Hello, everyone! I’m “Gaya,” your tour guide of Inside Korea Travel who introduces travel destinations in Korea that people do not know!  You might not have heard my news during September as I was preparing to introduce you to a travel destination.

This time, I went to “Baengnyeongdo” Island, located in the northernmost part of South Korea. 

Originally, it was the 14th largest island in Korea, but what’s interesting is that this island is now the 8th largest island through several reclamation projects. Through the reclamation project, the agricultural area has expanded, and many people make a living in agriculture. That is why even if Baengnyeongdo is an island, only 10% of the workforce are fishermen. 

If you drive around Baengnyeongdo Island, you will realize that there are really many fields and rice paddies.

There are a total of 5,000 county residents in Baengnyeongdo Island and a little more than 6,000 soldiers. It seems scary because it is the closest to North Korea, but it is a “safe area” where more than half of the soldiers live. Lots of weapons are within the island! You might feel insecure while traveling if you encounter military zones and restricted areas where tourism development is not possible.  However, the sound of the waves of Baengnyeongdo Island’s beautiful Kongdol Beach and Sagot Beach relieves such fear! You will be fascinated by beautiful nature.

The weather was so nice that I could see Hwanghae province and Wollae Island (Which is North Korea) very clearly when I visited Baengnyeongdo. On the day I entered the island, the waves were so high that I got seasickness, but the sky was really clear!  I was able to see North Korea through telescopes in Paju, Cheorwon, and Goseong DMZ when I visited these places but in Baengnyeongdo Observatory, I even could see apartments of North Korea with my naked eyes! 

Of course, it was as small as an ant.

There is no airport in Baengnyeongdo, so you can only go by boat. There are 2 trips a day, Harmony Flower departing at 7:30 a.m., and Korea King departing at 8:30 a.m. Korea King is a small cruise and there are people who say that they had difficulties when the waves were high but the cruise was very clean! I went in by Harmony Flower cruise and the one-way fare was approximately 60,000 won.

There is a small restaurant where you can eat kimbap and udon early in the morning at Incheon Coastal Passenger Terminal. There is also a CU convenience store selling 500ml bottled water for 1,000 won which is very expensive. (Usually, 500ml water is about 500 won.) If you can prepare in advance, I recommend you to prepare for the bottled water near your house the day before. I didn’t know the waves were high that day and I had a hard time after eating gimbap, so if you think you will experience seasickness, please don’t eat anything and take an anti-seasickness pill.

By the way! Cruise to Baengnyeongdo is often canceled when the waves are too high. Don’t worry too much about this because the travel agency where you reserved the tour or the site you reserved will contact you separately. You just have to pray that the waves are not high. Neither travel agencies nor cruise owners can do anything against the power of nature, right?

Anyway, when you arrive safely in Baengnyeongdo, the guide will stand in front of you with your name tag and you can now travel comfortably! For those who had severe seasickness, there is a soup prepared to soothe your stomach which you can enjoy comfortably. On the first day, soft tofu stew will be good to eat because it includes Tongyeong’s native oysters. Native oysters have very small eggs, but the oyster scent spreads in the mouth which are really delicious.

I’ll see you next time with another pleasant travelog. If you have any questions about Baengnyeongdo, please feel free to leave a comment.

You could send us a message through our Facebook page if you think you are not getting replied on time and we will reply quickly. I hope you have a great day today!

[Must-have List Before Boarding the Boat]

1. You need an Alien registration card(ARC) to enter Baengnyeongdo. If you don’t have an alien registration card, please prepare a passport. To ride a cruise in Korea, a certificate to check your identity is essential. 

2. Due to COVID-19, they don’t sell anything on the cruise. Please prepare a small bottle of water. Eating on the cruise is prohibited.

3. If you have severe seasickness, please take anti-seasickness pills in advance.