Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung – Cool Vibes. Cool Water. Lots of Fireworks

Happy Chuseok! I hope you are having a great time exploring the ROK or anywhere else for that matter and enjoying the last few days of summer before we abruptly begin autumn in a couple of weeks. This June, I headed down to Gangneung for a Father’s Day retreat and had the opportunity to visit Gyeongpo Beach. Gyeongpo is unique because it is a bit of a paradox. It is a chasm between a bed of golden sand and a cold, grey rocky ridge with a guard tower. At night however, the beach is not the focus, but the sky, which lights up with a sparkle of fireworks. Gyeongpo Beach is truly one of Korea’s more underrated beaches.

When to go: Like most beaches in Korea, the high time is during July and August when most Korean office drones get a week of vacation. I visited in late June and the beach wasn’t busy at all. It was still lively, but it wasn’t packed umbrella to umbrella like Haeundae beach. May – June or Sept – Early October would be the best times to go in my opinion, especially if you want to swim in the ocean.

The Gyeongpo Bridge: The bridge is a great spot for a photo opportunity. I caught at picture at sunrise. If you are looking for excellent landscape photos or some selfies to send back to your envious friends stuck in the dirges of humidity in Seoul, this would be the spot.

Couple (Cuddle?) Chairs: Is there a special someone you want to cuddle up with and ponder life’s big questions whilst looking into the bosom of the Pacific Ocean? Grab a couples chair, a bottle of wine and let the crashing of the waves ignite the romance. For some reason, Randall did not want to share a cuddle chair with me, which is strange as a I am a burly, sensitive and affectionate guy. Wait. That actually might have been the reason.

“Guards”, Rocks and Piers. Oh my: In a contrasting perspective, like most things on the East Coast that is close to our friendly neighbours in the north, there is a level of “security” that is a necessity I guess. Also, you have to have some local fishermen or women, throwing in the lines, hoping to catch some freshness, or at least, have a beer and look at their lines in complete tranquility.

I feel safe. Don’t you?

Who Should Visit Gyeongpo Beach: Close to Seoul and don’t feel like fighting the crowds? Go in May – June or Sept – October and enjoy the friendly, spacious waterfront of the East Sea at Gyeongpo.

Who Should Avoid Gyeongpo Beach: Yeah, the nightlife here in Gangneung is fairly limited and is basically beer and soju from the GS25 and fireworks on the beach. If you want to hit the beach Gangnam style youngins, you best head to Haeundae Beach in Busan.

Tags: beach, beach chairs, cuddle chairs, East Sea, family, fishing, Gangneung, guards, Gyeongpo Beach, Gyeongpo bridge, Haeundae beach, Korean beaches, Pacific Ocean, piers, quiet, rocks, sand, sea, Sea of Japan, South Korea