South Korea to resume tourist rail service to Dorasan station, near border with North
Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 18:05
![A South Korean train arrives in Dorasan Station in Paju, Geyonggi, on Dec.18, 2018. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/09/7de23cac-2bc0-4870-a56f-9597fb9f2620.jpg)
A South Korean train arrives in Dorasan Station in Paju, Geyonggi, on Dec.18, 2018. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Passenger rail service linking Seoul Station with Dorasan Station, the northern endpoint of South Korea's rail network just south of the inter-Korean border, will resume Friday, according to the ministry.
The station was first established after the South and North Korean leaders at the time agreed to connect their railways at a 2000 summit held amid a period of reconciliation between the two Koreas.
Freight trains once ran through the Dorasan station between the two Koreas, carrying materials and finished goods to and from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a factory park in North Korea jointly operated by the two Koreas that was shut down amid inter-Korean tensions in 2016.
Since then, the station has served as a destination for a tourist rail service before closing completely in late 2019 due to concerns related to African swine fever and then the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resumption of rail service to the station will allow tourists to travel by train beyond the civilian control line, which restricts public access near the demilitarized zone, the ministry said.
Going forward, the government, municipalities and the rail agency plan to add more tourist destinations near the border station to provide programs aimed at promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The government said the reopening of Dorasan Station is part of its efforts to foster peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and promote the peaceful use of the DMZ.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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