Ganghwa County to Develop NLL Peace Barbed Wire Path Project in Northern Ganghwa

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Ganghwa County announced on the 23rd that it will begin full-scale development of the NLL Peace Barbed Wire Path, which is filled with unique storytelling of Ganghwa Bay and peace and security themes.

The county will utilize coastal barbed wire fencing, a characteristic feature of border areas located in the northernmost region. The county plans to create experience spaces related to culture and security at nearby tourist facilities by the end of this year to attract visitors and revitalize the local economy.

Ganghwa Island is located at the western end of the inland Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and at the starting point of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. The Han River estuary neutral zone can be used by both civilian vessels of North and South Korea under the Armistice Agreement, but as a military area surrounded by barbed wire, it is actually inaccessible to anyone, making the Han River estuary itself a symbol of division.

Through the NLL Peace Barbed Wire Path development project, Ganghwa County plans to transform the coastline and barbed wire, which have been symbols of division and disconnection, into spaces symbolizing sustainable peace.

Under the theme of "Beyond Division to Peace and Unification," the county will connect the entire 16 kilometers of northern Ganghwa, ranging from ▲Ganghwa War Museum ▲625 War Veterans Memorial Park ▲Yeonmijung ▲Goryeo Capital Relocation Park ▲NLL Peace Barbed Wire Path ▲Peace Observatory ▲Inter-Korean 1.8 Peace Center, as a walking course and create spaces for diverse experiences.

In the project name, "Neul," which means "always" and "continuously," and the letters "NLL," which serve as a maritime demarcation line, were conceived to easily evoke the symbolic meaning of this project.

A county official stated, "The Han River estuary area in northern Ganghwa has been recognized as a region of division where no one can access due to continued division," and added, "We will develop the northern Ganghwa region as a space symbolizing inter-Korean peace rather than a region of division and disconnection, and reflect on the meaning of unification."