'North Korean self-propelled guns captured' Visitors to Aegibong Peak in Gimpo increase... Over 13,000 people over 10 days

In a situation of military tension between North and South Korea, it was found that over 13,000 people visited Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, where North Korean self-propelled artillery can be viewed through telescopes, etc. in the past 10 days.

The North Korean army's self-propelled artillery, located on the North Korean coastline 1.5km away from Aegibong, was captured by media cameras such as Yonhap News last month, and related photos were spread on the 26th of last month, attracting attention.

According to Gimpo City on the 8th, the number of visitors to Aegibong Peace Ecological Park for 10 days from the 26th of last month to the 4th of this month reached 13,243. This is a 7.5% increase compared to the same period last year (12,321 people).

In particular, the number of visitors on weekdays increased noticeably during this period. The number of visitors was around 1,000 to 1,200 per day, and there were days when the number of visitors increased by up to 35% compared to the same day last year.

During this period, the number of visitors on the weekend (October 31 to November 1) was 4,200, a decrease of nearly 10% compared to the same weekend last year (November 1 to 2), but this was due to the 'restriction on additional visitors' measure.

Aegibong Peace Ecological Park limits the number of people staying in real time to 500 for reasons such as visitor safety. In other words, if the visitor's stay is prolonged, additional visitors are limited.

The North Korean army's self-propelled artillery is located at a distance that can be seen through telescopes, etc. However, Gimpo City explains that the North Korean military has recently covered self-propelled guns with camouflage, making it difficult to identify self-propelled guns.

As the number of visitors wanting to see North Korean self-propelled artillery is increasing and the length of stay is getting longer, Gimpo City is gradually reducing the size of advance reservations. From the 4th, the number of people who can make reservations was reduced to 200 people per hour (100 individuals, 100 groups).

Meanwhile, nearby residents are not hiding their discomfort at the increasing number of visitors.

Mr. A, a resident of Wolgot-myeon, said, "With the North Korean army's self-propelled artillery heading this way, residents live every day with anxiety that artillery fire may occur at any time. It is a problem directly related to our survival, but it is unfortunate that it is nothing more than a spectacle for outsiders."

Mr. A said, "There has even been a threat to broadcasting to South Korea, and only those who have experienced that pain will know. I hope that the tension between North and South Korea will be alleviated urgently."

In relation to this, an official from Gimpo City said, "Aegibong Peace Ecological Park was created with the purpose of facing the reality of the division of North and South Korea and reflecting on the value of peace. Even if you visit out of simple curiosity, I hope that after visiting it, it will become an opportunity to become interested in peace and understand the difficulties of residents together."