Posing on the Korean War border: selfie representations of the tourist experience at a dark heritage site

The expansion of user-generated media into daily life has prompted means of self-presentation through ‘proof’ selfies that capitalize on unique environments and experiences. Tourists engage with sites of conflict and tragedy to craft online personal narratives which transform the destination’s image. This study examines how the tourist experience at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is depicted by international visitors through travel selfies posted on Instagram, according to their online self-presentation. By conducting a quantitative content analysis of 165 user-generated selfies, we identify differences in their depiction of the DMZ across four types of social media profiles. Travelers displayed specific poses and captions that underscored their witness position on the Korean War border, divergence from the system in the North, tense border security and the memorable opportunity to learn about Korea’s history. The findings provide implications for destination marketing of dark heritage tourism, particularly at conflict sites, by leveraging the appeal of ‘Instagrammable’ moments and targeted messaging strategies.