East coast · Yangyang, Gangwon
Naksan Beach
낙산해수욕장
Four kilometres of sand with a pine forest behind and a clifftop temple above.
Naksan runs for about four kilometres, backed by pine woods that keep it feeling less built-up than the beaches further south.
Naksansa, founded in 671, stands on the headland at the northern end, with a tall white statue of Gwanseeum-bosal looking out to sea and a pavilion built on the rocks below it.
Photograph by Grapesurgeon, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this page.
More on the east coast
Gyeongpo Beach
Gangneung's big, easy beach — white sand, a lake behind it and a KTX from Seoul.
Hajodae Beach
Turquoise water, very few people, and Korea's surf scene a few minutes up the road.
Jeongdongjin Beach
The railway station sits on the sand — and people ride the night train out for the sunrise.