Most Beautiful Beaches In The World?

Typical beach - umbrellas & intertubes

Soon after arriving, I heard Haeundae Beach in Busan was the most beautiful beach in the world, which struck me as a bit odd but I was obviously interested in getting to Busan anyway, so why not check out this allegedly beautiful beach.

Having been fortunate enough to live in sunny, sandy, Florida the past decade has offered me some wonderful background knowledge on what a beautiful beach might look like. So, as I made my way to Haeundae, I was certainly intrigued by what the Korean beach scene might have in store.

Haeundae, looking east, before the crowds

I secretly wished I would be greeted by pristine white sand, postcard perfect palm trees & breathtaking views. The reality of it, though, was I figured they would be nice beaches but wasn't going to get my hopes up for some stunning South Pacific backdrop....which, in reality, was a good thing. 

Haeundae looking west, before the crowds

Since visiting Haeundae, I have made a point of checking out a few other beaches on the peninsula & found they all pretty much appear about the same. They aren't terrible beaches & certainly offer great opportunities to relax, splash around a bit & enjoy a minor level of eye candy but the wishful thinking that I might experience something other than brown sand & relatively clear water were exactly that.

It must be understood that many Koreans never actually venture off the peninsula, hence the feeling that Haeundae is the most beautiful beach in their world. If you were from Korea, never left Korea & only visited all the main beaches across the country (w/the exclusion of those on Jeju Island - it's their version of Hawaii), you could certainly contest that Haeundae is in fact the most beautiful beach in the Korean world. 

Haeundae, ready for the crowds

Unfortunately, they really only sever as a delightful respite from the nearly oppressive heat & humidity of the summer months over here, while offering nothing much in the way of uniqueness, sheer beauty or tranquil havens.

I would likely make the comparison to the old guy selling produce off the back of his truck on the outskirts of Tampa who swore up & down he had the greatest sweetcorn in the world. It was only after mentioning I was an Iowa farmboy that he changed his tune & simply said 'Eh, it's pretty good.'  Sure, the beaches in Korea are pretty good but I would certainly have a hard time ranking them amongst the most beautiful in the world.

Common Korean water-ware

Notice the khaki's & long sleeves behind the little girl

Apparently the typical beachwear

Haeundae, bustling in early afternoon, notice the outfits, inflatables & umbrellas

I did notice a couple rather peculiar items in my 'research.' First, most Koreans go to the beach to post up under huge umbrellas (or beach tents if it's a less touristy locale), make a day of it picnicking & lounging, while occassionally making an effort to splash around or float on an inflatable doughnut in the water.The second is a very small percentage of the beach-going populations over the age of 7 actually wear bathing suits. Most everyone shows up in whatever they deem appropriate & whoala, that's what they go swimming/floating in. Shorts, T-shirts (long & short sleeved), hooded sweatshirts, jeans, capris, sweatpants & even dress shirts & khaki's. 

More scenes from Haeundae but pay particular attention to the girl in yellow....

She was a big fan of throwing sand, especially at her father!

These kids were hilarious, the boy was basically eating the sand after awhile

Sporting the banana hammock/man huggers (no, that's not his kid)

On the other end of the spectrum, you get some of the more confident (or likely foreign) sun worshippers willing to strut their stuff in banana hammocks & man huggers....very European, ooh la la!

There are a few more beaches in Busan but I only got shots of them at night. Regardless, Koreans do enjoy spending time near the water, no matter what time of day. There was even a set of steps built right along the water filled w/families & groups of friends eating, drinking & enjoying life at nearly 10 p.m. Like I've said before, they certainly do appreciate their lives & tend to enjoy themselves in all circumstances.


The rest of the pictures are from the various beaches in Busan (Gwangalli, Songjeong) as well as Pohang (Bukbu & Wolpo). I made my way to a few other beaches but either forgot my camera, the batteries had died or I completely neglected to take any pictures but I'm pretty sure you get the idea....the Korean beaches certainly aren't the idyllic sand-scapes I had been lead to believe but I am definitely happy w/the opportunity to splash around in relatively clean waters & have many of the beach goers gawk at my unorthodox choice of apparel.

Gwangalli, in Busan

Waterfront picnickers on the steps in Busan

Songjeong, in Busan

Pohang, looking towards the POSCO facility

Fireworks over Bukbu, Pohang

Bustling nightlife on Bukbu, Pohang

Brown sands & cloud cover, Bukbu, Pohang

Making the most of a cloudy day on Bukbu, Pohang

Looking south on Wolpo, Pohang

Looking north on Wolpo, Pohang

Probably the clearest water in Korea at Wolpo, Pohang

Not perfect sand but definitely less crowded

Pretty rocky beach but the military post adds serious security to the days events

Admittedly, the sight of another waegook (foreigners) is always a beach day bonus! I wouldn't say they are the most beautiful beaches in the world but I'm absolutely happy Korea isn't land locked, just something great about the salty sea air, waves lapping at your feet & not a care in the world except remembering to put on enough sunscreen.

Just happy to see another 'swimsuit'

Hanging W/The Dear Leader

The Dear Leader, just hanging out!

So there I was, sitting on Haeundae Beach in Busan, minding my own business when (although not entirely unexpected) this quaint older gentleman dolled up in his Sunday best creeps up on me & asks if he could take a seat beside me.

At the current moment I had been enjoying the local surf population punishing some gnarly three foot breakers about 150 feet out from the shore, which basically meant I was in a calm & peaceful state; at one w/the crashing waves & overcrowded jostling for a turn on the breaks.

As the elderly man began to speak, I noticed his English was pretty good, especially considering most Koreans beyond their mid thirties rarely spoke much English at all. The conversation was rather vanilla, initially, asking where I was from, what I was doing in Korea, etc....the typical generalities of a curious Korean wanted to know about the waegooks (foreigners).

He explained to me that he'd grown up in North Korea for lived there into his early teenage years before escaping to China & then making his way south of the DMZ into the 'free Korea,' as he put it. He mentioned not having any contact w/the few family members still living in the north but could only speculate that they likely had died or were suffering immensely under the current regime. Finally, he introduced himself by name & also offered me his business card. I thought I heard his name correctly but studied the card just to make sure. I'm fairly certain I had an inquisitive look plastered across my face, which he quickly took notice of & pointed out that he wasn't THAT Kim Jong Il - spelled differently, J-O-N-G instead of Y-O-U-N-G.

He's always lurking around somewhere!

You never know, he's a crafty one & he could be lurking anywhere - it's not completely out of the realm of possibility that it MIGHT be the real deal!


We went on to discuss the future of a unified Korea, his thoughts on how it might happen & his hope that, since the Germans were able to make it work, there just might be a shred of hope for his beloved Korea, too.

It was certainly interesting getting to speak to an escapee who had seen life on both sides of the DMZ, as well as learning more about his life after the escape. Turns out nearly 10,000 North Koreans escape to China every year but only about 2,000 of them actually realize their dreams of freedom. Most of them get shipped back to Pyongyang by the Chinese government, where they are usually jailed as traitors of the state but it's common that some are executed as well. I'm not sure how they decide who lives and dies but I'd assume 'repeat offenders' or seriously outspoken troublemakers probably don't have much chance of living upon their forced return.

He has devoted his life to Christ & spends most of his time 'witnessing' to most anyone who will offer him the courtesy of listening. I've realized most of these Christians have a fairly jaded reality of the world & their perspective is consistent w/a one track mind. They also don't seem open to other options or possibilities aside from that of their own faith.

However, he & I had a nice conversation regarding religion in general; how it seems to have such an adverse effect on people around the world & why so many zealouts seem staunchly determined to show that theirs is far superior to all others. To me, it seems most religions embrace essentially the same mantra but a select few seem to ruin it for everyone else....

Keep an eye out for the fanatics....

Without getting deep into religious dogma, I found it refreshing to share some quality conversation regarding religion, in general w/out having to refute the usual speculation & nonsense (you'd be surprised how many Christians over here want to 'witness' to people but have very little functional knowledge of religion beyond what they've been continually spoon-fed w/out much actual thought or questioning on their own).

Either way, I am happy to report that the Kim Young Il I met, is a sensible, down to earth, God fearing, guy who seems to think the ways of the Western world aren't all that bad & invited me to look him up whenever I made it back to Busan. Whether I needed a meal or a place to lay my head at night, I was always welcome.

So, when it boils right down to it, most people in this world are good, caring, compassionate & relatively generous people in some capacity or another. Although, I can imagine it isn't much fun sharing a name w/one of the most despised men in the whole world. I just wish I'd had the foresight snap a couple pictures of me & the dear leader. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Have a great weekend, people!