The Art of Beach Camping

Written and photographed by William Urbanski

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most people reading this are familiar with the concept of camping: the time-honored tradition of getting together with friends and family to spend an entire weekend arguing over the proper way to set up a tent. While personally I’m still traumatized by forced participation in a number of misguided canoe adventures from my youth, living in Korea has given me the opportunity to confront my demons and re-experience my love for camping.

“Camping” is definitely a term that’s adopted different connotations across cultures. In Korea, a familiar sight countrywide is the practice of setting up a tent in a park and hanging out for an afternoon while watching videos on a phone or tablet and ordering take-out. While a pretty relaxing endeavour in itself, it fails to encompass one of the best experiences Korea has to offer: overnight beach camping.

There are a few different types of camping that one might encounter in Korea. On one end of the camping spectrum is renting camping trailers with a picnic table outside. On the opposite end of said spectrum are non-designated beach camping sites and other rugged camping spots. Scoping out a designated campsite close to the water is probably your best bet for a number of reasons. First, depending on the time of year, there’s only a small camping fee, but often there isn’t one at all. Second, most beach areas have access to showers and washrooms, which rates highly on the convenience scale. Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of beach areas are close to stores and restaurants. So it’s often not necessary to bring a lot of food, and things that are forgotten can usually be picked up.

Besides a tent and the requisite blankets, a quintessential piece of camping gear is the gas grill. These can be picked up for anywhere from 10,000–30,000 won. The butane gas canisters are quite cheap as well. Then, all you need is a frying pan from home and the cooking options are limitless.

If you need anything in terms of gear or equipment, your first stop should be Daiso. While a lot of their camping products are not “top quality,” they are definitely “appropriate quality,” meaning they’ll last for a camping season or two. Everything from tarps, to chairs, to hammocks can be purchased here for a very reasonable price.

Getting There
While a car is the best option to get to any camping site, a lot of decent ones are definitely reachable by bus. Among the many options within easy access from U-Square are Goheung, Wando, and Boseong.

Yulpo (율포) Beach in Boseong is a lovely beach area located only one hour by car from the city. The beach area, beautiful in itself, also offers what I’d describe as a great “combined” camping experience. It gives you the opportunity to set up a tent on the beach, which feels far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, all while being a short walk from coffee shops, restaurants, and stores.

Fire and Other Considerations
Depending on the location, you may or may not be able to make your own fire. In a lot of beach areas, the common practice is to bring a fire “vat” with comically small pieces of wood. The other option in a lot of beach areas is to collect and burn driftwood. Another thing to keep in mind is that you may not be allowed to use any sort of watercraft. So that means no windsurfing, boating, or skim boards. Be sure to check online before heading out.

Camping Etiquette
By all means, go out, have fun, and enjoy yourself, but keep in mind that the sites should be left in as good a condition as they were found in. Or, even better, follow the excellent example recently set by a group of teachers who brought a bunch of garbage bags and used the first camping session of the season as an opportunity to clean up the beach.

One last piece of advice: If you’re planning on heading out to the beach, particularly a popular one, plan on arriving early to secure a decent spot. Predictably, a lot of good camping areas tend to get busy, so you can save yourself a lot of trouble by arriving early and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Korea is fast-paced and high-tech, but do yourself a favor and at least once hightail it to the beaches to experience some of the best of Jeollanam-do.

The Author
William Urbanski is from Canada and has lived in Korea for about seven years. He’s married to a wonderful Korean woman and can eat spicy food.