Imjingak

Imjingak is a visitor site on the banks of the Imjin River in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, created in 1972 to console people who cannot return to their hometowns because of the division of Korea. The Mangbaedan altar, the Freedom Bridge and a bullet-riddled steam locomotive bring the Korean War and the division together in one place. The wide lawns of Pyeonghwa Nuri Park next door make it a pleasant walk, and it is also the starting point for tours into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

What to see

• Mangbaedan: an altar where people whose hometowns lie in North Korea gather at Seollal and Chuseok to perform ancestral rites facing the north.
• Freedom Bridge: originally part of the Gyeongui Line railway bridge and called Dokgae Bridge after a nearby village. It got its present name in 1953, when 12,773 South Korean and UN prisoners of war released by the communist side crossed it to come home. The 83 m wooden bridge became a Gyeonggi Province monument in 1996. After the joint North–South statement of 4 July 1972 it was also the route used by delegates to inter-Korean talks.
• Jangdan Station steam locomotive: during the Korean War it carried supplies north as far as Hanpo station in Hwanghae Province. On its way back it was bombed and derailed at Jangdan station on the night of 31 December 1950. It lay inside the DMZ for more than half a century and became a Registered Cultural Heritage in 2004. You can see the bullet holes in its rusted body up close.
• Piers of the old Imjin River railway bridge: the piers of the bombed bridge still stand in the river.
• Pyeonghwa Nuri Park: a large lawn park with the "Hill of Wind" full of pinwheels.
• Ribbons on the fence: countless ribbons with wishes for reunification and for family members are tied to the barbed-wire fence.
• War memorials: monuments to US troops and soldiers of other countries who fought in the Korean War are spread across the park.
• Song monument and Peace Bell: a stone carved with a song of longing for home, and a bell rung at a ceremony every year.

Good to know

Together with the "Bridge of No Return" at Panmunjom, the Freedom Bridge has become a symbol of the tragedy of the Korean War. As a temporary structure it has no special architectural merit, but it is protected as modern heritage because of what it stands for: the return to freedom. Standing at the fence at the end of the bridge, the land on the other side of the river feels surprisingly close.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the park and outdoor memorials are open to wander. Paid facilities such as exhibition halls and the gondola have their own hours and prices.
• Getting there: about 10 minutes on foot from Imjingang station on the Gyeongui–Jungang Line. Trains are infrequent, so check the timetable in advance.
• DMZ tours: visits beyond the civilian control line, such as Dora Observatory or the Third Tunnel, require a separate application. Bring ID (a passport for foreign visitors).
• Time needed: about 1.5 hours for the park and memorials, about 3 hours with the exhibitions.
• Events: local festivals such as the Imjin River folk festival and the Paju Jangdan soybean festival are held here.
• Watch out: at Seollal and Chuseok many displaced families come to Mangbaedan. This is a place of remembrance, so visit quietly.