The Best Beaches in Ulsan
**This is an UPDATED version of an article that was written in 2012**
**Click the title of each beach to get the Korean map link and relevant bus schedules**
Swimming season is here in Ulsan and that means that it is beach season. Ulsan is blessed to have a number of great beaches to choose from. Each of these beaches is slightly different and constantly changing. Looking back at the original article (minus the updated images that I added recently), you would be hardly recognize them. The summer months are seeing more and more visitors to the beaches and more activities too. From water parks to camping, beaches are a great place to spend the hot summer days in Ulsan.
Ilsan Beach
One of the best and most well known beaches in Ulsan, Ilsan beach sees the most crowds during the month of August. This is mainly due to the many renovations that the beach has seen over the years. What used to be a beach surrounded by pochangmacha (Korean street food/soju tents) and love motels is now a trendy area with decent restaurants and cafes. While the economic situation with the shipbuilding industry has slowed the progress in the area, it has not slowed beach-goers.
The city has also installed a massive water park for swimmers to enjoy. This is probably one of the biggest improvements to the area and will draw in families from all over the city to enjoy. Over the years, waterparks have cropped up around the city and this has to be one of the biggest and best. The area also has jet-skis to rent and jet-boat tours are also available.
Jujeon Beach
If soft white sand and water parks are not your thing, just around the corner from the Hyundai Shipyards near Nammock is JuJeon Beach. This is known for it’s black pebbles and is a preferred location for families looking to set up tents along the beach. There are also campgrounds location near the rotary just before you get to the beach. However, in peak season, the beach itself will look more like a campground during the day.
I have written about JuJeon before (link) and how it is a little less trendy than Ilsan. However, as time passes, more and more cafes and restaurants are moving into the area. Due to its location, it still won’t be as popular as Ilsan Beach and I think that is a good thing! The beach is also quite in the mornings and if you are looking for a nice walk, this may be your place.
Jinha Beach
While other beaches in Ulsan have seen major improvements, Jinha is one that is sticking to its roots in a manner of speaking. Development here has been more focussed on the nearby Ganjeolgot area and less on the area around JinHa Beach. The town reminds visitors of the way things were 15 years ago. It is one of the few notable beaches that is not overrun with back-to-back cafes. Other the other hand, it does look a little rundown as many businesses are shutting down. This could be a sign of future development or lack thereof. However, there are some notable changes and improvements.
JinHa Beach is slowly becoming a mecca for surfers, kite boarders, and wind surfers. Each year, The Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) holds an event in this sleepy beachside village. Typically, it is held around May, it brings worldwide attention to the beach. You can rent boards here and also take surfing lessons as well.
Jeongja Beach
This beach has seen a wave of development along the beach recently. What was once a fishing village with a rocky beach now is lines with high rise apartments, a hotel and a growing number of shops and cafes. The beach itself still has the charm that it had back in the day but the area around it is almost unrecognizable.
Jeonja is still a go-to place for fresh fish and crab, but it is also now one of the budding communities in Ulsan. The village was once a small fishing village with Haenya (sea-diving grandmothers) and fishing boats. Now, is encircled by pricy high rise apartments, cafes and restaurants.
If you have notice that Ulsan beaches are a lot cleaner than they normally are, that is due to the efforts of We-HOPE and their beach clean ups (link). Over the past couple of months, We-HOPE volunteers have been spending their time volunteering to clean up the beaches around Ulsan. This is a project that Ulsan Online hopes to get behind in the future. Take a look at this great video about one of the recent beach cleanups that We-HOPE did recently.
