[Jo Yongjun's Travel Miles] This Is the Officially Certified Scenic Spot Route

Driving Journey Along Buan Byeonsanbando National Park - Gyehwado, Chaeseokgang, Naesosa, and Gomsonghang Connected

The landscape of frost flowers viewed from National Route 30 in Byeonsan Peninsula

Gyewhado, an Island That Became Land

The specialty of Gyehwado is the sunset and sunrise that pass behind the pine trees and rise again.

Naesosa Fir Tree Forest Trail

Gomso Salt Farm

Gyehwado, transformed into vast fields through land reclamation projects

A village bus running on a snow-covered country road

[Asia Economy, Travel Specialist Reporter Jo Yong-jun] Buan, represented by the Byeonsan Peninsula, boasts such beauty that most of the peninsula is designated as a national park, thanks to its pristine beaches and stunning natural scenery. Villages sit along the coastline, and the coastal cliffs, shaped mysteriously over tens of thousands of years by crashing waves, are famous. The mudflats teeming with countless forms of life, salt fields and the salted seafood made from their salt, and the fresh clams caught from the mudflats?nothing is lacking. And that’s not all. The pine forest at Naesosa Temple, which retains its greenery throughout the four seasons, and the tranquil temple itself are perfect healing spots. Buan offers impeccable landscapes with seasonal charm and unique feelings no matter when you visit. However, we are currently in the era of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). It is best to temporarily refrain from visiting crowded popular spots. There is an alternative. Another way to enjoy the beautiful Byeonsan Peninsula. It is an untact (non-face-to-face) driving journey along Coastal Road No. 30, which connects like capillaries. It is a continuous series of scenery that can be called the most beautiful road even within the Byeonsan Peninsula.

Follow Coastal Road No. 30 along the Byeonsan Peninsula. On this road, you can embrace the vigorous sunrise that dyes the mudflats red or witness the sunset plunging into the sea. Moreover, you will accompany the salty aroma of salted seafood from Chaeseokgang, Gyeokpo, Solseom, Naesosa, and Gomsoman.

It is best to start the coastal road from Buan-eup heading toward Gyewha-do (界火島). Along this road, the West Sea and mudflats accompany you on the right side throughout the drive.

First, set your direction toward Gyewha-do. Gyewha-do, which was also a filming location for the movie "Silmido," was originally an island. After liberation, it became land through the largest reclamation project. The Unam Dam blocked the Seomjin River water, drawing it into Cheongho Reservoir for cultivation, and about 2,700 families displaced by the dam were relocated here.

Passing the Gyewha-myeon office in Buan and crossing the embankment, vast farmland unfolds. It is literally a wide-open plain. In autumn, ripe rice fields form golden fields, and in spring, yellow canola flowers fill the vast plains.

This year, due to frequent snow, the fields are sparkling white all over. In the middle of the Gyewha Plain stands a small mountain called Jobongsan, with an octagonal pavilion at its summit. It is called Gyewha-jeong. President Park Chung-hee’s calligraphy related to the Gyewha-do district agricultural comprehensive development project is engraved in various places.

Gyewha-do was the largest production area of Buan’s specialty, the white clam (Baekhap, 白蛤). Until the late 1960s, Gyewha-do was an island, so the mudflats were good, and there were many clams in the area. However, since the Saemangeum embankment was built, the mudflat ecosystem has deteriorated, and white clams are no longer caught as they used to be.

White clams are eaten grilled, steamed, in soup, or porridge. Grilled white clams wrapped well in aluminum foil are on a different level from those served at typical clam barbecue restaurants. When you peel off the foil wrapping the clam, warm steam rises from the clam that opens with a 'thud.' Dip it in spicy vinegar sauce and pop it into your mouth; the chewy flesh stimulates your sense of smell with the clam’s subtle aroma.

Gyewha-do is also famous as a sunrise and sunset spot. The sunrise here is quite different from that of the East Sea. The East Sea’s sunrise, which rises directly above the horizon, is considered the best, but the West Sea is not always like that. When clouds lightly hang in the sky in a place where the sea, land, and pine trees harmonize like Gyewha-do, the atmosphere is unmatched.

The sunrise at Gyewha-do rises between rows of pine trees along the embankment blocking the sea. The calmness and peace that make you forget even the biting cold air at your nose are contained in the sunrise. The sun is red and shy like a bride’s rouge or a traditional Korean red mark on the cheek. To see this scene, Gyewha-do attracts many travelers not only during the year-end and New Year holidays but also on regular days.

Leaving Gyewha-do and driving along the coastal road, when you reach Gyeokpo Port, you encounter Chaeseokgang, one of the eight scenic spots of Byeonsan. The seaside cliffs feel like a grand natural wonder, as if tens of thousands of books were stacked. It is especially mysterious when the setting sun is filled with red energy. Recently, many travelers visit to take memorable photos in the sea caves.

After leaving Chaeseokgang, you soon reach Solseom. Entering the Student Marine Training Center between Gyeokpo Port and Mohang, you can see Solseom right away. At low tide, it connects to the land, and you can walk about 70 meters to enter Solseom.

Leaving Solseom, the salty smell of aged salted seafood awaits at Gomsok Port and the winter scenery created by the Gomsok Salt Fields in Jinseo-ri. On the way to Gomsok Port, enter Naesosa Temple. Although it is a slight detour from the coastal road, you cannot talk about a trip to Buan without visiting the pine forest path of Naesosa.

The pine forest path at Naesosa is famous as one of the most beautiful paths in Korea, along with the pine forest at Woljeongsa Temple in Odaesan, Gangwon Province. Passing through the Iljumun gate of Naesosa, a pine forest path about 400 meters long appears. The magnificent pine trees, about 150 years old, stretch toward the sky as if competing with each other.

Naesosa is a temple that evokes admiration the more you look closely. First, the modest yet grand appearance of the Daeungjeon Hall is impressive. Without decorative paintwork, the wood grain is naturally exposed, giving the hall a neat and pure charm, allowing you to feel the wrinkles of time.

Returning to the coastal road, head to Gomsok Port. Just reaching the Gomsok three-way intersection, you can smell the salted seafood carried by the sea breeze, so famous is Gomsok’s salted seafood. From Gomsok heading toward Julpo Port, you come across the Nine Curves Pass (Ssaenggaejae), connecting Jinseo-myeon and Byeonsan-myeon. Standing at the pass’s summit, you can see Gomsok Port, Jakdang Village, and Seonunsan Mountain in Gochang across the sea at a glance. Unlike Gyewha-do, here you can witness the spectacular sunrise embracing the sea and mudflats.

Standing at the Nine Curves Pass, early morning fishermen are diligently hauling their nets in the sea, and thin clouds hang in the sky, wrapping the snow-covered mudflats. Suddenly, a red glow spreads over the mudflats. The scene, as if a red carpet has been laid out, is mesmerizing like a painting.

Buan = Jo Yong-jun, Travel Specialist Reporter jun21@

◇Travel Notes

△Getting There= Take the Seohaean Expressway and exit at Buan Interchange, then take National Road No. 30 toward Saemangeum Embankment and Gyewha-do to enter the coastal road. After that, Chaeseokgang, Solseom, Naesosa, and Gomsok Port appear in sequence. Exiting Gunsan IC on the Seohaean Expressway and crossing the Saemangeum Embankment connects directly to Buan’s Coastal Road No. 30.

Steamed Clams Made with Buan's Specialty Clams

△Food= Gyewha Hall is a specialty restaurant for white clam dishes such as white clam soup, grilled, and steamed (photo). There are many sashimi restaurants around Gyeokpo Port. Also, clam salad and clam porridge are deliciously served at the original clam porridge hot spring lodge.

△Accommodation= The best accommodation in Buan is undoubtedly Daemyung Resort Byeonsan. It offers excellent views, top-notch facilities, and convenience linked to tourist attractions.