Likely to Revisit
A time to empty
Sokcho
It’s time to look back. Perhaps, looking back on days gone by is more important than making new resolutions. Ironically, you need to empty life of things in order to make it full. Sokcho is an ideal place where you can practice emptying or letting go of things. The vast sea and tall mountains are always there for you as if listening to whatever troubles or complaints you have to rid your life of.
📝Text by. Jae-hyeon Park, Novelist / 📷Photos by. Ji-hyeon Hwang
Sokcho Beach
Diverse tastes from the sea
The sea is always the same and always there for you. This is why people like the sea. The sea always shows us waves, foams, and soothing glitters. The only drawback is that it lets you in only during summer so we cannot enjoy the sea fully in other seasons. Sokcho Beach, however, is an exception. It offers a broad range of fun activities to enjoy in and around the sea like a cooking competition show where contestants cook various different dishes using a single main ingredient. Have you ever imagined a Ferris wheel overlooking a beach from a close range? From the Sokcho Eye, you can get a spectacular panoramic view of the sea. There are multiple photo zones at the beach including the ㅅㅊ sculpture, the stairs leading up to the sky, and a tilted picture frame. But above all, you don’t want to miss “Oeongchi BadaHyanggiro Trail," a beautiful coastal trail that runs from Sokcho Beach to Oeongchi Port. As you take turns walking on the wooden deck path and the clay path, listening to the sounds of the waves, peacefully and gently glittering waves will soon form in your mind.
At the end of the beach is a uniquely shaped structure called “Headland.” The 200 meter-long section of breakwater built to stop coastal erosion on Sokcho Beach features various sculptures and stunning nightscape created by the specially designed nighttime landscape lighting.
Yeongrang Lake
The lake that enchanted Yeongnrang
Before I got to Sokcho, all I thought of the city was the sea and mountains, but I was surprised to find there was such a large lake in Sokcho. The circumference of Yeongrang Lake is as long as 8km and the water is quite deep. A wide and deep body of water is something I want to be like. Walking slowly along the edge of the lake, it reveals more of its beauty. There is something different about walking along a lake than walking on a coastal trail. With each step you take, the placid waters of the lake give you a calming sense of peace that permeates your mind slowly and gently. Aside from the lake itself, the approaching broader scenery is even more unique. Ulsan-Rock Peak is seen vaguely beyond the clouds. All you can see is the charming contrast created together by the powerful image of the peak and the placid lake. Yeongrang Lake, a hwarang (an elite warrior of Silla), arrived at the lake on his way to Gyeongju to participate in a martial arts competition and got so absorbed in the fascinating view of the lake that he stayed there for too long appreciating the beauty of nature. The story certainly has truth to it, and I can easily guess how Yeongrang Lake must have felt watching the lake.
Yeongrang Lake Upper Trail is a walk that crosses the lake. Walking on the 400-meter floating bridge makes you feel like you are walking on the water.
Daepo Port
Winter Port
Daepo is an old port. Today, it is more of a popular tourist port than a fishing port. The port that is curved inward is almost a perfect circle along which you can enjoy a nice stroll. What captures your eye is the observatory bridge that connects the opposite ends of the circular port, making it a complete circle. Standing on the bridge and exposing your face to the sea wind, you can instantly feel that winter is here to stay. After enjoying the view of the sea and the port from the bridge, I headed for the breakwater. As I walked on the long breakwater, the unique sense of solitude that only the winter sea can give off and the familiar scent of the ocean fill the air. Now that I had a nice, relaxing walk, it is time to go and eat nice food. This is probably the most salient reason for coming to Sokcho. Since Daepo Port handles expensive, high-quality fish species including flounders, bastard halibuts, and yellowtails, it is an ideal place to eat fresh raw fish. In addition, there are other places to visit in and around the port, including fish market, dried seafood shops, and deep-fried snack zone.
If you want to get a broader view of the sea than that from the bridge, go to the Daepo Port Observatory located on the hiking trail in the forest behind the port. From there, you can get a panoramic view of the East Coast and the mountains. It is also known as a major sunset spot.
Seoraksan National Park
Enchanted by the scent of Seorak
You can’t enjoy Sokcho fully without Seoraksan Mountain. These days, a growing number of people enjoy Seoraksan Mountain in many different ways. One of them is to please your eyes with breathtaking views of the mountain as you walk on Seorak Hyanggiro Trail. The walking route features a skywalk and a long hanging bridge, maximizing the pleasure of walking and viewing the landscape. As it is located at a high altitude, nothing blocks your view and the beautiful mountain view continues to unfold before your eyes all throughout the walk. As you enjoy the healing walk surrounded by the mountain, you will be filled with a profound sense of calm and relaxation. This is precisely the reason we keep returning to the bosoms of Mother Nature. If you get on a cable car and walk to Gwongeumseong Fortress, another hidden face of Seoraksan Mountain will greet you. It is indeed a rare, awe-inspiring view. Leaving various sorts of exclamation behind, I headed down for Shinheungsa Temple. The air was cold but the temple was full of warm energy as if Seoraksan Mountain completely surrounding the temple was blocking the cold air from reaching the temple. As I stroll around the temple, I feel a sense of warmth growing from within me.
Nestled in the bosoms of Seoraksan Mountain, Shinheungsa Temple is one of the most ideal places to enjoy a temple stay. If you want to have a special day, clearing your mind of worries and stress, the temple stay program at Shinheungsa Temple is definitely worth a try.
