Korean beaches ready to welcome summer vacationers

Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province (Korea Tourism Office)

As daytime temperatures in South Korea reach 33 degrees Celsius or higher, the country’s sandy beaches and ocean are set to welcome summer vacationers with various water-themed festivals and activities.

Gyeongpo Beach, the largest beach on the east coast which attracts an average of 6.5 million tourists every summer, has already kicked off its summer season with the Gangneung Beach Beer Festival on Saturday.

Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province (Korea Tourism Organization)

Located east of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the beach was visited by nearly 80,000 vacationers who enjoyed sunbathing, water sports, diving and walking along the beach on the day. its opening.

After Gyeongpo Beach, a total of 86 beaches in Gangwon Province are expected to be fully open from Monday to July 12, including the famous Sokcho, Jeongdongjin and Yangyang Surfyy beaches, according to the province.

Daecheon Beach, the iconic beach on the west coast of Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province and home of the Boryeong Mud Festival, welcomes visitors from Monday to August 18.

Visitors can enjoy the beach not only with their friends and family, but also with their pet dogs.

An 80-meter “pet beach” will open near Seagull Square on Daecheon Beach, allowing pet owners to spend a good time with their pets. A separate snack bar and pet toilet are also installed for the convenience of owners.

People enjoy the mud-themed program at the Boryeong Mud Festival along Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. (Korea Tourism Organization)

Tourists enjoy a banana boat ride off Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. (Korea Tourism Organization)

The annual mud festival, which kicks off on July 19, will provide a fun time for festival-goers with unique programs like body painting, a mud water park, K-pop concerts and a “mud train.”

Muchangpo Beach, another popular beach in Boryeong, will be open to visitors who prefer a quiet atmosphere rather than crowds, starting Saturday through August 18.

Meanwhile, Haenam, a county in South Jeolla Province known as “Ttangkkuet Village,” which means “village at the end of the country” in Korean, welcomes summer vacationers starting July 12.

Songho Beach and its pine forest in Haenam, South Jeolla Province (Korea Tourism Organization)

Songho Beach and its pine forest in Haenam, South Jeolla Province (Korean Tourism Office)

Ttangkkeut Songho Beach is set to entertain visitors with unique sand art, street performances, a gigantic inflatable pool for kids, water hoverboards and much more.

Beachgoers can stroll along the long coastline, where a pine forest more than 100 years old and the cool ocean breeze provide a relaxing moment to wash away stress and fatigue.

Ttangkkeut Songho Beach is officially open until August 18.