The park consists of two areas, the main attraction being a seafront display of a warship and North Korean submarine. You can enter both for a fascinating insight into the confined spaces that both North and South Koreans lived in. The distant second area displays military planes and a retired presidential plane set up for photo ops. There is also an underwhelming ‘security exhibition hall’ and you won’t miss much if you skip this area and head to the seafront.
The 35m-long submarine was spying on military facilities near Gangneung in 1996 when it ran aground off Jeongdongjin. The commander burnt important documents (the fire-blackened compartment is still visible) and the 26 soldiers made a break for shore, hoping to return to North Korea. It took South Korea 49 days to capture or kill them (except one, who went missing); during the manhunt 17 South Korean civilians and soldiers were killed and 22 injured.
The warship , while considerably larger than the submarine, has a less dramatic story: built in America in 1945, it saw action in WWII and the Vietnam War, and was donated to South Korea in 1972. Its interior has been refurbished as an exhibition on Korean naval history with interesting glimpses at sleeping quarters and mess halls.
Unification Park is 4km north of the Jeongdongjin train station along the coastal road. As you exit the train station, turn left and look for the bus stop along the row of restaurants. Take bus 111, 112 or 113 (₩1300, 20 minutes, hourly) from downtown Gangneung and get out right after the warship, at the third stop once you hit the coastal road. The military planes are at the second stop, an exposed 20-minute walk along the highway.
