Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, which achieved the steel legend during the industrialization of Korea, is slowly revealing its hidden value as a tourist city. Above all, Pohang’s unique charm is radiated by the combination of the world’s best steel industry city and the natural scenery.
Starting from Homigot Square, a famous sunrise spot, a path is built along the Homi Peninsula, and along with the tale of Yeonorang and Seonyeo, the whale story is known nationwide, and Guryongpo Japanese House Street, a part of history, was filmed in the popular drama (When the Camellia Blooms). As a result, it has become a national tourist attraction. In addition, starting from Jukdo Market and Yeongildae Beach, along the coast, Yeonnam-dong Hoe Town, Hwanyeo Park Space Walk, Jukcheon Beach, Yeongilman New Port, Chilpo Beach, Kunlun Mountain, Wolpo Beach, Cheongha Market, Sabang Memorial Park, Bogyeongsa Temple, and Hwajin Beach are located along the east coast. The beaches along it and the open sea scenery are capturing the attention of tourists.
1. Hwanhwa Park Space Walk
Space Walk, which has quickly emerged as a landmark of Pohang, is Korea’s largest experience donated to Pohang citizens by POSCO, which spent 11.7 billion won over 2 years and 7 months to install a sculpture measuring 60m wide, 55m long, 25 high, and the total length of stairs is 333m in Hwanyeo Park. It is a type sculpture. The shape is reminiscent of a roller coaster, but it has stairs instead of rails, so you can go up directly. As you walk slowly along the track, you can have the mystical experience of ‘walking on clouds, as if swimming through space and the universe,’ as the title Space Walk suggests. It is becoming another specialty of Pohang, with lines of visitors stretching hundreds of meters every weekend.
2. Yeongildae Beach
Yeongildae Beach is known as Pohang’s representative beach. The white sand beach is 1,750m long, 40~70m wide, and covers an area of 406,613.4m² (123,000 pyeong), and has a wonderful view across POSCO and Yeongil Bay. Other attractions include Yeongildae, Korea’s first maritime pavilion, the rose garden where various roses are in full bloom in May, and the sand sculptures displayed on the side of the white sand beach. The Pohang International Light Festival and the Pohang Sea International Performing Arts Festival are held every year, and numerous other events are held, attracting large crowds during the summer opening period. Above all, it is located in the city center, so it is easily accessible, and there are many cafes and restaurants nearby.
3. Jukdo Market
Jukdo Market is a large market with over 2,500 stores, forming a large commercial district along with the fish market and grain market. In particular, Jukdo Fish Market is constantly visited by residents and tourists as it offers a variety of marine products such as gwamegi, raw fish, and whale meat, which are Pohang’s specialties. Jukdo Market, Pohang’s representative traditional market, boasts a nationwide scale. The total area is about 150,000 m2 and the number of stores is over 1,000. Due to the nature of Pohang, an area close to the sea, the proportion of seafood is high enough to be called a fish market, but it sells a wide variety of products as the number of stores is large.
4. Homigot
Homigot, the easternmost point of Yeongil Bay in Pohang City, is famous for its sunrise and lighthouse. In particular, many people come to see the sunrise, as it is the first place on the Korean Peninsula to see the sun rise along with nearby Ganjeolgot in Ulsan. It began to be developed as a tourist complex during the New Millennium Sunrise event in 2000, and a sunrise plaza was created in the Daebori area where you can see the open horizon and sunrise. Inside the plaza, there are convenience facilities, a wind power plant, and the bronze statue of the ‘Hand of Coexistence’ shown in the photo above, and right next to it is the country’s only lighthouse museum. The hand of Sangsaeng is a pair of hands, with the right hand being in the sea and the left hand being on land.
5. Yeonorangseonyeo theme park
Yeonorangseonyeo Theme Park is a theme park built by Pohang City on an area of 83,000㎡ in the area of Imgok-ri, Donghae-myeon, Nam-gu, based on the story of ‘Yeonoranxeonyeo’. The park is composed of five themes, including Yeonorang Garden, Korean Garden, and Japanese Garden, and is equipped with an observatory and a walking trail that provide a panoramic view of Yeongil Bay and downtown Pohang.
6. Guryongpo Modern Culture and History Street
If you go to Guryongpo, you will see the intact Japanese houses where the Japanese lived 100 years ago. The alleys of Jangan-dong in Guryongpo, which was a settlement for Japanese people during the Japanese colonial era, still exude a Japanese feel, like a scene from a movie. In fact, a few years ago, when filming the Japanese streets of a broadcasting station’s popular drama ‘Eyes of Dawn’, the alleys of Jangan-dong in Guryongpo were used as a filming set.
7. Bogyeongsa Temple and Naeyeonsan Mountain 12 Waterfalls
Naeyeonsan Mountain (710m), located in the northeast of Songra-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, has 12 waterfalls and is not a very high mountain in terms of altitude alone. However, since it rises close to the coast, it looks much taller and more imposing than mountains of similar height inland. The valley that winds around the foot of Naeyeonsan Mountain and flows down for about 40 ri is Cheonghagol. There are many waterfalls and ponds here, and it is difficult to find a place like this where you can see various types of waterfalls in one place. Cheonghagol begins with Bogyeongsa Temple, a thousand-year-old temple. It is said that this temple was founded by a monk named Myeong during the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla. The temple was built by burying the Buddhist scriptures and the eight-faced treasure sutra that the monk brought from China in a pond, so it was called Bogyeongsa Temple.