Yeongjongdo Island

Yeongjongdo is the island that holds Incheon International Airport, yet only a short way from the terminals the Yellow Sea mudflats and sandy beaches begin. It is a good escape if you have a few hours before or after a flight, or for a day by the sea from Seoul. At about 115 km² it is Korea's sixth-largest island, and its west coast is lined with the beaches of Eurwangni, Wangsan and Masian.

An island that grew with the airport

Today's Yeongjongdo was not originally a single island. To create land for Incheon International Airport, sea walls were built between Yeongjongdo, Yongyudo, Sammokdo and Sinbuldo from 1992 to 1994, and the tidal flats between them were filled in. The airport opened in 2001, and since July 2026 the island has belonged to Yeongjong-gu, a new district of Incheon.

Its history goes back much further. In the Goryeo period it was called Jayeondo (紫燕島), "island of swallows", and records say a guesthouse here, Gyeongwonjeong, received envoys from Song China. Under King Hyojong of Joseon a naval post, Yeongjongjin, was set up on the island; in 1875 the Japanese gunboat Un'yō shelled it, killing dozens of Korean soldiers.

Beaches of the west coast

• Eurwangni Beach: Yeongjongdo's best-known beach, a crescent of sand about 700 m long backed by pines. It is surrounded by guesthouses and grilled-clam restaurants, and at low tide you can walk out onto the mudflats. It faces west, so many people come for the sunset.
• Wangsan Beach: right next to Eurwangni to the north, but noticeably quieter. The neighbouring Wangsan Marina offers yacht trips, and there are campsites and glamping nearby.
• Masian Beach: at low tide wide mudflats appear here. At the mudflat experience centre run by the local fishing community you can borrow boots and a hoe to dig for clams, or ride a tractor-drawn mudflat wagon far out onto the flats. A row of cafés faces the beach.

Across the bridge to Muuido

From the south-western tip of Yeongjongdo, Muui Bridge, opened in 2019, leads to Muuido. There you can walk on the fine sand of Hanagae Beach and along a sea-level boardwalk beneath rocky cliffs, and nearby Somuuido and Silmido, known from a Korean film, are close at hand. Combining Yeongjongdo and Muuido gives you swimming, mudflat digging and an easy hike in a single day.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: by car, cross Yeongjong Bridge, Incheon Bridge or Cheongna Haneul Bridge, opened in January 2026. All three charge tolls (KRW 2,000 for a small car on Cheongna Haneul Bridge). By public transport, take the AREX airport railway from Seoul Station to Unseo or Incheon Airport, then change to a bus or taxi for the west-coast beaches. Eurwangni is about 7 km from Terminal 1.
• Check the tides: mudflat walks and clam digging are only possible at low tide. The Masian mudflat centre's hours change daily with the tides, so check by phone (+82-32-746-3093) or on its website before you go. Fees are KRW 10,000 for adults, KRW 5,000 for primary-school children and KRW 3,000 for younger children, plus KRW 2,000 to rent boots (2026).
• Sunsets: Eurwangni and Wangsan face west and look their best at dusk, around 19:00–20:00 in summer and about 17:30 in winter.
• Layovers: if you are flying out, pick one beach near the airport, plan 2–3 hours and leave plenty of time to get back.
• Crowds: summer-holiday weekends bring heavy traffic and full car parks around Eurwangni. Weekdays or early starts are much calmer.