Sokcho; the last major city on South Korea’s east coast before the DMZ. It is an international port, the gateway to Seoraksan National Park, and home to a small community of North Korean refugees. Spending a full two days exploring Sokcho and the attractions around it was an awesome experience. Here is a list of four great things to do in Sokcho!
Explore Abai Village
A small island community of North Korean refugees lingers in Sokcho’s Abai Village (아바이마을). Though many residents have moved away from the tiny fishing village, a core group of several hundred remain. The island is a maze of well-preserved homes and seafood restaurants.
Up until recently, the only way to access the island was via the Gaetbae Boat (갯배)–a small raft pulled along a cable. Though a new bridge makes access by car possible, visitors can still pull themselves over on the raft.
Eat Some Abai Sundae
Abai Village has several claims to fame. My personal favorite is its unique take on sundae, a classic Korean dish. Normally, sundae is beef or pork intestines stuffed with all manner of goodness. In Abai Village, the fishing families have concocted a squid variety known as Abai sundae (아바이순대). Instead of stuffing intestines, they just use a squid. The result is salty, hearty, and delicious.
Hike in Seoraksan National Park
Several weeks ago, I wrote about my experience in Seoraksan National Park. It really is one of the most beautiful places in all of Korea. There are phenomenal hiking trails, stunning views, a magnificent Buddha statue, and so many more things to see.

Visit the Goseong DMZ
While the DMZ in Seoul may be a touristy and bustling affair, the Goseong DMZ is decidedly more mellow. It’s a little difficult to reach if you haven’t got your own transportation, but don’t let that dissuade you. It’s absolutely worth a visit, if only for the stunning views of the coast with North Korea in the background.
There you have it! Four awesome things to do in Sokcho. What do you think? Did I miss anything? Let me know your recommendations below.
Bonus tip:
If you need a place to stay, I’d recommend The House Hostel. The manager, Mr. You, is delightful and is one of the most helpful people I’ve ever met. All the directions to Seoraksan and the DMZ (in their respective posts) are courtesy of him. The location is perfect and the facilities are well-maintained.
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Jina and I are going to 속초 tomorrow! Thank you for the advice Mr Anderson.
Awesome!! Hopefully it’s all still accurate, haha
hmmm I’m not the biggest fan of pig intestines, as in I’m not a fan at all, but I do love squid so I might have to give this dish a go! That hostel looks super cute, about how much was it, if you don’t mind me asking?
We really enjoyed it there! The peak season rate for a double room ran us 55,000. However, it’s off-season now, so I think it’s down to 35,000. Check the reservation guide at http://www.thehouse-hostel.com/sub3.html for the room prices 🙂
Awesome, thanks!
This is awesome, I love the photo of the coastline! I loved hiking in Seoraksan, I think it is one of the best things I have done in Korea.
We stayed at the House Hostel too! That guy was really nice and accommodating. 🙂 We may have to make our way back up to Gangwon-do soon, because you really convinced me to go to the Goseong DMZ!
Thanks Nathan.
This is perfect! I’m headed there for a few days during Chuseok. Thanks for the tips!
Nice! That will be awesome 🙂 Check out the Seoraksan and Goseong DMZ posts linked in this one if you’re planning on going. Hope you have a great time!
Oh man, I wish I’d heard about this earlier. I’m in Seoul for the summer and would have loved to travel some more, but (ugh) school starts up again in September.
I think Sokcho is pretty famous for it’s unusual tower/lighthouse, but I have to admit that I wasn’t very impressed by it. Good to know there are some redeeming qualities about it. Now I wish I’d spent more time in Sokcho. I didn’t realize there was a village of North Korean refugees, even though we drove right by it when we were there. That raft is pretty cool too.
Your photo of the Goseong DMZ is way better than mine! It was a miserable rainy day when we were there.
Next time I’m up in that area I’m definitely going to get to Seoraksan!
I didn’t even know about the Sokcho lighthouse. Haha. Sounds like I didn’t miss too much, though.
I’d definitely recommend spending some more time there, though! There’s some nice stuff to see in the area 🙂
I would definitely have a go at some Abai sundae. It sounds a lot like black-pudding or haggis to me and after living in Scotland for 6 months I miss that stuff so much! Ha ha! Thank-you for the article Nathan. 🙂
Mm, haggis! Yeah, if you like black pudding and haggis, you’d love sundae 😉 Thanks for reading!
Nathan, did you see the DMZ on this trip?
I did! Check out the link in the post for tips on how to get up there. It’s a very different experience than the Seoul DMZ.
Also, great to randomly/awkwardly see you at the airport 😉 haha
Awesome! And this looks like an awesome trip btw. Great photos!!