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MyKoreanTrip

Gyeongsang

Pohang포항

Korea's earliest sunrise, on the east coast — a steel city with a genuinely dramatic stretch of coastline just outside it.

Population

About 500,000.

Fun fact

Homigot, just outside Pohang, is one of the first places on the Korean peninsula to see the sunrise each day.

Pohang on the map

Pohang is mostly known as an industrial steel city, but its coastline is one of the most dramatic on the east coast, built around Korea's most famous sunrise spot.

Highlights

  • Homigot Sunrise Square, home to the "Hands of Coexistence" sculpture — one of the first places on the peninsula to see the sunrise, and Korea's earliest on January 1st (7:32am).
  • Igari Anchor Observatory, a seaside deck shaped like an anchor, also among the first spots in Korea to greet the sunrise.
  • Space Walk, a looping elevated steel walkway you can climb for coastal views.
  • The National Lighthouse Museum, on a headland near Homigot.

Getting there

KTX from Seoul to Pohang takes about 2.5 hours.

How long

The main sights are spread along the coast, so two days gives a more comfortable pace than trying to see everything in one.

More: Official Pohang tourism guide.