Chuam Beach: The Best Beach In Donghae On The East Coast Of Korea

Looking for a beach to visit on the east coast of Korea? Come summer in Korea all I do is seek the coast. There are some absolutely beautiful beaches in Korea and not all of them are as busy as say Haeundae in Busan. To be honest, I tend to enjoy the beaches on the east coast of Korea more than the ones on the southern coast.

The southern coast has other draws though for sure but today, I want to talk about Chuam Beach (추암해수욕장) in Donghae, Korea. Recently, we were out that way to check out the Donghae Mureung Health Forest and the wellness facilities there and after spending one day in the nearby mountains, we then spent one day on the beach. Why don’t you do the same?

Feel free to skip around this post. Here’s what you’ll find:

• How To Get To Chuam Beach
• Chuam Beach Basic Information
• Where To Stay In Donghae
• What To Know About Chuam Beach
• Dramas Filmed Here
• Chuam Suspension Bridge
• Where To Eat

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How To Get To Chuam Beach

Address: Chuam Beach, Bukpyeong-dong, Donghae-si, Gangwon-do (강원 동해시 북평동 추암해수욕장)

By Public Transportation: Catch a KTX train from Seoul Station and get off at Donghae Station. From there, it’s just a 10 minute taxi to Chuam Beach.

Korea Rail Pass: If you want to get out of Seoul and plan to use the train more than twice, then the Korea Rail Pass is the economical/budget choice you want to have on hand. Grab the card here and just head to the station with your confirmation and it’s as easy as that. Look into it if you want to hop on and off a bit and get touristy.

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Chuam Beach Basic Information

Admission: Free

Parking: Available & Free

Plenty of cafes and restaurants right on the beach for food and snacks.

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Where To Stay In Donghae

Sol Beach Samcheok

Book a stay at Sol Beach Samcheok on Booking.com or on Agoda.com

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What To Know About Chuam Beach

Chuam was originally called Haegeumgang Island but after King Sejo saw the area, he decided to call it Chuam. Now, it’s known as Chuam Beach but also called East Sea’s SamHaeGeumGang. The area was also chosen by the Korea Tourism Organization as one of “Korea’s Top 10 Places To Go” in 1997 because it’s so picturesque. 1997? Yeah that was awhile ago and I  think it’s actually gotten even more picturesque after the addition of a beautiful suspension bridge and sculpture park too.

It’s really a great spot for an entire day because there are seaside things to see and do and shady escapes right nearby as well as plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from. Even with all of that, it didn’t feel overcrowded or too touristy though. What a find!

If you’ve traveled off the southern coast of Korea at all, the name HaeGeumGang might give you visions of the rocky cliffs just off Geoje Island named HaeGeumGang and indeed Chuam also features some rather stunning rocky views too. We love getting into those rocks to find the sea creatures hiding in the crevices. Is that just us?

While areas to the north like Gangneung’s Gyeongpo Beach and Naksan Beach are pretty hyped up during the summers, Donghae is a little lesser known though the beaches are just as gorgeous. After all, they’re all on the same coast.

Take the KTX train out to the area and you’ll pass by other gorgeous seaside spots like Jeongdongjin Beach and enjoy some really superb seaside views just out of the train windows that will get you excited to land upon Chuam once you arrive. The Chuam area has gotten a bit more investment in recent years and features much more in the way of restaurants, cafes, and places to stay than when I first visited the area more than a decade ago. It’s now an easy destination to take a quiet weekend away.

Chuam Beach is actually so easy to get away too that you could easily head here for just a day trip from Seoul now with how close you can get on the KTX. If you don’t have the time to stay for the weekend or just want a last minute trip, definitely look into coming here. I often feel that anytime the stresses of the city are building up, a trip to the coast just allows it all to wash away. We loved this beach… as you can tell from the photos and Ava didn’t want to leave. I might just have to go back before the end of this summer for another trip.

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Dramas Filmed Here

I know there are some Korean drama lovers out there so this one is for you. Chuam Beach is where quite a few Korean dramas were filmed and they include:

• My Secret Romance (2017)
• Nice Guy/The Innocent Man (세상 어디에도 없는 착한남자) (2012): See where Kang Ma Ru, played by Song Joong Ki tells Seo Eun-Gi who is played by Moon Chae Won that he had been lying to her while she tries to hold on to their love.
• Winter Sonata (2002-2003): The main actors in this drama come to the beach for a date.

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Chuam Suspension Bridge (추암 출렁다리)

The Chuam Suspension Bridge is 72 meters long and though it’s not the longest one I’ve been on, it sure does provide some stunning views. The most famous view in the area is the nearby Chuam Candlestick Rock and this coast is also famous for gorgeous sunrises so that’s what you should be on the lookout for when you visit.

Chotdaebawi Rock or Candlestick Rock is a popular place where visitors try to see the sun rise just over the edge of the rock face. The view is so famous that it’s actually used as a backdrop for the Korean National Anthem (Aegukga) when it is aired on the Korean Broadcasting System.

The legend surrounding the rock says that there was once a man who lived in Chuam with a concubine. His wife was jealous of the second wife and tensions escalated until finally a god became enraged over the constant quarreling and threw a lightning rod down from the heavens which struck both women dead. The widower, missing his wives, froze in place from loneliness and eventually turned into the rock you see today. Personally, I love the tales surrounding all of the many rocks that are in Korea. What tales they weave.

The suspension bridge is easy to get to from the beach and you can easily see it at the north end so you’ll have no problem making your way up there. Most people walk up, across, and back again to head down, but you can also follow the path around that leads to the sculpture park which is on the top of the small mountain the suspension bridge sits on. If you have time, walk around to see it all. If it’s hot though, just head back to the beach and take a dip.

• Hours: 9:00am ~ 8:00pm but during the summer season, the bridge is open from 6:00am ~ 10:00pm.
• Admission: FREE

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Where To Eat

Haemiga (해미가)

There are quite a few restaurant and cafe options here but for our lunch we stopped into Haemiga for a pretty awesome fish option. There are crab restaurants which the area is actually known for, but not everyone in our group was prepared to spend the money on that so we opted for this more budget friendly restaurant.

The fish and side dishes were great and there was plenty for all of us. This is an easy restaurant to find if you look around the boardwalk area at the beach. Also, when we visited, since we ate there, we were able to get a discount on coffees from the cafe that is in the second floor of the same building so ask about that when you visit too!

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