Mukho Port

Mukho Port in Donghae grew rich on coal and squid. On the steep hill behind the harbour, the lanes where fishermen once lived, known as Nongol-damgil, are now covered in murals, and from Mukho Lighthouse at the top you can take in the whole port and the East Sea. It is an easy walk from Mukho Station, where KTX trains from Seoul stop, which makes it one of the most convenient seaside towns to visit by rail.

History: from coal port to tourist harbour

The name Mukho, "ink lake", is said to come from the way the sea and seabirds looked as dark as ink. A small fishing harbour, Mukho was developed in earnest in 1941 to ship anthracite from the Samcheok and Taebaek coalfields (some sources date its opening as a port to 1937). Cement and limestone later left from here too, and today's city of Donghae grew up around the harbour.

From the 1960s to the 1990s Mukho was a forward base for squid fishing, so much so that "squid" and "Mukho" became almost synonymous. The port also carries a painful memory: in 1976 a fleet of boats that had sailed from Mukho to the Daehwatoe fishing grounds near Ulleungdo sank in a storm, leaving 408 people dead or missing. It remains Korea's worst fishing-boat disaster.

As cargo moved to neighbouring Donghae Port, Mukho turned to tourism. A new passenger terminal opened on the central pier in March 2018, and ferries to Ulleungdo now leave from here.

What to see

• Nongol-damgil: the lanes that climb from the harbour to the lighthouse. Murals show the port village of 40–50 years ago: squid boats and A-frames loaded with squid, handcarts, corner shops and a grandmother climbing the hill with a bundle on her head. The project began modestly in 2010, was fully restored in 2015 and repainted again in 2024–2025. Of the four lanes, Deungdae-oreum-gil (the lighthouse path) has the best sea views.
• Mukho Lighthouse: a lighthouse built in 1963 that still shines every night. A spiral staircase leads to an all-round glass viewing deck, and the plaza at the entrance is engraved with Choe Nam-seon's poem "From the Sea to a Boy". The interior closes in the evening, when the lighthouse returns to work.
• The harbour and markets: fishing boats at the quay, raw-fish restaurants and the Dongjjokbada Jungang Market, about a 10-minute walk from Mukho Station.
• Dojjaebi-gol Sky Valley and Haerang Observatory: south of the lighthouse a gully holds a glass-floored skywalk, and the Haerang Observatory reaches out over the sea. Sky Valley charges admission.
• Mukho on screen: the lighthouse village appears in the 1968 film "Love Me Once Again" and in "One Fine Spring Day" (2001).

Tripto tips

• Time needed: about 2 hours for the harbour, Nongol-damgil and the lighthouse; half a day with Sky Valley and the market.
• Getting there: take the KTX from Seoul to Mukho Station; the harbour is about 1 km away and you can walk there via the market.
• Walking tip: Nongol-damgil is steep with many steps. Walk up from the harbour, see the lighthouse and come down on the Dojjaebi-gol side, so you only climb once.
• Ulleungdo ferries: sailings change often with the weather, so check before you go.
• Food: raw fish at the harbour, and spicy jang-kalguksu noodles and gomchi-guk (snailfish soup) at the market.