Just a few hundred metres from the South Korean border, the quaint village of Kijong-dong, or ‘Peace Village’ as North Korea calls it, seems at first glance to be a perfect settlement.
In the heart of the Korean Peninsula, there is a mysterious place adorned with the word peace but resembling a ghost town: Kijong-dong, or ‘Peace Village.’ The name sounds nice, one thinks of quiet streets, flowery windows and children playing. But the reality does not fit this idyllic picture. Because in this village, you cannot even hear a cat meowing, let alone the voices of children. In fact, no one lives here. And never has. Kijong-dong is perhaps the loneliest village in the world. But this loneliness is not a coincidence, it is a conscious stage setting, a meticulously prepared decor. Its purpose is quite interesting, to be a propaganda showcase against South Korea.
If you see Kijong-dong without binoculars, you would say, ‘There is life here.’ Tidy roads, water towers, neatly painted houses and street lamps lit at night… But things change when you look through binoculars
Some windows even have patterns that look like curtains. But when you get a little closer with binoculars, the truth comes out: The buildings are just shells. They are empty inside. The windows are not real, they are painted instead of glass. The doors don’t open either, because there is no room behind them.
Experts liken the village to a Hollywood set. There is no real life; it’s just an illusion that ‘looks like life’. This is one of the propaganda strategies that North Korea has been skilfully using for years.
Why does the Peace Village exist?
When the Korean War ended in 1953, no formal peace treaty was signed. There was only an armistice. In technical terms, North and South Korea were still at war. A Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) 250 kilometres long and close to 4 kilometres wide was established in the middle of the border. Ironically, however, this is the most heavily armed border line in the world.
According to the rules in this area, both North and South could only keep one village each. South Korea has chosen to preserve the village of Daeseong-dong, where its former inhabitants live. About 200 people live here, but they are almost completely isolated from the outside world. Their identities are private, they are forbidden to go out after 23.00 at night and no one can settle in the village.
North Korea took a different tack. Instead of preserving a real village, it built a brand new ‘model village’ from scratch: Kijong-dong. But there was no life in this village, and there never was. Because the purpose of this village was different.
The purpose of Kijong-dong was to send a message to South Korea
They wanted to say ‘Our side is much more beautiful, more developed, more prosperous’. So the village was carefully built. Electricity poles, water towers, school buildings, child care centres, hospital buildings… Everything was planned. But the inside was left empty.
When South Korean military observers observed the village through binoculars, they realised that the buildings were not real. The windows were actually painted on the walls, some houses didn’t even have floors. Light bulbs were placed on the exterior walls to make it look as if light was shining from the inside to the outside.
Even today, North Korea claims that hundreds of people live in this village. According to official statements, children go to school here, people are admitted to hospitals, and even social events are organised. But binoculars and satellites tell a different story.
Over the years, people were occasionally seen in Kijong-dong. But these were not actual residents of the village
They were usually labourers who swept the streets at certain hours. These people, who appeared to be cleaning, actually made the village look as if it was ‘alive’. The streets were swept, the fronts of the buildings were organised, and a picture was created as if there was life inside. But when the broom was put down, everyone disappeared. In Daeseong-dong, just opposite the fake village, South Korea erected a flagpole more than 100 metres tall in 1980. North Korea was not silent about this move. It built one of the world’s tallest flagpoles: 160 metres. And at the top of it hung a huge flag weighing about 270 kilograms.
This ostentatious contest was dubbed the ‘Battle of the Flagpole’. On the one hand, Kijong-dong symbolised false prosperity with its empty walls, on the other hand, it was in the middle of a real ego battle with its flagpole. At times, the silence in the village turned into a loud fight. North Korea was broadcasting propaganda from loudspeakers in the South. Triumphs of the system, socialist praise, anti-US messages. In response to this broadcast, South Korea started broadcasting K-pop music over loudspeakers. Maybe there was no BTS or Blackpink at that time, but the pop melodies of that period could be heard easily from the border. North Korean soldiers were exposed to these rhythmic melodies morning and evening.
In the end, both sides gave up this ‘loud war’ after a while. But even this shows how symbolic Kijong-dong has become.
Today, Kijong-dong is still standing. The windows are still painted, the street lamps are occasionally lit, a few attendants take care of the decor. But there is no children’s laughter, no shirts dancing on washing lines. This village has ceased to be a residential area and has become a political message. It is also like a stage frozen in time: there is neither a step forward nor complete abandonment. Everything remains in its place, as if one day someone will actually come.
The existence of Kijong-dong speaks volumes. That peace comes not only with words, but with real actions… There is no peace with fake villages, high poles and loudspeakers. Maybe Kijong-dong is a place that longs for the reality of peace, not a model of it. But for now, it’s just a good prop.
