20 beaches with hidden charms
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Hyeopjae Beach on Jeju Island has crystal-clear waters and white sand. / Courtesy of KTO
KTO recommends lesser-known but clean beaches nationwide
By Kim Rahn
Vacationers naturally head for the beach during summer. In Korea, where the population is dense, major beaches are crowded with up to 1 million vacationers a day at peak times.
But visitors are not always satisfied with the popular beaches: high popularity means many people, congestion, lack of room for tanning, rip-off prices and lost and crying children.
Especially it is likely that the waters and environment of such beaches won’t be very clean during summer vacation because of the high number of users.
To help vacationers find cleaner beaches, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corp. jointly selected 20 beaches offering pleasant environments.
The corporation evaluated water quality at the beaches, while the organization studied the average number of visitors there and nearby tourist attractions.
“Nearly 52 percent of beachgoers visit five major beaches such as Haeundae in Busan,” a KTO official said. “The 20 beaches may be lesser-known to the public, but have clean waters and many other attractions.”
West coast
Dongmak Beach on Ganghwa Island, Incheon, has endless mudflats, which is said to be one of the world’s biggest in terms of size and abundance of marine life. Visitors can swim when the tide comes in, and watch sea creatures such as clams, crabs and lugworms during ebb tide. There are many other tourist and historic attractions on the island.
Seopori Beach in Ongjin County, Incheon, is surrounded by a forest of more than 800 pine trees. The forest serves as a campsite, with restaurants, a playground, tennis courts, karaoke and bike rentals available.
Chunjangdae Beach in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, has been selected as one of the best beaches by many tourism-related agencies. People can walk to nearby islets from the seashore when the tide is out. There are also pine and acacia forests.
Gyeokpo Beach in Buan, North Jeolla Province, boasts of beautiful sunset scenery and many people also rent boats to go fishing, while Dolmeori Beach in Hampyeong and Oedaldo Beach in Mokpo, both in South Jeolla Province, have artificial seawater pools. Gagye Beach on Jindo, an island in South Jeolla Province, is popular for fishing.
East coast
Almost all beaches selected along the east coast are located in Gangwon Province, a popular summer vacation destination.
Naksan Beach in Yangyang is known not only for the beach itself but also a nearby port, Jeonjin Port, where visitors can buy and eat raw fish as well as catch a ferry to nearby islands.
Also famous for seafood is Jumunjin Beach in Gangneung, adjacent to three ports. Saury is the seasonal delicacy in spring, squid in summer and blowfish and lancefish in winter.
Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung is the largest beach on the east coast. White sand covers the 1.8-kilometer-long beach. Concerts and performances are held on a stage on the beach every summer night. Visitors can rent bicycles and ride around nearby Gyeongpo Lake.
Mangsang Beach in Donghae is ideal for families as the waters are shallow and there is a car campsite. Nearby attractions include a limestone cave and a valley.
Other beaches on the east coast in Gangwon Province are Songjiho Beach in Goseong, Osan Beach in Yangyang and Maengbang Beach in Samcheok. North Gyeongsang Province also has Mangyangjeong Beach in Uljin. All of them offer beautiful scenery with pine forests and are close to other tourist attractions such as caves, mountains and temples.
South coast, Jeju
Busan’s representative beaches are Haeundae and Gwangalli, but Songjeong Beach is rather famous for those who want to avoid the hustle and bustle. With two lighthouses, each in red and white, the beach is also popular for photo shoots.
Gujora Beach on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, was once used by U.S. soldiers when a POW camp was set up on the island during the Korean War (1950-53). The sand is soft, and ferry tours to nearby islets are available.
The waters on Seolli Beach in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province, are pleasantly warm as the region rarely has snow even in winter.
The beaches of Jeju Island are famous for their crystal-clear waters and white sands, and Gwakjigwamul Beach and Hyeopjae Beach are two of the most representative. They are well equipped with shower stalls, changing rooms and other facilities.