Sokcho and Abai Village: A Taste of North Korea

Last month, we traveled for the first time to South Korea’s east coast, home to some lovely beaches and the iconic Seoraksan National Park. We traveled easily by intercity bus from Seoul to this area. Though Sokcho is only a 30-minute drive from the national park, it is very much a beach town rather than a mountain town, so we thought it deserved its own post. We were able to take a local bus from our hotel near Mt. Seorak to spend a day in Sokcho and the surrounding area. Most interesting were the seaward-facing Naksan Temple and the historic fishing town of Abai Village, originally a settlement for North Korean refugees following the Korean War.

Naksan Temple (Naksansa)

Naksansa, established in 671 AD, is famous for its views over the East Sea (Sea of Japan), as well as for the 50-foot tall statue of Haesu Gwaneumsang, the Seaward-Looking Bodhisattva of Mercy. Haesu Gwaneumsang’s Chinese name is literally translated ‘the Bodhisattva who listens to the sounds of the world.’ She is known for representing compassion, and in Tibet she is thought to be manifested in the Dalai Lama.

From this vantage point at the top of the temple grounds, you can look east over the sea or west over the mountains of Seoraksan National Park.

Much of Naksansa, including centuries-old relics, was destroyed by a forest fire that started on April 5, 2005. However, most of the complex now has been rebuilt. There is now a trail you can walk in the temple grounds that reminds visitors how much history was lost in the fire.

The new buildings are impressive, both large and colorful but also in harmony with their natural surroundings. Travelers come to meditate and to hear the prayers of the Buddhist monks who reside here.

Before leaving the temple, we stopped for a snack in their Café, which had outdoor tables and extraordinary views of the coast. The snack also was excellent: pumpkin Sikhye, a traditional rice-based drink. This Sikhye was blended with sweet pumpkin and ice. So refreshing on a warm fall day!

A short walk from the temple takes you to Naksan Beach, a local fish market, and a small port busy with fishing boats coming and going. Lots of fishing (and camping!) was also happening on the jetty beside the port. Judging from the amount of fishing activity we saw, this must be a fun place to visit with a fishing pole.

Abai Village and Sokcho

Another local bus took us from Naksan to the larger town of Sokcho, where our primary stop was Cheongho-dong, otherwise known as the ‘Abai Village.’ During the Korean War, many elderly North Koreans fled to Cheongho-dong and made their homes there when they were unable to return to the North. This is the only North Korean settlement in South Korea, said to have attracted refugees hoping to return home quickly given the village’s proximity to the North Korean border. In one North Korean dialect abai means ‘an aged person,’ giving the village its nickname.

Although there is now a bridge that makes the village accessible by car, the traditional way to arrive is by gaetbae, a person-powered ferry that takes foot passengers across a tiny harbor from Sokcho City. A rope pulley system is used to power the boat forward. I was unwittingly selected to be first to help pull the ferry across the water, and then Peter got a turn, too.

The village has small streets and alleys you can wander to see 1970s-era Korean houses and shops. The alleyways are so small we didn’t want to enter most of them; it seemed like an invasion of the residents’ privacy. However, the main thing to do here is eat, and there are tons of restaurants from which to choose.

Visitors come here to sample the North Korean dishes for which this region is known. Having done our homework before we arrived in the Abai Village, we ordered two of the most famous specialty dishes: sundae (pronounced soon-dae), and hamheung naengmyeon. Sundae is blood sausage, and two varieties are served in the Sokcho area. The traditional version consists of ground meat and vegetables steamed in pig intestine, and the Sokcho specialty version has the same filling but encased in squid and fried. Of course, we tried both, served with a side of fermented pollock.

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The sundae actually was very good, though extremely chewy. We especially liked the stuffed squid version. You will be unsurprised to learn that this is a really heavy dish, so we likely will not be eating a lot of it in the future. Hamheung naengmyeon are icy cold buckwheat noodles served with spicy sauce and fresh, raw pollack. It was very light compared with the sundae and was delicious washed down with soju (an extremely popular Korean grain liquor).

If you are interested in the history of division between North and South Korea and want to see more of the Abai Village (and its food), I recommend watching this short video.

We had some serious calories to burn off after our meal, and it was the perfect time of day to stroll around looking at the views of the water and the mountains. Rather than take the ferry back the way we came, we crossed the traffic bridge on foot and enjoyed watching the beginning of sunset from the beach at Sokcho.

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The trusty local bus took us back to our hotel for a quiet night at Seoraksan National Park. Stay tuned for our Seoraksan adventures, coming soon!

Want to see more photos of Naksansa, Sokcho, and the Abai Village? Visit our Flickr page.