Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival: The Most Unique Spring Festival in Korea

Spring is a beautiful time in Korea. There are cherry blossoms that begin to bloom and more flowers that bring the country to life. There’s more than just flowers though. For four years I’ve heard about the Jindo Sea Parting Festival (진도 신비의바닷길축제) and for four years it’s been during the week. No one has power over the seas after all so this Korean festival was also during the week and thus as I work, I couldn’t go.

However, this year the seas were parting on the weekend and so I set out making plans to go to this super unique spring festival in South Korea.

Jindo Sea Parting Festival (진도 신비의바닷길축제), Jindo, Jeollanam-do, Korea

The Jindo Sea Parting Festival is one of the coolest things I’ve done while in Korea and you should absolutely try to go down yourself if you can.

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When is the Jindo Sea Parting Festival this year?

For 2024, the festival will be held from March 11, 2024 to March 13, 2024.

How To Get To The Jindo Sea Parting Festival

Jindo is NOT the easiest spot to get to in Korea as it’s located down on the southwestern coast. We opted to rent a car since I didn’t own one at the time and you could take a bus, but the easiest way to get to the festival would most definitely be a tour if you don’t want to figure it out yourself. Here’s the info to know though:

Address: Areas of Modo-ri, Uisin-myeon and Hoedong-ri, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do (전라남도 진도군 고군면 회동리 및 의신면 모도리 일원)

(Make sure you set that GPS correctly. There are a lot of islands/cities in Korea that have the same or similar names. There’s a Modo Island down here in the Jindo area and there’s a Modo Island out in Incheon as well.)

Rent A Car: We were lucky to be able to rent cars, which is pretty easy here in Korea if you’ve got a license and make our own way down to the region. This saved a lot of time that would have been spent waiting in bus terminals or at rest stops. The drive was faster than expected. This was the first time I rented a car and attempted driving in this country.

Previous to this, trips included getting from my house to the bus or train station, waiting for the bus or train, taking the trip to chosen place and then arriving only to wait for yet another bus or taxi to take me where I want to go. With a car for transportation there was no waiting and what could have taken a day only took 5 and a half hours. We rented from Avis, but you can also rent a car on Klook. There are a few places around Seoul to pick up a car so look into if you want to take a road trip like we did.

By Bus: Take a bus from Seoul Central City Terminal or Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Jindo Bus Terminal. From the Jindo Bus Terminal, catch a bus to Gagye-Hoedong or Songgung-Hoedong and get off at the Hoedong Bus Stop. You’ll have to walk for about 40 minutes to get to the festival area from the bus stop.

Where To Stay Nearby

It’s not super easy to stay on Jindo Island. We couldn’t find a place on the island but had a much better time finding a spot in nearby Mokpo which is also near the train station so it’ll make travel easier if you’re traveling by train.

Hotel Hyundai by Lahan Mokpo

Hotel Hyundai is the best option to stay in Mokpo and has beautiful views of the ocean. If you’ve got some time, the hotel also has a swimming pool which will be fun because it’s still a bit to chilly to go swimming in the ocean though you’ll be walking in it for the festival.

You can book your stay on Booking.com or on Agoda.com

Basic Info About The Festival

Admission: FREE; The festival itself is free. Just head to the ocean and you’ll find where the water is parting and the path appears. You may want to purchase galoshes though so you don’t get all wet and muddy.

Once a year the tides go low enough that a 2.8 kilometer 40 meter wide road appears from Hoedong-ri, Gogun-myeon to Modo-ri, Uisin-myeon.

What’s the festival like?

When in doubt, follow the ajjummas. We found tents and stalls with food and seafood treats and a vendor with thigh high galoshes for sale. We bought some boots for W7,000 just in case and suited up to walk the 2.8 kilometer trip. We’d heard the water only recedes for about 45 minutes to an hour so the trip out can be a bit of a meander as long as the trip back is brisk so as not to get too wet.

We were ready to soak our galoshes in some water and dig around for seashells or sea creatures or whatever else we were meant to do at this festival. There was plenty of food, plenty of music and dance and plenty of good cheer to go around, along with a few cross dressing entertainers to keep the mood light and jovial.

Plenty of people will be there ready to walk out onto the miracle road. Most of the people are older Koreans who use this opportunity to dig up the shellfish who weren’t prepared to see the air yet. Then there are groups of other foreigners who had made their own ways down to this small little town. We were among them. Some people go out just a bit to start digging and some try to get all the way out to the island.

The water parts and it’s fun to walk out and back and find what you can find including starfish and shellfish. When the festival is usually taking place, you can also find a Korean Jindo dog show and learn about the breed that originated in Jindo Island. The Jindo dog is well known for their loyalty, obedience and exceptional homing instincts.

You can also try some Jindo Hongju which is a traditional liquor made from steamed barley, rice and nuruk yeast. The drink has a distinct red color that comes from being passed through sliced roots of jicho a perennial plant known for its medicinal properties. There is also a sea road torch parade at dawn and a boat to ride as well as other fun and games to jump into.

This is definitely a festival that’s worth a road trip down to the area for. If you do drive, try stopping at Nammireuksa Temple in Gangjin on your north again. It’s stunning and off the beaten path but features the largest seated Buddha in Asia. It’s definitely worth the spring stop especially since they have millions of flowering azaleas. Just another reason to take a trip this spring.

Spring in Korea is when the peninsula seems to come alive after a winter slumber. There are festivals up and down the country and so much to enjoy. Plan ahead and you can (almost) do it all!

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