Thousands flock to South Korean border park for rare view of North Korean weapon

More than 13,000 people visited South Korea’s Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, Gyeonggi province, over a 10-day period to catch a rare glimpse of a North Korean self-propelled howitzer visible from the observatory.

Despite the heightened tensions between the two Koreas, a total of 13,243 people visited the park from October 26 to Wednesday, up 7.5 per cent from 12,321 during the same period last year, according to Gimpo city on Sunday.

The increase came after images published by local media showing a self-propelled howitzer stationed along the North Korean coast, about 1.5km (1 mile) from the observatory, went viral.

Weekday visits rose sharply, with daily number of visitors reaching 1,000 to 1,200, up as much as 35 per cent from a year earlier. Weekend attendance, however, fell nearly 10 per cent to 4,200 due to entry restrictions – the park is currently limiting the number of visitors on-site to 500 at a time for safety reasons.

The artillery is close enough to be seen through binoculars and telescopes from the observatory. However, North Korean troops recently covered the weapon with camouflage netting, making it difficult to identify, according to city officials.

As more visitors flock to the park, Gimpo has gradually reduced the number of advance reservation spots. Since Wednesday, reservations have been limited to 200 people per hour, 100 slots to individual visitors and another 100 to groups.

However, the influx sparked frustration among some nearby residents, who say visitors are treating a source of daily security anxiety as a tourist attraction.

“With North Korean artillery pointing in our direction, we live each day fearing that shelling could happen at any moment,” a resident of Wolgot-myeon in Gimpo was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency on condition of anonymity. “For us, this is a matter of survival, but it is upsetting to see outsiders treating it as a mere spectacle.”

The resident also expressed concern over North Korea’s threats regarding propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts towards the South, saying that only those who have experienced such tensions can understand the distress they cause. “I sincerely hope inter-Korean tensions will ease as soon as possible,” the resident added.

A Gimpo city official said the park was made to help visitors confront the reality of the division of the Korean peninsula and reflect on the value of peace.

“Even if people initially visit out of simple curiosity, we hope the experience will encourage them to take a greater interest in peace and better understand the difficulties faced by local residents,” the official said.