Gwaneumdo Island, Ulleung

Just off Seommok on the north-east tip of Ulleungdo, Gwaneumdo is an uninhabited islet that was once joined to the main island until the sea wore away the link. Since 2012 a 140 m footbridge has let you walk across, and a loop around the clifftop, more than 100 m above the sea, looks out over Jukdo, the Samseonam rocks and Ulleungdo's north coast.

The island of shearwaters

Gwaneumdo is the third-largest of Ulleungdo's satellite islands after Jukdo and Dokdo. It covers about 0.071 km², slightly less than Dokdo's eastern islet, rises to 106 m and is about 800 m around. Locals call it Kkaksaeseom, "shearwater island", after the seabirds that nest here. No one lives on it today, but three people once did, grazing rabbits and goats.

The island was built up by repeated eruptions of trachytic lava and is coated in pumice. It is one of the sites of the Ulleungdo and Dokdo National Geopark, with columnar joints formed as lava cooled along the shore.

The bridge and the loop

A pedestrian suspension bridge 37 m high, 140 m long and 3 m wide links Seommok to the island. On the island, three viewing decks and two trails make a loop of 30 minutes to an hour.

• Gwaneum Twin Caves: two sea caves about 14 m high side by side at the foot of the northern cliffs, formed as rock collapsed along columnar and horizontal joints. Legend says pirates once hid here, and that drinking the water dripping from the roof brings long life.
• Viewpoints: Jukdo, the Samseonam rocks and the cliffs of Ulleungdo's north coast.
• Plants: fresh shoots of Japanese bay trees and silverberry fruit in spring, island angelica flowers in summer, silver grass and pale purple sea asters in autumn.

Gwaneumdo on an Ulleungdo trip

Gwaneumdo is the highlight of the north-eastern end of any trip around Ulleungdo. Seommok is where the rock formations and sea of the north coast come closest, so after crossing to the islet it is natural to continue along the coast road towards Samseonam. Because Ulleungdo itself is reached by ferry from the east-coast ports, you will need to fit Gwaneumdo around ferry times and the weather.

The county sometimes adjusts how the site operates. In autumn 2026, from 23 September to the end of October, the bridge section alone stayed open until 21:00; night opening was limited to autumn because seabirds nest on the islet.

Tripto tips

• Hours: summer 09:00–19:00 (last entry 18:00), winter 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), open every day.
• Admission: adults KRW 4,000, youths and soldiers KRW 3,000, children and seniors KRW 2,000; groups of 15 or more get a discount.
• Weather closures: access is closed in strong winds. Check the Ulleung County website before you set out.
• Getting there: the ticket office and bridge are at Seommok on the north-east of Ulleungdo. Take a bus or taxi along the island's ring road from Dodong or Jeodong; parking at the site is listed as unavailable.
• What to bring: comfortable shoes for the steps and climbs, and a hat and water in summer as there is little shade.