DMZ Map & Location: Where Exactly Is the Korean Demilitarized Zone?

The DMZ runs roughly along the 38th parallel and bisects the Korean peninsula from the Yellow Sea (west) to the Sea of Japan / East Sea (east). Here’s a clear map of where the visitable parts are, and how they relate to Seoul.

Geographic facts

• Length: ~250 km / 155 mi from coast to coast
• Width: ~4 km / 2.5 mi (2 km on each side of the Military Demarcation Line)
• Surface: ~1,000 km² of restricted zone
• Closest point to Seoul: ~52 km north of Seoul Station

The visitable sites, west to east

1. Ganghwa Peace Observatory (west coast) — rare and rarely included in standard tours.
2. Imjingak / Third Tunnel / Dora Observatory (Paju) — the heart of every Seoul-based DMZ tour.
3. JSA / Panmunjom (Tongil-ro) — special-permit tours only.
4. Cheorwon DMZ Peace Trail (centre-east) — for hikers, accessed from a separate town not Seoul.
5. Goseong Unification Observatory (east coast, near Sokcho) — best paired with a Sokcho beach trip.

Where to find a reliable map

Naver Maps and Kakao Maps are far more accurate than Google Maps in South Korea — the DMZ access roads are sometimes mislabelled or missing on Google.

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