Enjoying scenic beauty of the sea
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Beautiful seaside scenery is seen from Wolsong Pavilion in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province. It is said to be one of the eight locations on the East Coast famous for their scenic beauty. / Courtesy of KTO
By Kim Rahn
Summer is the season of beaches. But some may want to have experiences other than sun bathing. Under the theme of “Scenery of beaches in fishing villages,” the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) introduces six regions which offer beautiful sea landscapes, mudflats activities and seasonal delicacies.
Mudflats in Gochang
Even children can dig out thin-shelled surf clams easily from the mudflats on Gusipo Beach in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province.
Gusipo Beach in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, is where visitors can enjoy both swimming and mudflats activities. Jangho Village there offers various activity programs. Visitors can rent boots, hoes and baskets from the information center and go to the mudflats on a tractor.
They can dig for thin-shelled surf clams and easily fill a 3 kilogram basket in an hour. Shower and changing rooms are available for washing up afterward.
Gochang is also famous for its megalithic tombs, as it has 1,665 dolmens out of the nation’s total 30,000. Gochang’s city fortress built during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), Seonun Temple and a center dedicated to the late poet Seo Jung-ju are also worth a visit.
Oddly formed rocks in Jumunjin
Squid ink ice cream at Sodol Port in Jumunjin, Gangneung, Gangwon Province
Adeul Bawi (son rock) Park at Jumunjin in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is where oddly formed rocks are lined along the seashore. It is said the rocks emerged due to deformation of the Earth’s crust during the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago and have been weathered by the winds since.
One of the rocks gained the name Adeul Bawi following a story that a childless old couple prayed for a child there for 100 days and subsequently had a baby.
Sodol Port nearby is famous for restaurants selling food made of local specialties, including ramen with a whole octopus, squid bread and squid ink ice cream. A cruise is also available at Jumunjin Port.
Centuries-old natural beauty in Uljin
A 25-kilometer road along the seashore in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, has been famous for its beautiful scenery for centuries. It is one of eight locations on the East Coast which has been praised for its scenery since the Joseon period.
On Mangyang Pavilion there, visitors can see where Wangpi River meets the sea. Driving south, there are Wolsong Pavilion and Mount Deunggi Park which also offer scenic beauty.
An exhibition center of freshwater fish and Buryeong Temple are also nearby.
Cycling along the sea in Yeosu
Seomdalcheon Village in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, is popular among cyclists. Riding bicycles on a 6-kilometer seaside road is a good way to enjoy the scenery. Visitors can rent bikes there.
The village is on Yeoja Bay, also called Suncheon Bay. Villagers run cockle and oyster farms.
Yeosu is also a popular tourist destination with cable cars running over the sea, railbikes along the seashore, and Hyangiram, a Buddhist hermitage on Mount Geumo.
Pike eel shabu-shabu is one of the must-eat dishes there in summer.
Seaside forest in Taean
A log cabin in Anmyeon Forest in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, is a popular lodging place.
Anmyeon Island in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, is called “island of pine trees” as more than 20 percent of the land is covered with pines. Anmyeon Forest has various kinds of trees and a log house which is very popular lodging.
A maze park opened on the island earlier this year. Visitors can try to escape from the maze which is made of white cedar trees.
Beaches there, including Eoeundol, also have many pine trees. There is a fishing village nearby, where people fish on the breakwater.
Sea-parting in Ansan
Visitors to Tan Island in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, can walk on the mudflats as the seawater parts to create a temporary land bridge between Tan Island and Nue Island due to tidal differences. The route opens twice a day, and people can go to Nue Island and view the scenery from an observatory.
Digging up short-neck clams and catching crabs is a must-do activity on the mudflats.
Fresh raw fish is available at restaurants at the port on Tan Island. Visitors select fish on the first floor of the fish market and then have the fish cooked at restaurants on the second floor.