Welcome to The DMZ Forum's Substack
Where the world's most dangerous border became its most extraordinary wilderness.
For over 70 years, a strip of land four kilometers wide has divided the Korean Peninsula — patrolled by soldiers, lined with landmines, and closed to almost all human activity. And yet, something remarkable happened in that silence.
Nature came back.
Red-crowned cranes returned to the rice paddies. Asiatic black bears reclaimed the forested ridgelines. Over 6,000 species — including dozens found nowhere else — quietly made the DMZ their home. What began as a border became an accidental paradise, and one of Asia’s most vital ecological corridors.
The DMZ Forum has been working to protect that paradox since 1998.
Founded in New York as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we have spent nearly three decades at the intersection of ecology and diplomacy — bringing together scientists, policymakers, Nobel laureates, and conservation advocates to ensure that the DMZ’s extraordinary natural heritage is preserved, not lost, in any future transformation of the Korean Peninsula.
Our supporters have included Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, and Ted Turner. Our work has spanned both sides of the 38th parallel — and is now expanding northward, to the Tumen River corridor and the Russian Far East, where the last wild Amur leopards cross borders that exist only on human maps.
So why a Substack — and why now?
Because the DMZ’s story deserves to be told. Not just in academic journals or policy briefs, but in the kind of writing that makes people stop and care.
In this newsletter, you can expect:
Field dispatches — stories from the DMZ and the wider Northeast Asian ecological corridor
Ecology & science — the wildlife, ecosystems, and research that make the DMZ irreplaceable
Diplomacy & policy — how conservation becomes a language for peace
Updates from DMZ Forum — our projects, partnerships, and ongoing work
We’ll publish in English, with Korean summaries for our readers on the peninsula and in the Korean diaspora.
If this resonates with you, subscribe — and share with someone who should know this story.
The DMZ has survived 70 years of tension. Help us make sure it survives the peace, too.
→ dmzforum.org
🇰🇷 한국어 요약
DMZ Forum은 1998년 뉴욕에서 설립된 미국 501(c)(3) 비영리단체로, 한반도 비무장지대(DMZ)의 생태계와 평화를 지키는 활동을 해왔습니다. 70년간의 분단이 만들어낸 이 ‘우연한 낙원’에는 현재 6,000여 종의 야생동식물이 서식하고 있습니다. 이 뉴스레터에서는 DMZ의 생태, 외교, 그리고 DMZ Forum의 활동을 영문 중심으로 전하며, 한국어 요약을 함께 제공합니다. 구독해 주세요.