Sokcho Beach & the Harbour

Getting here

From Seoul

Take an express bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal (Express Bus Terminal Station, Lines 3, 7 and 9) or Dong Seoul Terminal (Gangbyeon Station, Line 2); KTO's bus guide, updated in June 2026, lists Sokcho at both. KTO's Korean article of November 2021 gives about 2 hours 20 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes respectively to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, about a 5-minute walk from the beach (KTO, 2025).

From Yangyang Airport

Yangyang International Airport, which KTO calls the lone international airport in Gangwon State, has intercity buses to Sokcho. KTO's 2026 guides give 30 to 40 minutes by intercity bus and about 30 minutes by taxi. With bags, the taxi is the simple choice for a beach-side stay.

By car from Seoul

Take the Seoul–Yangyang Expressway, which opened in full on 30 June 2017. The government's release that week gave the road as 150.2 km and put Seoul to Yangyang at about 90 minutes, and Incheon Airport to Yangyang at 2 hours 20 minutes.

On your doorstep

• Sokcho Eye A Ferris wheel about 65 m tall on Sokcho Beach, at 2 Cheonghohaean-gil, with what KTO calls panoramic views of the East Sea and Seoraksan. Open all year: 10:00–20:00 on weekdays and 10:00–21:00 at weekends and on holidays, with last entry an hour before closing.
• Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market The former Jungang Market, which KTO calls an essential tourist attraction in Sokcho. Covered walkways bring East Coast seafood and local specialities together in one place, and the chicken alley is known for dakgangjeong. It is about 5 minutes on foot from the intercity terminal (KTO, 2023).
• Oeongchi Badahyanggiro Trail A 1.74 km coastal trail from Sokcho Beach to Oeongchi Port, about 850 m on the Sokcho Beach side and 890 m on the Oeongchi side. KTO notes that the Oeongchi section was closed to civilians for several decades. Oeongchihaebyeon Beach, small with clear blue water, is on the way.
• Yeonggeumjeong The shore by the Sokcho Lighthouse, named because the waves on the rocks sound like a geomungo. A 50 m bridge over a rocky peninsula ends at a pavilion looking out over the East Sea; KTO says local residents donated to build Dongmyeong Bridge to reach the pavilion. The lighthouse, built in 1957, still lights up for ships at night.
• Dongmyeong Port A port with a live-fish centre where you choose your fish and eat it upstairs, and a pojangmacha (street-stall) alley along the port. KTO's Korean guide pairs it with Yeonggeumjeong as a sunrise spot.
• Abai Village and the gaetbae Across the 50 m channel in Cheongho-dong, a village formed by refugees of the Korean War from North Korea, KTO says. The gaetbae, an engine-less boat pulled along a steel wire, makes the crossing from downtown in about 5 minutes. KTO's Korean guide names Abai sundae and squid sundae as the local dishes, and by road the village is 4.6 km, about 10 minutes by car, from the market (KTO, 2023).
• Cheongchoho Lake A natural lagoon 5 km around in the heart of Sokcho, connected to the East Sea, KTO says. A 75 m bridge leads to Cheongchojeong Pavilion with views of Seoraksan, and KTO calls the lake Sokcho's finest night-view spot.
• Sokcho Expo Tower A 73.4 m tower at 72 Expo-ro with, KTO says, a complete view of the Sokcho area; Cheongchoho Lake Park, on the same road, hosted the 1999 International Tourism & Culture Expo. Open all year: 11:00–21:00 on weekdays and 09:00–22:00 at weekends.
• Daepo Port At what KTO calls the southernmost point of Sokcho, known as a place to find quality fish. Seorak Sunrise Park, on National Highway 7 in the same Daepo-dong, is a sunrise spot with sculptures, the East Sea in front and Seoraksan behind.

One easy day from here

1. Morning Arrive at the express terminal, walk about 5 minutes to Sokcho Beach (KTO, 2025) and follow the 1.74 km Oeongchi Badahyanggiro trail along the coast to Oeongchi Port.
2. Midday Back to the beach for Sokcho Eye, which opens at 10:00 every day, and the beach's pine-forest walking trail.
3. Afternoon The Tourist & Fishery Market for dakgangjeong, then out to Yeonggeumjeong's pavilion and the Sokcho Lighthouse.
4. Late afternoon Cross to Abai Village on the gaetbae for Abai sundae, and come back the same way.
5. Evening Seafood at Dongmyeong Port, from the live-fish centre or the pojangmacha alley, or Cheongchoho Lake after dark, Sokcho's finest night view in KTO's words.

Before you book

• Pick your end of town by terminal. The beach is about 5 minutes on foot from the express terminal (KTO, 2025), where KTO's 2021 timetable has the Seoul buses arriving; the market is about 5 minutes from the intercity terminal, where buses 7 and 7-1 to Seoraksan start (KTO, 2023 and 2024).
• Summer is peak season. KTO says July and August are the busiest months on Sokcho Beach; in 2025 the swimming season ran from 4 July to 24 August, and in 2026 the Sokcho Summer Festival ran around the beach from 31 July to 2 August. Book early for those weeks.
• For sunrise, KTO's Korean guide groups Yeonggeumjeong, by the Sokcho Lighthouse, and Dongmyeong Port as a sunrise spot, and KTO also lists Seorak Sunrise Park at Daepo.
• Late back from Abai? KTO's 2023 hours have the last gaetbae at 23:00 in summer and 22:30 in winter; after that, the way round is by road.