Sokcho

Sokcho  (속초) is a city in Gangwon, South Korea. It's quite a sleepy city and is known as a gateway to Seoraksan National Park, which is a 30-minute bus ride from the central hub. Also, the DMZ is an hour north by bus, from the central hub. The city has many beaches and areas to view the East Sea, or Sea of Japan.

Understand
The population is about 83,000 (2022), the fifth largest in Gangwon-do after Wonju, Chuncheon, Gangneung, and Donghae, and also ranks as the city with the highest population density in the province. In particular, it is the largest city north of the 38th parallel and the northernmost city in South Korea, being even higher in latitude than North Korea's Kaesong city. The two cities in South Korea farthest away from each other are Sokcho and Mokpo, separated by a distance of 530 km. Along with Jumunjin in Gangneung-si, it is one of the major fishing ports on the east coast, and Seoraksan National Park occupies about half of the city's area.

By bus
Buses leave the Seoul Express Bus Terminal approximately every 30 minutes. It takes around 2:30 - 3:00 hours and buses arrive at the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal. Tickets are approximately ₩15,000 per person. There is rarely need to get tickets in advance.

Buses leave from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (Gangbyeon Station Line 2) to Sokcho every 30 minutes.

From Chuncheon, they are 17 buses per day leaving from 06:15 until 20:00. The ride takes 2 hours and costs ₩13,400. Buses from Gangneung costs ₩6,300.

The bus terminals in the jurisdiction include 'Sokcho Express Bus Terminal' and 'Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal'. The two terminals are in the southern and northern parts of Sokcho, respectively, and are about 3 km away, so be careful.

The city buses in the jurisdiction are Donghae Commercial Express and Gangwon Passenger, and T-money and Cashbee are used for transportation cards. Some postpaid transportation cards are not available, so be careful.

New BS has a high proportion, and there are diesel and electric buses. Donghae-si is the only city bus in the Yeongdong area where gas cars roll.

By train
As of 2023, no trains serve Sokcho. Hence, if you want to travel from Seoul to Sokcho by train, you have to take a KTX from Cheongnyangni Station to Gangneung, then transfer by bus from Gangneung Intercity Bus Terminal to Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal. If plans for a railway to be completed and opened by 2027 materialize, travel from Seoul is expected to take an hour and 39 minutes without a transfer.

By ferry
Sokcho also serves as the terminal for ferries from Zarubino near Vladivostok on the Russian east coast.

By car
National Road No. 7 is the only national road, and it crosses from Yangyang-gun, passes through Sokcho-si from north to south, and then passes to Goseong-gun. Along with National Route 7, the main interstate road in Sokcho City is Local Road 56, which connects downtown Sokcho, Sokcho IC, and Misiryeong Tunnel.

With the opening of the Donghongcheon IC-Yangyang IC section of the Seoul Yangyang Expressway, it has become easier to move to Gangneung and Samcheok. As a result of driving on the highway from Jamsil to Sokcho, Seoul, on weekdays in June 2020, it was able to run in 2 hours and 5 minutes despite traffic congestion in the existing Gyeongchun Expressway section.

By bus
Sokcho is a sprawling city but transport by bus is easy. Bus routes are available through the Naver map app but timetables are not given.

The two bus terminals (intercity and express) are at some distance from one another. City buses leave regularly for Seoraksan National Park. The bus leaves irregularly for Osaek (south Seoraksan) from the intercity bus terminal.

By car
Sokcho is a great place to travel by car. Because the area is not large, it is good to go from place to place. Sokcho is also close to Gangneung, so it is very convenient to move by car.

By bicycle
There is a place where bicycles are rented. You can rent a bicycle there and enjoy the riding course in Sokcho.

Yeongnangho Lake is a great place for a bicycle course.

See




Do

 * Visit the Seoraksan National Park
 * Bikes are available from outside the GS25 Sokcho Tower Branch (next to the Sokcho Tower). They cost approximately 20,000 won/day to rent and there are a range of sizes. Call 0505-929-7000 for more info (updated Sep 2023).
 * Bikes are available from outside the GS25 Sokcho Tower Branch (next to the Sokcho Tower). They cost approximately 20,000 won/day to rent and there are a range of sizes. Call 0505-929-7000 for more info (updated Sep 2023).

Buy
If you're lost without an essential and are having trouble finding it try the E-mart near the express bus terminal. Also, fans of dried squid can find a whole package of squid for only ₩10,000, which is the same price, if not less, that most restaurants sell one squid for.

Famous foods

 * Red crabs

The area is famous for red crabs. Compared to snow crabs which are seasonal, red crabs are always available for purchase at Sokcho Jungang Market. Red / snow crab is available from many restaurants. It can be expensive at around ₩100,000 for a crab, including sides such as sashimi, rice, and pickles. A cheaper way of trying crab is at the Sokcho Fish market where takeaway steamed crab is available for ₩15,000.


 * Cold noodles with pollack

A spicy and savory dish, it came about due to the fact that noodles made from sweet potato starch, potato starch, or buckwheat starch were not traditionally eaten with side dishes. At some point, people started to pair these noodles with pollack or flounder.


 * Soft tofu (sundubu)

Hakhakpyeong, located on the way from downtown Sokcho towards Ulsan Rock (Mishiryeong Old Road), is home to several soft tofu restaurants. Made from pure Mt. Seoraksan water and seawater, it is chemical-free, nutritious, tasty and usually costs only ₩5,000 at most places.


 * Sundae

One of the types of sundae (again, not the eponymous dessert) unique to Sokcho is squid sundae, made using squid instead of pork intestines. It consists of squid stir-fried with noodles and blood sausage, with carrots, onions, seaweed and spices mixed together. The whole thing is then covered in egg yolk and fried. It runs about ₩10,000 per dish.


 * Salted fish

Sokcho is also known for raw, salted fish, especially flounder and pollack. It can be quite expensive in restaurants (₩70,000 for two).

Drink
Sokcho is not filled with the plethora of hofs (restaurants with a drinking atmosphere), but almost all restaurants serve beer and soju (sweet potato wine, 20% proof). Beer and soju usually cost around ₩5,000 in restaurants.


 * A small bar with nice views exists near the small hand pulled ferry crossing to the Abai village. It serves local craft beer (₩10,000 a can) and Korean lagers at ₩4,000. It has music and possibly karaoke on particularly lively evenings.

Connect
There are tourist information kiosks beside both the intercity and express bus terminals.


 * Sokcho city government home page
 * Sokcho city government English-language home page
 * Sokcho-si Tourism Org
 * Sokcho-si :Official Site of Korea Tourism Org

Go next

 * DMZ About an hour's bus ride north is the De-Militarized Zone between North and South Korea.
 * Seoraksan National Park is about a 30-minute bus ride and served by the 3 and 3-1 buses (as of August 2009)
 * Gangneung Another major city in Gangwon-do. There are many tourist spots in Gangneung like Daegwallyeong and Gangneung Coffee Street.


 * Cycle the coastal path. A cycle track asking the coastal path goes all the way to the DMZ Unification Observatory (approximately 60km). A 2-3 day round trip from Sokcho, expect to see beaches, quiet villages and lots of fences nearer the DMZ. See the 'Bikes' section under 'Do' for bike rental information. More info on bike path: https://www.koreabybike.com/routes/gangwon-bicycle-path/sokcho-goseong/