Cheorwon-gun in Gangwon Province will host the DMZ Peace Train Music Festival 2026 from Friday through Sunday at Goseokjeong and surrounding areas in Cheorwon.
Ahead of the festival, a ceremony praying for peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula was held Wednesday at Baengmagoji in Cheorwon, reflecting a shift in local sentiment from confrontation toward peace.
The festival opens Friday evening with a preview night, followed by performances by domestic and international artists, a fountain-stage DJ set and a special stage designed to reflect the unique character of the DMZ.
This year's program also adds a new late-night event to the two-night, three-day Peace Camp lineup.
The preview night, "Peace Train All-Stars," kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It opens with a choral performance embodying this year's key message of "human activity," followed by sets from Animal Divers, Wawawawa and Jeonkuk Bidulgi Yeonhap. Admission to the preview night is free and requires no advance booking.
Since its launch in 2018, the Peace Train festival has drawn strong post-event buzz each year with a lineup that balances legends and emerging acts, Asian and non-Asian artists, and domestic and international performers — all curated to resonate across generations.
Fourteen domestic acts are on the bill: celebrated diva In Soon-i, Peppertones — who have maintained their signature sound for two decades — The Volunteers featuring vocalist Baek Ye-rin, Effie, Lee Seung-yeol, Cha Seung-woo and Cousins, Jeon Ja-yang, Baek Hyun-jin, Sinilryu, Galaxy Express, Otis Lim, Sailor Honeymoon, Peach Truck Hijackers and Funkaphreak.
Ten international acts round out the lineup, led by the Thurston Moore Group from the United States — Thurston Moore ranks 34th on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Joining them are Nourished by Time; FCO. and tricot from Japan; Mildlife from Australia; DEADLETTER from the United Kingdom; Batavia Collective from Indonesia; La Flemme and Lewis OfMan from France; and GYMV from Thailand.
Beyond the main stage at Goseokjeong, the festival's signature "Special Stage" — which uses music to explore the DMZ's sense of place and the memory of national division — will this year be held in the yard beside the former Workers' Party of Korea building.
On the final day, Sunday, folk duo Moher and singer-songwriter Haipa will take that stage at 11 a.m. for a limited-capacity performance, filling the distinctive landscape and atmosphere of the historic building with music.
Also new this year is "Midnight Flower Field Express," a late-night program set in part of the Goseokjeong flower garden. It runs from midnight Saturday into the early hours of Sunday morning.
The festival will operate paid shuttle buses from Greater Seoul and major regional cities, as well as free shuttles from key points within Cheorwon to the venue to ease parking congestion.
Tickets for the DMZ Peace Train Music Festival 2026 are available through Melon Ticket. Cheorwon residents and active-duty military personnel stationed in the area may attend free of charge after registering in advance through Naver.
Meanwhile, the Cheorwon chapter of the Korean Women's Art and Culture Association held a traditional tea ceremony Wednesday at the Baengmagoji battle site, praying for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
The event drew local figures including Cheorwon County Governor Lee Hyeon-jong, Cheorwon County Council Speaker Han Jong-mun, council member Kang Se-yong and heads of civic and social organizations, who gathered to express their hopes for peace and unification.
Cheorwon-gun said the ceremony concluded successfully with broad community participation and played a meaningful role in the ongoing effort to advance peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. Governor Lee said he hoped the 30th edition of the ceremony — bringing together the community's sincerity and dedication — would serve as a vital foundation for hastening peace and reunification.
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