Rocky Chaesukgang Cliff In Jeollabuk-do Is A Must See

When looking to get away from Seoul to the seaside of Korea, Jeolla is often calling. Whether it’s spring in Korea or winter in Korea, a rocky seaside offers something to see and enjoy in my opinion. There are gorgeous sandy beaches on the east coast of Korea, but Jeolla has some really gorgeous cliffs and rocky coastline to enjoy. Chaesukgang Cliff (채석강) is one of the best things to see in Jeollabuk-do.

After stopping in nearby Gunsan City or Seonyudo Island for some sightseeing, we headed south to visit the cliffs in Jeonbuk National Geopark (전북 서해안권 국가지질공원). Jae-oo and I had visited this area almost a decade ago when we were just dating and I was excited to go back.

For me, Chaesukgang is one of the top things to do in Jeollabuk-do. I can sit on a beach for only so long, but give me tide pools to explore and cliffs to stare at and then maybe climb and I’m in heaven… I’m apparently much like my five year old as she enjoyed the cliffs as much as I did. Looking to take a trip outside of Seoul? Definitely consider this area.

Here’s what you need to know about Chaesukgang and the area.

• How To Get There
• Where To Stay
• What To Know About The Area
• What To See
• The Legend of Suseondang and Gaeyanghalmi

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How To Get There

Address: Gyeokpo-ri Byeongsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do (전라북도 부안군 변산면 격포리)

By Car: The easiest way to get to Chaesukgang would be by car and would take just under three hours. If you don’t have a car, consider renting one. Plan a road trip and see more of the country!

By Bus: From Seoul Central City Terminal, you can take a bus bound for Buan which will take just under three hours and cost a bit more or less than W20,000 depending on type of bus. From Buan’s Bus Terminal, you’ll need to take a taxi to the Byeonsan/Chaesukgang area. It should take around 20 minutes and cost around W25,000.

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Where To Stay

Benikea Starhills Hotel

Close to the beach, Benikea Starhills Hotel has the perfect location with easy access to the Chaesukgang cliffs as well as nearby Wido Island, Saesongdong Shrine, and more. Once you get there, you won’t need a car to get around at all. Enjoy the comfortable rooms and great staff and enjoy the seaside for your trip away.

You can book a room at Benikea Starhills on Booking.com

Querencia Airbnb

If you’re an Airbnb fan, there are some good spots in the area, but this is the closest to Chaesukgang. This apartment has three bedrooms and can cater to up to twelve people so get some friends together and take a trip! This is a great if you’re looking for a nice apartment style stay where you can cook and have more of a home style than the hotel.

You can book your stay here on Airbnb.com.

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What To Know About The Area

Admission: Free

Parking: Available for a minimal fee during high season. Free when we visited during low season.

Days/Hours: This is open all year round.

Food: There are numerous restaurants just at the entrance to the beach area. They sell mostly seafood/shellfish dishes that are cooked on a grill where you sit or noodle soups with shellfish. Plenty to choose from nearby though.

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What To See

The Chaesukgang Cliffs are a great spot if you want to visit a beach, feed some seagulls, and see some pretty amazing stratified rocks to walk along. The cliffs are near the Gyeokpohang Port and Dagibong areas on the Byeonsanbando Peninsula. Byeonsanbando National Park is the only peninsula based park in Korea and is a mix of mountains and sea. It was designated the 19th national park in Korea in 1988.

Walk onto the sand and if it’s warmer, spend a bit of time there and in the water before taking a walk along the rocks. If it’s chillier like this trip, head straight to the rocks which is where most visitors in the area are as well. While this park gets 1.5 million visitors a year, the cliffs haven’t really been all that busy when I’ve visited.

We ran on the sand and riled up the seagulls and then stepped onto the rocks to check out the tide pools and stratified rocks. We frolicked, we danced, and we found shellfish. It’s really a stunning area that is perfect for finding a good spot and just sitting down, breathing in the fresh salty air, and enjoying the time as the waves lap against the rocks.

Do note that the beaches on the west coast of Korea tend to be shallower and the tide can go really far out so when it’s low tide, you can walk for ages to actually get from shore to the water. If you want more of the white sand, blue water, deeper seas, you’ll need to head to the east coast. Look into spots like Naksan Beach which is beautiful but a bit quieter than popular spots like Gyeongpo Beach.

The waters on the west side of the country tend to be a bit muddier than the east side, but other than not being able to see your feet in the water, the ocean is cool. Taean-gun is another area on the west coast with large mudflat beaches and gorgeous sunsets that are great if you like beaches with something to do.

Our first trip to Chaesukgang was in the middle of the summer when all we wanted to do was cool off. Though it isn’t deep water, it was perfect for a getaway. Visiting this time in the spring was just as wonderful even if we couldn’t dip our toes in the water just yet. The layers created by the sea in the rocks made for some fun pictures and a plenty of tide pools for Ava to discover shellfish and other sea creatures.

Watch out for the tides on this coast though. They can go out and out and out throughout the day and at some point, you look out and think there is no water at all and then faster than you might expect, the water rushes in.

The first time we we went I spent a couple hours continuously shifting my things back… and being a friendly stranger to other peoples’ things. There were some people that just never came back from their swimming while I was still there that first trip and though I tried to be the nice stranger and I moved their shoes and their keys further and further back from the rising waters I eventually had to leave and couldn’t protect their things any longer. I can only assume their keys were lost in the tides and the four teenagers in black shirts that came together were berated by their parents when they walked home with no keys to the car. Or some other stranger continued in my mission to save the car keys and shoes after I left.

Because it’s not deep, you can really walk for some time away from the beach but still be standing on the sand bars. It’s great if you have kids really. Not if you really want to take a dip. If you do really want to soak it in, check out these beaches in Korea where you can truly enjoy a swim. I highly recommend Gyeongpo Beach or Naksan Beach on the east coast for sandy beaches and emerald waters.

Here, nearby Byeonsan Beach is actually more popular for travelers and tourists to the area. It’s just around the bend from Chaesukgang and offers a larger beach area, but after visiting and while it may be larger, I think Chaesukgang has more to offer travelers and is great for families with little ones too. I’m just a fan of tide pools and rocky adventures though. The two beaches are super close though, so if you go for a weekend, you could check one out one day and the other the next day easily enough.

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The Legend of Suseondang and Gaeyanghalmi

The Korean National Park Service website tells us that: Gaeyanghalmi, also known as the “Old Lady of Suseong.” is the guardian deity of the West Sea. She has nine daughters of which eight have been married to the other provinces in Korea and lives with her youngest daughter at Suseongdang (Shaman temple).
Gaeyanghalmi walks on the sea with her high wooden shoes and calms the waters to keep the fishermen safe from storms. She also controls the bronze lion statue at the north end of Chaseokgang to keep the villagers and cattle safe from the tigers.

Suseongdang has been designated as Jeollabukdo Tangible Cultural Asset No.58, and a sacrificial altar from the Three Han Era has been discovered nearby. Even today, the villagers of Jungmak-dong conduct religious rituals here at Suseongdang to pray for the safely and prosperity of its fishermen of the day of the first full moon of the year.

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