Morundae, Busan

At the southernmost tip of the Nakdong River estuary, where it meets the open sea, a small pine-covered peninsula forms Morundae. It was an island until the 16th century, when sand carried down by the river linked it to Dadaepo. The name means roughly "terrace sunk in clouds", because the island vanishes when mist and cloud roll in over the estuary.

From island to mainland

Morundae was once an island called Morundo. Silt and sand from the upper Nakdong built up a bar across the shallow water between island and mainland, turning it into a tied island, the same process that formed Seongsan Ilchulbong on Jeju. It was designated a Busan Monument in 1972, is now a geosite of the Busan National Geopark, and marks the end of the Nakdong Jeongmaek mountain range.

Dadaepo and Morundae were strategic defence points in the Joseon era. In 1592, during the Japanese invasion, Jeong Un, vanguard commander under Admiral Yi Sun-sin, was killed fighting Japanese ships off this coast, and a memorial stele to him stands in the woods.

A geology textbook

The shore at Morundae exposes sedimentary rocks of the Dadaepo Formation, laid down in the late Cretaceous in the southwestern part of the Dadaepo Basin between the Yangsan and Dongnae faults. Faults, fault rock, dykes, veins, cross-bedding and trace fossils can all be seen in one place, which is why it is often called a textbook of geology.

What to see

• Coastal trail: a path loops around the peninsula through pine forest, opening onto rocky shores and the sea.
• Layered cliffs: grey and brown strata stacked along the shore, with fault lines visible up close.
• Memorial to Jeong Un: the stele honouring the commander who died in these waters in 1592.
• Estuary views: lookout points among the trees take in the sandbars of the Nakdong estuary and Dadaepo Beach.

Good to know

• Morundae is the final point of the Nakdong Jeongmaek, the mountain range that begins near Taebaek in Gangwon and runs south along the east coast, which gives it symbolic weight as the place where a long ridge meets the sea.
• The shore rocks preserve normal faults formed during deposition, strike-slip faults and structures thought to record ancient earthquakes, so geology field trips come here often.
• Parts of Morundae are managed by the military. Follow the signs on access and photography restrictions.
• Enquiries go to Saha District's forestry and parks division (+82 51-220-4524). Hours change by season, and in winter the site closes at 18:00.

Tripto tips

• Hours: April to September 05:00–20:00, October to March 06:00–18:00. Outside these hours a military unit closes access.
• Fees: admission is free; parking costs KRW 200 per 10 minutes.
• Getting there: from Dadaepo Beach Station on Busan Metro Line 1, walk across the beach.
• Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hours for the forest loop. Coastal rocks are slippery, so wear trainers.
• Nearby: finish with the sunset at Dadaepo Beach just to the north.