Ilgwang Beach

Ilgwang Beach in Ilgwang-eup, Gijang County, is a compact, bow-shaped bay where you can see both ends of the sand at a glance. The water is shallow and the waves gentle, which makes it good for families, and a small hillock in the middle of the beach, Samseongdae, carries a story about three late-Goryeo scholars. It is also the setting of Oh Yeong-su's short story Gaetmaeul (The Seaside Village), and it offers a taste of the east-coast fishing-village seaside that feels quite different from Haeundae or Gwangalli.

A pocket beach

Ilgwang Beach fills a sheltered cove between Icheon-ri and Hak-ri. Rather than an endless horizon, it is a classic pocket beach framed by hills and village houses on both sides, so it feels cosy rather than vast. At its northern end the Ilgwangcheon stream, which rises on Ahopsan and Cheonmasan, meets the sea.

Its fine sand drew visitors early on, and it officially opened as a bathing beach in the 1930s. The coast was once lined with centuries-old pines; they are gone now, but a pine-shaded path called Gangsongjeong survives at the southern end. The bay is counted among the Eight Scenic Views of Gijang. Around 2020 the new town of Ilgwang Sindosi rose to the west of the beach, gradually changing the view inland. In autumn 2021 the beach hosted the Sea Art Festival, Busan's biennial seaside art show, when large installations were set up across the sand.

Samseongdae and "The Seaside Village"

• Samseongdae: a low mound in the middle of the beach. Tradition says the late-Goryeo scholars Jeong Mong-ju, Yi Saek and Yi Sung-in visited it, hence the name, "platform of the three sages".
• Gaetmaeul: published by Oh Yeong-su in 1953, this short story follows a woman diver who loses her husband at sea, and is set in the fishing village by Ilgwang Beach. When director Kim Soo-yong filmed it in 1965, he shot it here.
• Gaetmaeul Festival: every summer, around the start of the bathing season, Gijang County holds a festival in Ilgwang themed on the haenyeo women divers, with performances and fishing-village activities such as hauling in a seine net.

Tripto tips

• When to go: in high summer there are water sports and swan pedal boats, and lifeguarded swimming runs from 09:00 to 18:00. The beach itself is open all year, and spring and autumn are lovely for a quiet stroll. Gijang County announces the official bathing season each year, so check the dates in advance.
• Time needed: 1–2 hours for the beach and Gangsongjeong; half a day if you swim.
• Getting there: from Ilgwang Station on the Donghae Line commuter railway it is about a 10-minute walk (roughly 800 m) to the sand. One train ride from central Busan gets you there, so you do not need a car. There is a car park, toilets and showers.
• Combine with: about 8 km south is Haedong Yonggungsa, a temple perched on the sea cliffs. A morning at the temple and an afternoon at Ilgwang makes a good Gijang coast day.
• Good to know: even though the water is shallow, there are no lifeguards outside the official season, so do not swim far out.