Chuam Beach

Chotdae Rock standing above the sea Chuam Beach is a place crowded on the first day of the new year with people who come to see the sunrise. The word Chuam originated from unique-shaped rocks in a place once known as Yongchu, which means a swamp where a dragon lives. Chotdae Rock, which is the symbol of this place, was named after how the rising sun seen at the tip of the rock resembles a candle that is lit. There is a painting of Kim Hong-do, a famous painter during King Jeongjo's reign of the Joseon Dynasty, near Chotdae Rock. Originally, Chotdae Rock consisted of two rocks standing side by side like a pair of chopsticks, but an earthquake in Gangwon-do region during the reign of King Sukjong caused a tsunami that ended up crushing one of the rocks, leaving just one rock. A legend has it that if you pray earnestly at Chuam Chotdae Rock, the rock will appear in the dream to make it come true, so if you have something in your mind that you really want to accomplish, consider visiting Chuam in Donghae. Chuam Beach is shallow, which makes it a great place for family trips. It is the place where you can see an emerald-colored clear sea on a sunny day and rough waves crashing into the rocks on a windy day. Among many different rocks in the undulating seawater to the right of Chotdae Rock, you will find one that resembles a rabbit. An unknown tree, which seems as if it hadn't grown well due to sea wind, looks like the shape of a rabbit ear, making the rock look like a rabbit pricking up both of its ears and sitting down to nibble on a carrot. This rock and the one behind it are together called Hyeongje Rock. If you go around Chotdae Rock and walk down along the northern trail, you will find Geobuk Rock which looks like a good-looking turtle resting with its long neck protruded out on its way up a hill at the mid-slope of the mountain on your left. Near the area, there is also a pavilion called Haeamjeong, which is known to have been constructed by Sim Dong-ro, the founder of the Samcheok Sim clan, for local residents in the late Goryeo period. It is a quiet and secluded pavilion where you can also check out a plaque made by Song Si-yeol, a famous scholar from Joseon Dynasty. Stop by this pavilion and hear the sound of waves from Chuam that sound like a bell before taking a stroll around a neighborhood park that also has a trail. This is Chuam Beach, a beach where anyone who visits once will be sure to visit again.  

Chotdae Rock standing above the sea Chuam Beach is a place crowded on the first day of the new year with people who come to see the sunrise. The word Chuam originated from unique-shaped rocks in a place once known as Yongchu, which means a swamp where a dragon lives. Chotdae Rock, which is the symbol of this place, was named after how the rising sun seen at the tip of the rock resembles a candle that is lit. There is a painting of Kim Hong-do, a famous painter during King Jeongjo's reign of the Joseon Dynasty, near Chotdae Rock. Originally, Chotdae Rock consisted of two rocks standing side by side like a pair of chopsticks, but an earthquake in Gangwon-do region during the reign of King Sukjong caused a tsunami that ended up crushing one of the rocks, leaving just one rock. A legend has it that if you pray earnestly at Chuam Chotdae Rock, the rock will appear in the dream to make it come true, so if you have something in your mind that you really want to accomplish, consider visiting Chuam in Donghae. Chuam Beach is shallow, which makes it a great place for family trips. It is the place where you can see an emerald-colored clear sea on a sunny day and rough waves crashing into the rocks on a windy day. Among many different rocks in the undulating seawater to the right of Chotdae Rock, you will find one that resembles a rabbit. An unknown tree, which seems as if it hadn't grown well due to sea wind, looks like the shape of a rabbit ear, making the rock look like a rabbit pricking up both of its ears and sitting down to nibble on a carrot. This rock and the one behind it are together called Hyeongje Rock. If you go around Chotdae Rock and walk down along the northern trail, you will find Geobuk Rock which looks like a good-looking turtle resting with its long neck protruded out on its way up a hill at the mid-slope of the mountain on your left. Near the area, there is also a pavilion called Haeamjeong, which is known to have been constructed by Sim Dong-ro, the founder of the Samcheok Sim clan, for local residents in the late Goryeo period. It is a quiet and secluded pavilion where you can also check out a plaque made by Song Si-yeol, a famous scholar from Joseon Dynasty. Stop by this pavilion and hear the sound of waves from Chuam that sound like a bell before taking a stroll around a neighborhood park that also has a trail. This is Chuam Beach, a beach where anyone who visits once will be sure to visit again.  

"This trail begins at Chuam and follows the scenery of the East Sea, but woven into its landscape are the writings of Joseon era scholars, the changes of the modern era, and old folktales passed down through generations. The first sight that catches your eye at Chuam Beach is Neungpadae, the cluster of rock formations spreading out beneath Chotdaebawi Rock. During the reign of King Jeongjo, the celebrated painter Kim Hong-do was sent by royal command to capture the scenic wonders of Geumgangsan Mountain and the East Sea coast, and his depictions of Chuam and Neungpadae are among the works that have survived. The name ""Neungpadae"" is said to have been given by Han Myeong-hoe, a powerful court official of the early Joseon period. When he came to Gangwon to serve as a regional inspector and laid eyes on this place, he is said to have remarked that the rocks looked like ""the graceful steps of a beautiful woman drifting lightly across the water,"" and so he named it Neungpadae, meaning ""Pavilion of Stepping Over the Waves.“ Just in front of Neungpadae stands Haeamjeong Pavilion. The pavilion is said to have been founded by Sim Dongro, regarded as the progenitor of the Samcheok Sim clan. The wooden signboard that hangs there today is believed to bear the calligraphy of Song Si-yeol, a renowned scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty. From here the trail continues toward Hohaejeong Pavilion and Mangyeongdae. This stretch, where cliffs meet the open sea, has long been treasured as a place to take in the splendor of the East Sea. True to its name, which means ""Platform of Ten Thousand Views,"" Mangyeongdae is celebrated for the sweeping panorama of the ocean it offers. Walking along with Donghae Port in view, you will come upon Bukpyeong Fifth-Day Market. One of the largest five-day markets in Gangwon-do, it has long served as a traditional hub linking the east coast with the inland regions. In earlier days, this was also the site of the largest cattle market in the southern part of Gangwon-do, where buying and selling of cattle was a thriving daily affair. The city of Donghae was created by merging Bukpyeong in Samcheok with Mukho in Gangneung. Bukpyeong Port and Mukho Port served as the centers of these two communities, and what was once Bukpyeong Port is today's Donghae Port. This harbor was once the departure point for cruise ships bound for Geumgangsan Mountain, a symbolic gateway for inter-Korean exchange. When you reach Gamchusa Temple, a tale from the Silla Kingdom unfolds. According to legend, after Princess Seonhwa married King Mu of Baekje, she fell ill with a mysterious disease called baekpung-byeong. None of the remedies tried could cure her, until a monk staying at Sajasa Temple on Mount Mireuksan in Iksan, in present-day Jeollabuk-do, advised her to travel to Gamchu on the east coast. The princess made the journey here, and for three years she enshrined a Buddha statue in a natural cave and bathed and prayed each day at Naksan Yongso Pond. In time, her illness was healed. To honor the Buddha's grace in restoring her health, the princess is said to have built Gamchusa Temple. The temple sits tucked between cliffs and the sea, and a natural spring of medicinal water flows from its entrance, drawing a steady stream of visitors to this day. The trail then follows Hanseom Beach and Hapyeong Beach. This is a relatively quiet stretch of coast, with the path running alongside the seaside railway, revealing a calmer, more secluded side of the East Sea, set apart from the busier towns. At last, you arrive at Mukho Station. Long a key hub on the east coast railway, this was once the center of an industry built on coal and seafood passing through its tracks. On the hillside across from the station once stood the company housing where railway workers and their families lived. Today, that hillside has been reborn as the Pencil Museum and Book Village. A place where harbor, railway, and town grew up together, Mukho is perhaps the clearest window into the rise of modern industry along Korea's east coast."