Yeonggeumjeong

In Dongmyeong-dong, Sokcho, below the hill crowned by Sokcho Lighthouse, a broad shelf of rock spreads along the shore. This is Yeonggeumjeong, named because the sound of waves striking the rocks was likened to the music of a sacred geomungo zither. Although the name ends in jeong, "pavilion", it originally referred to the rocks themselves, not to a building. Today a bridge leads out to a pavilion above the sea, and a second pavilion on the hill serves as a lookout over the East Sea and Sokcho Port, making it one of the city's favourite sunrise spots.

A vanished hill and a surviving name

The name Yeonggeumjeong first appears in a book published in 1926, the Myeonse Ilban. The site was once a rocky hill crowned with pavilion-shaped boulders, but at the end of the Japanese colonial period the rock was quarried to build Sokcho Port, leaving the wide, flat shelf you see today. The scenery was lost, but the stone laid the foundation for Sokcho's growth as a port town, and the name lived on. Joseon-era texts, including Kim Jeong-ho's Daedong Jiji, call the area Biseondae, from a legend that heavenly maidens secretly came down at night to bathe here and sing.

What to see

• Sunrise pavilion and Dongmyeong Bridge: A bridge of about 50 m runs out across the rocks to a pavilion at the seaward end. It was first built in 1997 with money raised by Dongmyeong-dong residents to preserve the old place name, and donated to Sokcho City in 2003. Twenty years on, when it had become run-down, the city rebuilt it in 2017, adding night lighting and a lift, and in 2021 the once plain pavilion was painted in traditional dancheong colours. From the bridge you look down on waves breaking white over the rocks on both sides.
• Hilltop pavilion lookout: Built in 2008 on the site of a former military guard post. By day it looks out over Sokcho Port and the ridges of Seoraksan; by night, over the lit-up harbour and the dark sea.
• After dark: In April 2020 Yeonggeumjeong was named one of Korea's 100 best night-time tourist spots by the Korea Tourism Organization. Once the lights come on, the bridge and pavilion look completely different from the daytime.

Tripto tips

• When to go: Facing straight out over the East Sea, it is a classic place to watch the sunrise, and on New Year's Day crowds come from all over the country. On days with a heavy swell you can hear the booming of the waves on the rocks that gave the place its name.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour covers the bridge and both pavilions.
• Fees and parking: Open at all times with no admission fee. The car park charges KRW 1,000 for the first 30 minutes and KRW 300 for every 10 minutes after that.
• Combine with: Climb the Sokcho Lighthouse Observatory just above, one of Sokcho's Eight Scenic Views, for a view over the rocks and the sea, and try freshly caught seafood at neighbouring Dongmyeong Port. Abai Village, settled by refugees from the North, is about 1 km away.
• Getting there: It is about 1.5 km east of Sokcho Tourist Fish Market (Jungang Market), a walk of just over 20 minutes, at 43 Yeonggeumjeong-ro.
• Good to know: Stay off the rocks when the sea is rough. Wet rock is extremely slippery.