Hampyeong: More Than Just Butterflies

Written by Karina Prananto
Photographed by Karina Prananto, Gong Yiwen, and Kim Hyun-ji

What does Hampyeong never run out of? Hampyeong is famous in Korea for its butterflies, just like Boseong is renowned for its green tea. In fact, I bet there are more butterflies than there are people in the whole of Hampyeong County (population 33,463 in November 2018). Everything in Hampyeong is about butterflies, and I think that is what the county is trying to portray. So that is what initially came to mind whenever I thought of Hampyeong – that there is nothing much to see there except for butterfly-related attractions.

But I was wrong. I visited Hampyeong twice in the past three months, and neither visit was related to butterflies. First, I was invited there to see a lantern festival (think Tangled, the movie) on a beach this summer, and then I visited the beach once more in winter. There is no doubt in my mind that Hampyeong has many things to offer beside butterflies, and after learning this, I am glad that Hampyeong is located only about 50 minutes from Gwangju.

Dolmeori Beach (돌머리해수욕장) is located on the western tip of Hampyeong County. It is mostly a mud beach, even during the summer, and this may decrease its fame relative to other beaches, like those in Yeosu and Busan. But Dolmeori Beach is still a nice place, nonetheless. In summertime, there are two man-made pools: One is for kids with a water slide, while the other is a deeper pool for more experienced swimmers. There are also huts for rent surrounding the pools and even an observation deck. What it may lack are food and dining options, so you are advised to bring your own. In the wintertime, when no one thinks of going to the beach, it may look deserted, but you can still walk the 400-meter-long deck and take in a fine view of the sea. Sunset on the beach is also an awesome sight to behold.

If you think that Jeonju is the nearest place to Gwangju where you can go to see a hanok (한옥, traditional Korean house) village, you may be surprised to know that Hampyeong actually has one, too. Jupo Hanok Village
(주포한옥마을) is a cluster of modern hanok that are actually pensions or minbak (민박, bed and breakfasts) for rent. You can look around the area and take pictures of the properties, provided you do not go into the main yards. Near the main parking lot and the management office is another water playground for kids and a wide patch of reeds and pink myuli (뮤리) grass, which make great photo backgrounds in autumn. In winter, the snow on the hanok will make for great shots as well.

Hampyeong is also known for its beef. Raw beef mixed with rice, or saenggogi bibimbap (생고기비빔밥), is said to be one of Hampyeong’s specialties. You can try the dish at Hampyeong’s Five-Day Market (5일시장). Almost every restaurant in this market sells bibimbap. If you don’t like your beef raw, you can always try it cooked (익힌비빔밥, ikhin bibimbap). One restaurant where I went to try the dish is small and always has a queue, even on weekdays. You might want to come earlier for lunch; otherwise, you can expect to wait for at least 15 minutes.

After a nice meal, it is time for dessert. Kitchen 205 (키친205) is a cozy café located just 500 meters away from the market. It is famous for its strawberries. If you like pink, this place has all things pink on the menu. As you can imagine, they only sell strawberry drinks. They prepare everything fresh, so the prices might be a bit steep, but it is truly worth it. It is a very Instagram-able place. The only drawback might be that the place is small.

Hampyeong is a rather small county, so you can easily access the restaurants and cafés on foot. Hampyeong Expo Park, which hosts the chrysanthemum and butterfly festivals annually, is only a few hundred meters away from the bus terminal. You can take bus 500 from the Gwangju U-Square Bus Terminal to reach Hampyeong.

Again, Hampyeong is more than just butterflies!

The Author
Karina is from Jakarta, Indonesia, and has been living in Gwangju since 2006. One of her hobbies is driving to places with her family, and she thinks Jeollanam-do has many great sights (and foods!). Her personal favorites are Suncheon, Yeosu, and Cheongsan-do, but that’s another story!