South Korea’s DMZ Peace Train Music Festival brings fun to the world’s most heavily guarded frontier
- Festival will take place in July over two days instead of four, with a line-up of home-grown acts and no international artists, because of the coronavirus pandemic
- The name Peace Train pays tribute to British singer-songwriter Cat Steven’s song. Around 3,000 festivalgoers are expected to attend
Three thousand music fans are expected to travel to the world’s most heavily guarded frontier – the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea – next month for the third DMZ Peace Train Music Festival.
The annual, not-for-profit event on the South Korean aside of the DMZ in Cheorwon county, Gangwon province, promotes itself as an all-inclusive space to experience peace through music, and is open to all, regardless of age or nationality.
However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, Peace Train will see some marked changes from previous editions – including a leaner line-up consisting of home-grown acts instead of international artists, a duration of two days instead of four, and enforced social distancing measures.
What has not changed is the unique choice of venue: Cheorwon county, which sits on the Civilian Control Line that marks an additional buffer zone to the DMZ.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Peace Train’s organising team jokingly exchanged suggestions about how to enforce social distancing in the crowd by using everything from hula hoops to sombrero hats.