the tour enter the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom? Get the answer in writing.
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Which sites does it visit: the Third Tunnel, the Dora Observatory, or both?
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Does the price include the entry fees?
The JSA: closed
The Panmunjom Tour Support Centre belongs to the Ministry of Unification. Its site is panmuntour.go.kr.
Note: Public JSA tours have been paused since 18 July 2023, after a US soldier on a tour crossed into North Korea. The centre says it will announce dates on its site once the UN Command and other agencies agree a restart (Panmunjom Tour Support Centre notice, 23 May 2025, seen 11 Oct 2026)
Hours: Its tour calendar on 11 October 2026 showed "no tour" on every date in November 2026, the month on display. Hotline 1588-8889, 08:00 to 17:00 (same site)
Note: UN Command: we found no notice from 2023 to 2026. The UN Command website refused our request when we tried to open its press pages
Where the sources disagree on JSA tours
| Detail | One source says | Another says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public JSA tours | Ministry of Unification centre: paused for the public since 18 Jul 2023 (notice of 23 May 2025) | Wikivoyage's Panmunjom page, "as of November 2025": JSA tours have restarted but are very limited, with one operator, Koridoor, running one tour every two weeks | The Ministry, because it runs the tour programme. Wikivoyage is a travel wiki and names no official source. We could not confirm any Koridoor JSA date |
| Who can go now | Korea Times, 15 May 2025: the restart was "limited to policy-related visitors", first a group of 17 officials; the public reopening "will be determined later" | Korea JoongAng Daily, 21 Nov 2023: special tours run by the government were to restart, but general tours needed more talks with the UN Command | Both say the same thing: special tours for invited groups, not for tourists who book a ticket |
| UN Command | We found no UN Command notice from 2023 to 2026 | Its press pages refused our request | Not confirmed |
Sellers may still use "JSA" in a tour name. Before you pay, ask whether the tour enters the Joint Security Area, and get the answer in writing.
So, as a tourist, plan on no JSA visit, and treat any JSA promise as unconfirmed until the Ministry posts dates.
What VisitKorea lists as open
VisitKorea is the Korea Tourism Organization's English site. Its listings have no update date, and it says it does not guarantee the services it lists. Treat this as a guide to the usual pattern.
Hours: Third Tunnel: 09:10 to 14:40. Closed Mondays, weekday public holidays, and Seollal and Chuseok. Tours must be reserved in advance and start from Imjingak Pavilion (VisitKorea, read 11 Oct 2026)
Price: Third Tunnel entry: adults ₩9,200 on foot or ₩12,200 by monorail. Teenagers and children ₩7,000 on foot or ₩9,500 by monorail (same page)
Hours: Dora Observatory: 10:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays. Visits are only through the DMZ Peace Tour, which starts at Imjingak after a reservation (VisitKorea, read 11 Oct 2026)
Booking: Inquiries for the tunnel and the observatory: +82-31-954-0303. The 1330 Travel Hotline lists English service. VisitKorea's own DMZ tour listing shows "80,000 KRW~" for a half-day tour
What a DMZ tour costs
| Item | Amount | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Half-day tour from Seoul | From ₩80,000 | VisitKorea listing, undated, valid to 2031 |
| Half-day tour from Seoul | ₩55,000 to ₩95,000 | Our guide of 9 October 2026, from 2026 operator listings |
| Third Tunnel entry, on foot | ₩9,200 adult | VisitKorea, undated |
| Third Tunnel entry, monorail | ₩12,200 adult | VisitKorea, undated |
We could not confirm which of these includes entry fees. Ask the operator what the price covers.
The passport rule
Note: Bring your passport or alien registration card. VisitKorea says every visitor must carry ID (Third Tunnel and Dora Observatory pages)
Note: Operator booking pages we saw in 2026 ask you to type your name exactly as on your passport. We noted this on 9 October 2026 and did not re-check it
How to book
VisitKorea says both the Third Tunnel and the Dora Observatory need a reservation, and the observatory is only reached on the DMZ Peace Tour from Imjingak. Its pages give no booking steps. You book through an operator or a seller. We did not book a tour, and we did not find an official booking page.
What is checked here and what is not
Change log
| Date | What we checked | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2026 | Panmunjom Tour Support Centre home page and notice list; Wikivoyage; Korea Times (15 May 2025) and Korea JoongAng Daily (21 Nov 2023) reports | Added the "where the sources disagree" table |
| 11 Oct 2026 | Panmunjom Tour Support Centre notices and November calendar, VisitKorea listings | Page published. Public JSA tours paused, no November dates |
So far, no restart of public JSA tours has been posted.
What we checked and what can change
Read on 4 November 2026 in a browser: the Panmunjom Tour Support Centre home page, which still says tours have been paused since 18 July 2023 and dates will be posted when they restart, and its notice list, whose newest item is the 23 May 2025 notice on the pause of general tours. Read on 4 November 2026: the Wikivoyage Panmunjom page, the Korea Times report of 15 May 2025 and the Korea JoongAng Daily report of 21 November 2023. Checked on 11 October 2026: the Ministry of Unification's Panmunjom Tour Support Centre site, its notice list and its November 2026 calendar, and VisitKorea's pages for the Third Tunnel, the Dora Observatory and a DMZ tour listing.
Not checked: whether the standard DMZ tours are running today, any UN Command statement (its site refused us), the dress code, the Dorasan DMZ train, tour operators' prices and cancellation terms, and the passport-name rule on any booking page. We did not book a tour, and we did not read traveller forums for this page.
