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Gangwon

Samcheok삼척시

A Gangwon coastal city famous for Korea's longest limestone cave, quiet East Sea beaches, a coastal railbike course, and the folklore-driven Haesindang ‘Penis Park.’

Population

About 62,000 — the lowest population density of any autonomous city in South Korea.

Fun fact

Haesindang Park in Samcheok, nicknamed ‘Penis Park,’ grew out of a local folk legend about a drowned maiden whose spirit was believed to be appeased by phallic wood carvings, and it now displays around 50 such sculptures alongside a folk museum.

Samcheok on the map

Samcheok is a coastal city at the southern end of Gangwon Province, known for having some of Korea's most extensive limestone cave systems, a stretch of quiet east coast beaches, and one of the country's more eyebrow-raising theme parks.

History

The area was originally known as Siljikguk before being absorbed into the Silla kingdom, and it received the name Samcheok in 757 CE under King Gyeongdeok as part of a kingdom-wide renaming of place names. It stayed a county (Samcheok-gun) for most of its history, was elevated to city status in 1986, and the city and surrounding county were merged back into a single Samcheok in 1995. Today it has the lowest population density of any autonomous city in South Korea, reflecting how much of its territory is mountain and coastline rather than urban area.

Highlights

  • Hwanseongul Cave, Korea's longest limestone cave at 6.2 kilometers of surveyed passages, opened to tourists in 1997 with a 1.6-kilometer walkway past waterfalls and underground pools.
  • Daegeumgul Cave, a neighboring limestone cave near Hwanseongul, also protected under the same national monument designation.
  • Haesindang Park, a coastal park built around a local folk legend, displaying around 50 phallic sculptures alongside a small folk museum — widely nicknamed "Penis Park."
  • Samcheok Railbike, a pedal-powered railbike course running along the coast on a former rail line.
  • Maengbang Beach and Yonghwa Beach, two of the city's main swimming beaches along the East Sea.

Annual events

  • Samcheok Maengbang Canola Flower Festival (spring) — celebrates the seasonal canola (yuchae) blooms along Maengbang Beach.

Getting there

Samcheok Station sits on the Donghae Line and the Samcheok Line, with connections through nearby Donghae Station giving access to Seoul via KTX-Eum in around three hours. Direct intercity buses from Seoul's terminals are the other standard option, taking roughly three to three and a half hours.

How long

Samcheok's cave systems are inland, its beaches and railbike are on the coast, and Haesindang Park sits further up the coast still, so seeing more than one category in a day means real driving time — an overnight is the more comfortable way to fit in a cave, a beach, and the park without rushing between them.

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