Surfyy Beach located in Gangwon-do in the Republic of Korea (ROK) is about 70 kilometers south of the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). 

Lee Hyung-joo created this surfers' paradise in 2015 against what seemed to be insurmountable odds. 

Speaking to Assignment Asia, beach founder Lee Hyung-joo said, “The two Koreas are still technically at war, so we are in the middle of a ceasefire. And since we're very close to the border, there used to be a lot of spies who would come through the sea to South Korea. So there are a lot of military bases around, and most of these beaches are closed by barbed wire.” 

Getting the ROK army to unlock the gate was no easy task. 

“First of all, we had to convince the military that this would benefit them and that this wouldn't be in conflict with their exercises and practices that were going on. That was a very difficult thing,” Lee recalled. 

Even now, the gate is unlocked only in summer during daylight hours. 

Lee hopes that other beaches will open closer to the DMZ and perhaps, one day, beyond. 

Surfer Kwan-hyunk said, “I would go surfing with my friends there if reunification takes place.” 

Agreeing, fellow surfer Kim Tae-soo added, “If the sea were to be opened in the north when reunification happens, it would be possible to go to places we have never experienced before. That would be a good experience.” 

As CGTN correspondent Jack Barton noted, opening a gate in a fence to allow people in to surf may not seem like a big deal, but it is. 

Barton added, “The fact the army allowed this to happen means the risk of infiltration by submarine or even abduction has greatly diminished. It means trust is being built and relations are slowly normalizing. Normalization has a real impact for the people who can now surf, walk on the beach, as well as swim in the same sea that they have been looking at through strengthened steel and razor wire for over half a century.” 

So if inter-Korean ties continue to improve, being able to surf in those northern waters might just become a distinct possibility.