By Kim Hyelin and Lee Jihae

Video = Kim Hyelin

The Yeongdong area of Gangwon-do Province is located on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula. The region's name literally means "east of Daegwallyeong," referring to a pass at Taebaeksan Mountain. 

The country's east coast has beautiful beaches and the national parks of two mountains: Seoraksan and Odaesan. Yeongdong is a three-hour drive from Seoul and one of the nation's top vacation spots along with Jeju Island.

The Gangwon Tourism Organization from Oct. 17-19 held a three-day event for Honorary Reporters, or foreign writers about Korea of Korea.net, an affiliate of the Korean Culture and Information Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The nine participants were from seven countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, China, the U.K. and Germany who toured Yangyang-gun County and the cities of Samcheok and Gangneung. 

Surfyy Beach in Yangyang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province, was opened in 2015 as the nation's first surfing-only beach. (Heidi Storandt)

The reporters visited Surfyy Beach, which is north of Hajodae Beach in the county. The beach was long closed to the public as it was used for military purposes, but in 2015, a 1-km stretch was made a public beach exclusively for surfing. The high waves make Surfyy popular among surfers, and convenience facilities include hammocks and soft bean bags in large spaces, restaurants and bars, and a campground right across the beach. 

Janghohang Port (left) in Samcheok is near the marine cable car station where Honorary Reporters took a group photo while riding in a cable car. (Joung Haseung)

On the tour's second day, the participants went to Samcheok, a top snorkeling destination in Korea and the home of a marine cable car that runs 874 m from the village of Yonghwa-ri in Geundeok-myeon Township to Jangho-ri. They snapped plenty of photos of nature like jade green water, white waves hitting the sandy beach and the clear blue sky. The views from the cable car stations on both sides were also beautiful.  

Maengbang Beach, which is on the cover of the BTS album "Butter, has props and fixtures that appear on the album jacket. (Joung Haseung)

The next destination was Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, a "holy site" for fans of the K-pop sensation BTS. The beach is featured on the jacket of the group's album "Butter," and retains props used in the photo including sun beds, parasols, beach volleyball net and referee's chair. After the spot emerged as a popular tourist attraction, a large installation of the letters "B-T-S" and a yellow sign featuring the album cover were also installed. 

One Honorary Reporter who called herself a member of Army, the global BTS fan community, gave a big smile, laid down on the sun bed just as the group did on their album cover and took photos.

Maengbang Beach is connected to the coastal Culture and Eco Trail along Deokbongsan Mountain. The trail along the mountain goes for 943 m and comprises a 626-m coastal course featuring views of uniquely shaped rocks and a 317-m inland course leading to the peak with a dense bamboo grove. A 15-minute hike is enough to reach the 53.9 m-high summit, thus minimal effort is needed to see the superb view of the coast at the top. 

Ojukheon, a leading historical site in Gangneung, is where the great scholar Yi I (1536-84) of the Joseon Dynasty and his mother Shin Saimdang (1504-51) were born. (Lalien Guillen)

On the tour's final day, the first destination was Ojukheon, the leading historical site in Gangneung and the birthplace of Joseon Dynasty scholar Yi I (1536-84) and his mother Shin Saimdang (1504-51). Shin's face appears on the country's biggest banknote of KRW 50,000 and Yi's is on the KRW 5,000 bill.

Ojukheon is Korea's oldest residential building. Designated a national treasure, this spot accentuates the beauty of Hanok (traditional architecture) harmonized with landscape trees. Also there is museum featuring the history of Gangneung from prehistoric times to the modern era and a place to try on Hanbok (traditional clothing). 

Honorary Reporter Marianne Chang walks past the bus stop at Hyangho Beach in Gangneung featured on the album cover of BTS' "You Never Walk Alone." (Marianne Chang)

The last destination was Hyangho Beach, a smaller beach of Jumunjin Beach. Located in the villages of Jumun-ri and Hyangho-ri in Gangneung, Hyangho is featured on the cover of the 2017 BTS album "You Never Walk Alone." Because of no buses going to that area, there used to be no bus stop there, but a temporary one was built to photograph the album jacket. The stop was demolished afterwards, but the city government in 2018 reinstalled it for BTS fans. 

Yangyang International Airport serves domestic flights connecting southern spots such as Daegu and Jeju Island. (Joung Haseung)

Touring Yeongdong is possible without a car thanks to buses and trains.

Yangyang International Airport is also great for those wanting faster travel. International flights there were suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but hopes for resumption are high with the phased return to everyday life and "travel bubbles" with select countries. The airport runs domestic flights linking major southern destinations such as Daegu and Jeju Island. 

Through Dec. 27, foreign flyers can get a discount of KRW 20,000 on Fly Gangwon tickets. The airport also offers a taxi service for foreign passengers, with KRW 20,000 good for three hours of cab service to tour Yangyang-gun County. 

kimhyelin211@korea.kr