In Busan, there are many walking trails with stunning views of the ocean, including Taejongdae Park in Yeongdo Island, Jeoryeong Coastal Trail, Amnam Park Coastal Trail in Seo-gu, and Igidae Coastal Trail in Nam-gu just to name a few. Among them, Gadeokdo Coastal Trail, located at the southernmost part of Busan, is lesser known, which is odd considering its amazing beauty. This quiet, secluded, 6 km long trail out in nature where there are fewer people connects Dongseon Saebaji to Daehang Saebaji (Saebaji refers to a place where the east wind blows.). It is in perfect harmony with the unique rock formations and the blue ocean.

After getting off at the last stop of Bus 58 and walking in the direction of Dongseon Saebaji, you’ll find the beautiful coastal trail, a perfect tour route for drinking in the scenery of the ocean in harmony with awe-inspiring rocks and the blue sky. The beautiful, panoramic scenery of the South Sea will unfold before your eyes. In what looks like a painting, you’ll find fishers trying to catch fish on the rocks here and there on the seashore.

Once you pass by a prayer house on a flat coastal trail, you’ll realize that you’re about to go uphill into the forest. On your way to Eoeumpo Port, you’ll find a vast empty lot. This place is called Nureungneung Pass. Until the 1970s, it was a residential area. Now, however, there’s only an observatory where you can take a rest for a moment. Once you reach the top of the Nureungneung Observatory, you’ll find yourself breathing a little heavy, and you’ll immediately understand why a rest area was built specifically in this place. The breathtaking view of the blue ocean and the charming coastal line below your feet will surprise you. You’ll fall in love with the ocean. In case you spot a fishing boat in the ocean, you can’t take your eyes off of it until it completely goes out of sight.

Along the forest trail from Eoeumpo Port to Daehang Saebaji, you’ll find a colony of pine trees so dense that little sunlight can reach the ground. While walking along the forest trail, you’ll hear the refreshing sound of water flowing in the Eoeumpo Valley toward the sea in front of Gadeokdo Island. Eoeumpo Port, a former port rich with fish, is now used as a resting place for busy travelers. As Gadeokdo Dullegil Trail consists of both coastal and mountaineering trails, you can go on a walking tour that involves crossing the valley right below the mountaintop. After going up and down along the coastal trail with no chance to feel bored, you’ll find yourself reaching the Huimangjeong Pavilion. A pavilion and a deck were built in this place, where a coastal guard post used to be. It’s a perfect place to enjoy the scenery. Without noticing it, you’ll get carried away by the beautiful scenery seen from the Huimangjeong Pavilion.

When you reach the end of the meandering coastal trail, Daehang Saebaji Village comes into sight. The pebble beach in Daehang Saebaji is known for having an artificial cave built by mining engineers and Korean forced labor during the Japanese Occupation. It’s heartbreaking to see the other side of this little port embracing the beautiful, emerald ocean as it used to be a place of suffering for Korean laborers drafted by the Japanese Imperial Army. This place is marked by the pain of the hidden past but is now being translated into the present, moving toward a new future.