The coast and the islands, which most visitors never reach
Korea has three very different coastlines and more than three thousand islands. What separates the east coast from the south, and how island travel actually works.
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Three coasts, three characters
The east coast is the dramatic one: deep water, a straight shoreline, proper sandy beaches and pine forest running down to the sea. Gangwon province is its centre and it is where Koreans go for a beach holiday.
The south coast is broken into countless bays, inlets and islands. It is greener, milder, and the seafood is the country's best. This is where the island-hopping is.
The west coast has enormous tidal ranges — the sea can retreat for kilometres, exposing mudflats that are themselves the attraction. Sunsets there are the draw, and the water is shallow and warm.
Getting to an island
Most islands are reached by ferry from a mainland port, and most ferries are booked on the day at the terminal rather than online in advance.
Ferries are weather-dependent and cancellations are routine rather than exceptional, particularly in winter and typhoon season. Building a tight schedule around a return ferry is how people miss flights.
Bring your passport. Ferry operators are required to record identity documents for every passenger, and you will not board without one.
Jeju is a different proposition
Jeju is reached by air rather than by sea for most visitors, and the Seoul–Jeju route is one of the busiest flight corridors in the world. Flights are frequent and inexpensive.
It is volcanic, subtropical by Korean standards, and has its own dialect, cuisine and architecture. Treating it as a short add-on to a mainland trip undersells it considerably.
Public transport exists but is slow. Most visitors rent a car, and an international driving permit is required.
Smaller islands, and why they are worth it
The smaller southern islands — reached from ports such as Tongyeong, Yeosu and Mokpo — are where the coast is at its most striking and least visited by foreign travellers.
Accommodation is usually minbak or a small pension, and there may be no restaurant beyond what your host cooks. Confirm what food is available before you go rather than assuming you can buy dinner.
Last ferries are early, often mid-afternoon outside summer. Check the return time before the outbound one.