Samcheok

Samcheok City is located at the southernmost region of Gangwon do, reaches out to the east coast, and Uljin in Gyeongsangbuk do to the south. You can enjoy a romantic time by the blue ocean and mysterious caves.

A calm and peaceful place located 1.4 km from downtown.

You can reach the entrance of Hwanseon Cave after passing the ticket office, several traditional houses, a bridge, waterfall, and 398 iron stairs. 448 wild plants grow around the cave. It takes about 1 hour to see the inner side of the cave which is open from 8:30 am to 5 pm during the winter season (Nov. ~ Feb.), and from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm during the summer season (Mar. ~ Oct.).

Dear My Friends,
Do you know Samcheok City in Korea? Samcheok City has many caves and is an impressive place that I have been to. Although a number of caves have been discovered throughout Samcheok, their interiors are deceptively fragile, and so only these two, both part of Daei ri County Park, are open to the public. They are ‘Hwanseongul’ and ‘Daegeumgul’.

Follow the steep Mt. Deokhangsan walkway and you’ll arrive to Hwanseongul Cave. The trip to Daegeum begins with a monorail ride uphill. The Daegeum monorail offers a seven minute journey. Daegeumgul Cave’s monorail carries visitors into a hidden underworld, passing beautiful stalactites and rock formations on the way.

Stories surrounding the stream abound. One popular legend has it that a beautiful woman used to appear at a waterfall near Daei ri village to bathe. But when she was approached by the villagers one day, she disappeared. Lightning struck, rocks tumbled, and the lady turned into a cave. Believing that she must have been a seonnyeo (fairy), the villagers named the cave Hwanseongul or reborn deity.

Limestone caves are formed over long periods of time as water and naturally occurring acids dissolve the mountain rocks. Inside, as your eyes adjust to the dimness, a cornucopia of shapes and silhouettes surround you. Also the Hwanseongul Cave has bridge of confessions and you’ll see a sign inviting you to confess your sins.

Nonstop buses to Samcheok Express Bus Terminal leave every 40 to 50 minutes from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal. On weekdays, the first bus is at 6:30 am and the last runs at 11:30 pm. There are also 15 services daily from Dong (East) Seoul Bus Terminal to Samcheok between 7:10 am and 8:05 pm. If you’re planning to drive from Seoul, take the Yeongdong Expressway to Gangneung junction, then get onto the Donghae (East Sea) Expressway to Donghae. National Road No. 7 will then take you to Samcheok. Well, tickets for the ride cost 12,000 won and must be booked in advance at http://samcheok.mainticket.co.kr.

And you can see lots of information on following site http://www.samcheok.go.kr/eng/03/02.asp (English site) In Samcheok, there are beautiful beaches and Haesindang Park that has a wonderful statue. I hope you come to Samcheok.

See you later.

Sincerely,
Hyeonseok

* More information: http://eng.samcheok.go.kr/main/