Sokcho as a Base for the East Coast Beach Belt: Naksan, Hajodae & Beyond

Sokcho is a compact fishing city in Gangwon Province, in the northeast of South Korea. It sits where the Seorak mountains drop almost directly into the East Sea. It is a very good base for the beaches that run south through Yangyang, including Naksan and Hajodae, and north toward Goseong. Each of these sits within 20 to 50 minutes of town. This guide covers how Sokcho feels, where to sleep, what to eat, and how to organise day trips along the coast without renting a car.

Why Sokcho Works as a Beach-Belt Base

Most visitors to the east coast of South Korea choose between two modes: a package of resort strips or a string of small towns with limited transport. Sokcho sits between the two. It has a proper intercity bus terminal, hundreds of places to eat, a working harbour and enough accommodation at different price points to suit most travellers. It is also small enough to cross on foot in an hour or two.

The city’s character comes from its geography and its history. The sea lies on one side and a granite wall of peaks on the other, so weather and light change quickly. A morning that begins with fog on the harbour can end with a clear view of Seoraksan from the beach. Sokcho also lies close to the northern boundary of the South Korean state, and that has shaped its population. Many families arrived from Hamgyeong Province during the Korean War, expecting to return home within weeks. They stayed, and their food, accents and stories remain part of the city.

For a beach-focused trip, the advantage is practical. From Sokcho you can swim in the morning, hike in the afternoon and still eat a good seafood dinner by the harbour. The beach towns to the south are quieter and more stripped-back, with limited accommodation and fewer late-night options. Sleeping in Sokcho and visiting them by day gives you more choice, and it rarely costs more.

The tradeoff is that Sokcho itself is not a classic resort. The main beach is wide and pleasant, but it sits behind a strip of motels, cafes and seafood restaurants rather than a manicured promenade. If you want a place where every room has a private plunge pool and the sea is the only view, you will find that elsewhere. If you prefer a real town with a market and a commuter bus, Sokcho suits you.

Choosing Your Neighbourhood

Sokcho is small, but the part of town you pick shapes your trip more than you might expect. Four areas matter to most visitors.

Sokcho Beach and the downtown core

The area around Sokcho Beach and Jungang Market has the most useful mix of beds, restaurants and transport. You can walk to the sand in a few minutes, reach the market on foot, and catch local buses from nearby stops. Accommodation ranges from older motels and guesthouses to newer mid-range hotels with sea-facing rooms. The Sokcho Eye Ferris wheel, close to the beach, gives the shoreline a recognisable landmark and a good vantage point at dusk.

The downside is noise on summer weekends, when Seoul families and groups of friends fill the area. If you are a light sleeper, ask for a room away from the main road.

Daepo Port

Daepo, north of the main beach, is the better choice if you prefer a working-port atmosphere to a beach-resort one. Mornings start with boats unloading and vendors setting out their catch, and the lighthouse area makes a good place for sunrise. Seafood restaurants line the waterfront, and some of them specialise in the cold-water crabs the region is known for. Accommodation is more limited, and you may need a taxi or a bus to reach the main beach.

Cheongchoho Lake and Abai Village

Cheongchoho is a lagoon lake just inland from the sea, ringed with pavilions, restaurants and walking paths. The area around it is quieter than the beachfront and has the most relaxed pace in town. It is also the best place to be if you want to walk to Abai Village and the hand-pulled ferry. Hotels here tend to be a little more formal, with some offering lake or mountain views rather than sea views.

Seorak-dong

Seorak-dong is the resort district at the foot of Seoraksan National Park. It has larger hotels, a hot-spring spa and an easy early start for hikers. It makes sense if mountains are your main interest and the beaches are a secondary plan. For a beach-focused stay it is less convenient, since you will need a bus or taxi to reach the coast every day.

For most readers of this guide, the best choice is the downtown and beach area, with Cheongchoho as a calmer alternative.

In Town First: Abai Village, the Hand-Pulled Ferry and the Harbour

Spend your first afternoon on Sokcho itself. The city’s best sights are modest, but they tell you the most about the place.

Abai Village and the gaetbae

Abai Village, also called Abai Maeul, grew out of the refugee settlement that formed here after the Korean War. People from the north built a community on the sandy ground at the narrow mouth of the lagoon, within sight of the border country they had left. Today the village is a mix of small restaurants, cafes and family homes, and it is the best place to taste the northern food tradition described below.

The village is connected to the main part of Sokcho by the gaetbae, a flat barge pulled across the water along a steel cable. Passengers stand on the deck while an operator turns a wheel by hand. The crossing takes only a couple of minutes and costs very little. It is slow, simple and a real working crossing rather than a staged attraction. It makes an effective way to arrive at the village.

Cheongchoho and Yeongnang Lake

Cheongchoho Lake is a short walk from the ferry landing and is good for a late-afternoon stroll. Yeongnang Lake, in the north of the city, is a quieter lagoon with a pavilion at one end, and it is a nice place to be at sunrise or sunset. Both lakes sit just behind the beach, so you see the contrast between still water and open surf in a single view.

Sokcho Beach and the pine strip

The main beach is long, wide and gently sloping, with fine pale sand and a line of pine trees along parts of the shoreline. It is a good place for a first swim during the summer season and a pleasant place to walk during the rest of the year. Early mornings are the best time, when the beach is nearly empty and the light picks out the mountain ridges to the west.

Daepo Port and the lighthouse

Daepo Port is the city’s main fishing harbour. Boats come in during the early hours, and the surrounding streets are busy with crates, ice and fish buyers. Visit around mid-morning to see the end of the unloading, then walk up to the lighthouse for a view over the harbour and the sea beyond.

Eating in Sokcho

Sokcho is one of the best places on the Korean east coast to eat, and its cooking is more varied than the usual raw-fish-and-soju image suggests. Much of it comes from three sources: the cold northern sea, the Hamgyeong refugee tradition and the city’s market culture.

Squid sundae and northern dishes

Ojingeo sundae, squid stuffed with a filling of vegetables, glutinous rice and sometimes noodles, is a Sokcho signature. It is served in thick slices, usually with a dipping sauce, and it is milder and more delicate than the pork-blood sundae eaten in other parts of the country. Abai Village is the traditional place to eat it. The same area is known for Hamheung-style naengmyeon, a chewy noodle dish made with potato or sweet potato starch, usually served cold with a spicy sauce.

Hwangtae and pollack

Hwangtae, pollack dried by repeated freezing and thawing in the mountain air, is a regional speciality. It appears most often in haejangguk, a hangover-soothing soup with a clean, slightly sweet broth, and as grilled fillets in a spicy marinade. If you are staying for several days, order the soup once and the grilled version once. They taste quite different.

Seafood at the harbour

Daepo Port and the waterfront near the main beach have restaurants selling raw fish, grilled shellfish and, in the colder months, snow crab. If you are not sure how to order, a set menu is the easiest way to sample several things at once. Mulhoe, a cold bowl of thinly sliced raw fish with vegetables and a chilled, slightly tangy broth, is a refreshing option on a hot day.

Jungang Market and fried chicken

Sokcho Jungang Market is the city’s main tourist market, though it remains a working one. Its most famous product is dakgangjeong, crispy fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet and spicy glaze. Several shops in the market and nearby streets sell it by the box, and it travels well. Buy a box in the late afternoon and carry it to the beach for dinner. The market also has stalls selling tteokbokki, fish cakes, fresh seafood and seasonal fruit.

Cafes

Sokcho’s cafe culture has grown quickly in recent years, and many of the newer places have sea views. They are useful during the middle of the day, when the sun is strongest and the beach is at its least comfortable. A coffee with a sea view is less expensive here than in Seoul, and the better cafes serve decent local pastries.

Naksan: The Temple on the Cliff and Its Beach

Naksan, about 20 minutes south of Sokcho by car, is the best-known stop on the beach belt. It combines a long, relaxed stretch of sand with one of the most photographed temples in Korea.

Naksansa and Uisangdae

Naksansa is a Buddhist temple founded in the seventh century and associated with the monk Uisang. It stands on a slope above the sea, among pines. Much of the original complex was destroyed by fire in 2005 and has since been rebuilt, so the buildings are newer than their reputation suggests. The setting remains the draw. The temple grounds are quiet and open to the sea, and the walking paths feel more like a coastal park than a typical temple complex.

Two places stand out. Uisangdae is a small pavilion on a rocky headland, where a short path leads to a view across the water. It is a popular spot for watching the sunrise, so arrive early if you want a place to stand. Hongnyeonam is a small hermitage built into the rock, with a large Haesu Gwaneum statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion facing the sea. Look through the glass floor panel in the hermitage’s small prayer hall and you can see the water breaking below.

Naksan Beach

Naksan Beach is a short walk from the temple area, though not directly adjacent. It is a long, pale beach with a mellow atmosphere, and in summer it has the usual rental umbrellas and nearby snack stalls. Outside the season it becomes a quiet place for a walk, with a few cafes and seafood restaurants along the road behind it. It is a good choice if you want the sea without the crowds of the larger resort beaches.

A comfortable half-day plan is to arrive at the temple early, spend two hours on the grounds, walk or taxi to the beach for a swim or a walk, eat lunch nearby and return to Sokcho by mid-afternoon.

Hajodae: Pines, a Seaside Pavilion and Early Light

Hajodae lies further south in Yangyang County, about 30 minutes from Sokcho by car. It is a smaller, quieter and more scenic stop than Naksan, and it rewards a slower visit.

The cliff and the pavilion

The main feature is a small pavilion perched on a cliff above the sea, surrounded by old pines and weathered rock. The setting is classically East Asian. Twisted trees lean over the water, and the pavilion looks out over a flat horizon. It is among the most popular sunrise spots in the region, and photographers tend to arrive well before dawn. Go in the morning if you can. The light is soft, the crowds are thin, and the cliffside path is at its best.

The beach below

Beneath the cliff, Hajodae Beach is a narrow, quiet stretch of sand framed by rocks on either side. It is small by comparison with the long beaches to the north and south, but its scale gives it a pleasant intimacy. Swimming is possible in the summer season, and the water is usually clear. There is a small cluster of restaurants and cafes nearby, so you do not need to carry food.

How it differs from Naksan

The two stops offer different experiences. Naksan combines a famous temple with a broad beach, and its atmosphere is cultural and photographic. Hajodae is a place for sea, rock and pine, with fewer buildings and less to do. If you only have time for one, choose Naksan for first-time variety and Hajodae for scenery and calm. If you have a full day, you can see both with a lunch stop between them.

South to the Surf Towns: Jukdo, Gisamun and the Cafe Coast

Beyond Hajodae, the coast south of Sokcho has become one of Korea’s best-known surfing regions. The beaches here are broader, the waves are more consistent, and the culture is more casual.

Jukdo and Dongho

Jukdo Beach in Yangyang is the best-known surf spot on this stretch. A small tree-covered islet sits just offshore, and a short path leads to a viewing point with a view of the beach and coast. The beach is lined with surf shops, cafes and guesthouses, and during the summer season it is full of learners in rented wetsuits. Surf schools offer lessons for beginners, usually including board and wetsuit hire.

Gisamun and the newer cafes

Gisamun Beach, a little further on, has a more relaxed reputation. It has a loose cluster of cafes, bakeries and small shops, and it suits visitors who want to sit by the sea rather than surf. The wide, shallow shoreline is also good for walking. Several newer cafes have been built here with large windows and rooftop terraces, and they are among the most popular places to watch the sunset.

Is it worth the extra distance?

These beaches are about 40 to 50 minutes from Sokcho. A day trip is practical, but it works best if you start early and plan a single main activity. Take a surf lesson and spend the afternoon in a cafe, or spend the day walking along the shoreline and visiting the small seaside shops. If surfing is your main goal, consider moving to a guesthouse in Jukdo for a night or two. If it is only one item on a longer list, Sokcho remains the more convenient base.

North Toward the DMZ: Ayajin, Hwajinpo and Goseong

North of Sokcho, the coast changes character. The beaches are quieter, the towns smaller, and the shoreline is lined here and there with military fencing and observation posts. This is a corner of Korea where the Cold War remains visible.

Ayajin and the northern beaches

Ayajin, about 30 minutes from Sokcho in Goseong County, is a small beach village with a relaxed, slightly bohemian atmosphere. The beach itself is clean and uncrowded, with a handful of cafes and guesthouses nearby.

Hwajinpo

Hwajinpo is a lagoon and beach area known for its pine forest, its lakeside walking paths and a group of former holiday villas once used by senior political figures. The villas are now museums, and they provide a useful historical counterpoint to the beach experience. A walk around the lake, followed by a swim or a coffee on the beach, makes an easy half-day.

Unification Observatory and the DMZ region

Goseong also has the Unification Observatory, a viewing point near the northern limit of the area open to South Korean civilians. On a clear day it offers views toward the North Korean coastline and the Geumgangsan mountains. Access is controlled, and visitors typically need to register at a checkpoint and may need to carry their passport. Check the current rules before you go, since access can change with little notice. For travellers interested in the political history of the peninsula, this is the most direct way to see the border region from the east coast.

Seoraksan as the Counterweight to a Beach Week

Even a beach-focused trip benefits from a day in the mountains, and Seoraksan National Park is the biggest advantage of basing yourself in Sokcho. The park is a short bus ride from town, and its scenery is among the most dramatic in South Korea.

Easy options

If you want a gentle visit, take the cable car from the base of the park up toward the ruins of Gwongeumseong fortress, then walk for a few minutes to the viewing platform. The ride is short and the views over the surrounding peaks are broad. At the park entrance, the bronze Unification Buddha near Sinheungsa Temple is a calm place to spend an hour, and a flat path leads on toward Biryong Falls.

The Ulsanbawi hike

For a full day out, the hike to Ulsanbawi, a great granite rock formation, is the most popular route. It is a steady climb with a steep staircase near the top, and the whole round trip usually takes three to four hours. The summit view includes the sea, the city and the surrounding ridgelines. Start early, bring water and wear proper shoes.

Fitting it into a beach trip

A good rhythm is to pair a mountain day with two beach days. Go to Seoraksan in the morning, return to Sokcho in the early afternoon, and finish the day with a walk on the beach or a soak in a hot spring. This gives your legs a rest and makes the coast feel fresh the next day. If the forecast is poor for swimming, the mountains are often a better choice, since low cloud can actually improve the atmosphere in the valleys.

Getting Around Without a Car

You do not need to rent a car to use Sokcho as a base, though a car does give you more flexibility. Most of the places in this guide are reachable by bus or taxi.

Arriving

The easiest way to reach Sokcho from Seoul is the express bus, which runs from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal and from Dong Seoul Terminal. The journey takes roughly two to two and a half hours, helped by the expressway that now links Seoul to the east coast. Buses are frequent and fares are modest, roughly in the range of 12 to 18 USD each way, though prices vary by class and season. Yangyang International Airport is also near, but flights are limited, so check schedules before relying on it.

Local buses

Sokcho has a dense network of local buses, with frequent services to Seoraksan and to the main parts of the city. Intercity and local buses also run to Yangyang County, including the Naksan area, though schedules are less frequent in the evening. Use a map app such as Naver Map or KakaoMap to see current routes and arrival times, since international apps are less accurate for Korean bus services. A transport card, available at convenience stores, makes boarding easier.

Taxis

Taxis are the most practical option for beach stops that buses reach infrequently. A taxi from Sokcho to Naksan usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes and costs in the region of 20 to 30 USD. Hajodae and the southern surf beaches cost more. The Kakao T app lets you book a taxi without needing Korean, though a driver may call you to confirm the pickup point. For a full day, you can negotiate a set price with a driver, which is often cheaper than paying for several separate rides.

When a car makes sense

Renting a car is worth considering if you plan to visit several beaches in one day or want to travel up to the Goseong area. An international driving permit is required for most visitors, and parking is usually easy outside the peak summer weekends. On those weekends, the coastal road can be slow and parking can fill up early.

Timing and Practical Notes

Seasons

The official swimming season on the east coast usually runs from early July to mid or late August, when lifeguards are on duty and beach facilities are open. It is also the most crowded and expensive time of year, so book accommodation well ahead. June and September are quieter, and the sea is still pleasant for walking even if it is too cool for a long swim.

Autumn is the best season for Seoraksan, with colour usually peaking in the second half of October, though the exact timing varies by year. Winter is cold and clear, with snow-dusted peaks and fresh crab on the menu at Daepo. Spring brings cherry blossom and a milder atmosphere, though sea fog can linger in the mornings.

Swimming and safety

Swim only when lifeguards are present and the flags indicate that conditions are safe. The east coast has strong currents and sudden drop-offs in places, and the water is colder than many visitors expect. Outside the official season, beaches may be unsupervised, and swimming is discouraged. At surf beaches, stay within the marked zones.

Money and language

Cards are accepted in most hotels, cafes and restaurants, but small market stalls and the gaetbae ferry may prefer cash. English is less widely spoken in Sokcho than in Seoul, so a translation app is helpful. Most menus in tourist areas have photos, which makes ordering easier. Restaurants often have minimum order rules for two people on set menus, so ask in advance if you are travelling alone.

Packing and planning

Bring a light waterproof jacket, even in summer, since coastal weather changes quickly. Sun protection is essential on the open beaches, and sturdy shoes are useful for the temple paths and mountain trails. Check the weather the night before each day trip, and keep one flexible day in your schedule. In this part of Korea, a day of fog or rain is often followed by a clear one, and having the freedom to swap plans makes the whole trip run more smoothly.

A simple five-day pattern

A straightforward itinerary for five days might look like this: one day in Sokcho itself, one at Naksan and Hajodae, one in Seoraksan, one on the surf coast or in Goseong, and one free day to repeat your favourite beach or market. It leaves room for slow mornings and long lunches, which is how this stretch of coast is best enjoyed.

Explore more
Seoraksan National Park: Hiking Trails, Seasonal Highlights & Visitor Tips
Sokcho’s Seafood Markets & Coastal Eating: From Abai Village to Daepo Port

📷 Featured image by Luke Paris on Unsplash.