Kaesong

Kaesŏng (개성, 開城) is a city in North Korea, only from the DMZ with South Korea. Twelve historic monuments and sites in Kaesong were inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.

Understand
Kaesong is a small historical city that was a capital of the Koryo Dynasty (918–1392 CE) for several hundred years. It was also the only major city that changed hands between North and South Korea as a result of the Korean War.

It was well-known for a time for the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a "special economic zone", developed by Hyundai Asan with North Korea. In 2012 this special administrative industrial region had over 50,000 North Korean workers typically working for about 20% of the South Korean minimum wage in dozens of brand-new factories operated by more than 100 South Korean companies. Although relatively successful both economically and politically, it ceased operations in 2016 due to disagreements around North Korean nuclear tests, and as of 2024 has been almost completely officially abandoned as a project by both North and South.

Get in
The only realistic way to visit Kaesong is from Pyongyang, (which you can reach from Beijing as a part of an organized tour) by highway, about 2½ hours away. This is often combined with a North Korean DMZ visit.

There are connections to South Korea via road and rail through the DMZ, although these routes are heavily restricted and limited to business and diplomatic traffic only.

In the past there were group tour buses running daily from Seoul (taking about 2 hours), however this was stopped by North Korea some years ago and it is unclear when they will become available again.

By rail, there is the (built with South Korean funds) however it appears not to be in use.

Get around
Visitors to the city must be accompanied by a tour guide, and all your travel will be arranged for you.

Buy
Souvenirs such as DPRK stamps, books written by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il, and Korean handicrafts are available, and not expensive. Stores selling souvenirs accept US dollars, euros and Chinese yuan.

Ginseng is grown locally and is a particularly good buy both because of its quality and low price.

Eat
The Kaesong Folk Hotel also has a restaurant, as do the Foreigner Hotel at Puk Gate by the Pakyon Falls and the Janamsan Hotel near the Sonjuk Bridge.

Go next

 * Panmunjom - surreal truce village on the border of North and South Korea