Eastern Busan Guide(3) Haeundae, Ilgwang Beach & Haedong Yonggungsa
This is the third and final post in my guide to Eastern Busan.
In my previous posts, I covered some of the most popular places around Haeundae and Gwangalli, followed by a more detailed journey along the coast from Haeundae to Songjeong.
If you're planning to visit Haeundae, I've already covered several places that can easily be combined with a beach visit:
Haeundae Traditional Market
Haeridan-gil
Dalmaji-gil
Haeundae Beach Train
Cheongsapo
Songjeong Beach
In this final part of my Eastern Busan series, I'd like to introduce a few more places around Haeundae, as well as Ilgwang Beach and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.
There may still be places I haven't covered, and Busan is constantly changing, so there may already be new trendy spots by the time you read this. But my goal with this series is relatively simple: if you're visiting Busan only once, I want to help you choose the places that are actually worth putting on your itinerary.
Eastern Busan(1) Haeundae or Gwangalli? Choosing Between Busan's Two Most Famous Beaches
Eastern Busan(2) The Most Scenic Walk in Busan? From Haeundae to Songjeong via Cheongsapo
Dongbaek Island: A Walk Behind Haeundae Beach
Let's start with somewhere that can be visited very easily from Haeundae Beach.
If you're standing on Haeundae Beach facing the ocean, The Westin Josun Busan is located on your right, at the western end of the beach. Walk past the hotel and you'll reach Dongbaek Island.
Despite its name, Dongbaek Island isn't really an island anymore. It is connected to the mainland, but the name remains. The area is covered with the camellia trees that gave it its name, and a well-maintained walking path winds through the trees and along the coastline.
If you happen to visit during camellia season, when the flowers are in bloom, I imagine the walk would be even more beautiful. Following the coastal path from Haeundae Beach eventually brings you to one of the area's most recognizable buildings: Nurimaru APEC House.
Nurimaru APEC House
South Korea hosted the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Busan in November 2005, and Nurimaru APEC House was one of the main venues for the summit. Interestingly, this summit caused an unusual event in Korea.
The APEC meeting happened to coincide with the week when Korea's notoriously important university entrance exam, the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test), was scheduled to take place. Because of the summit and the resulting security and traffic measures, the exam was postponed by one week—something that was quite unusual in Korea.
Today, visitors can enter Nurimaru APEC House free of charge and see the space where the summit actually took place.
Visitor information:
Admission: Free
Opening hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Guided interpretation programs: Available
If you're already walking around Dongbaek Island, it's an easy place to add to your route.
A Beer with a Haeundae View
If you visit Dongbaek Island in the evening, I have one more place I'd recommend. It's a pub called Fingers & Chat, located near the entrance to the walking path leading into Dongbaek Island. It operates during the daytime as well, but I particularly enjoyed visiting in the evening. The menu includes casual dishes that go well with beer, such as fish and chips, fried squid, and chicken.
I once sat at one of the outdoor tables on a summer evening, enjoying a beer and some fries while looking out over Haeundae.
There's something particularly pleasant about sitting outside with a cold drink while the summer night settles over the city. And considering the view, I remember thinking that the drinks and food were actually quite affordable compared with similar places overseas. Of course, there's one more reason the final bill doesn't get too painful in Korea: There is no tipping culture. 😄
Haeundae in Different Seasons
One of the things I particularly enjoy about Haeundae is that the beach doesn't look exactly the same throughout the year. In early summer, one of the biggest attractions I noticed was the Haeundae Sand Festival.
Artists use the actual sand from the beach to create enormous sculptures, often building pyramid-like structures and carving detailed images into them. If you visit while the artists are still working, it's surprisingly fascinating to watch the sculptures take shape. I could easily spend more time watching the artists work than I expected.
Haeundae also occasionally puts on seasonal light displays. One February, for example, the beach was decorated with space-themed lights.
February isn't exactly beach season in Busan, and the wind coming off the sea can be quite harsh. Yet the beautiful lighting was enough to draw plenty of people onto the beach at night.
So if you're visiting outside the summer season, don't automatically assume that Haeundae Beach is somewhere you can simply skip. Sometimes the beach itself becomes the attraction.
Ilgwang Beach: A Quieter Alternative
Now let's move a little farther north. Ilgwang Beach is accessible via the Donghae Line, and unlike Songjeong Beach, the station is fairly close to the beach, making it convenient to reach on foot. You can also transfer to a local bus if you prefer.
Ilgwang feels considerably quieter than Haeundae.
When I visited, it didn't seem to be a place that attracted many international tourists, although that may have changed since then. Busan is becoming increasingly popular with overseas visitors, so I wouldn't be surprised if the atmosphere is different now.
My mother, who is originally from Busan, tells me that Ilgwang used to have a much stronger image as a small fishing village and coastal community. These days, however, the coastline has gradually changed. Cafés have opened along the waterfront, restaurants have appeared, and the area feels more like a typical Korean beach destination than the fishing village it once was.
One thing I appreciate about Ilgwang is that you don't necessarily have to spend a fortune to enjoy the ocean view. There is even a Twosome Place, a major Korean café chain, along the coast. Ocean-view cafés often charge a premium simply for the view, so having a familiar chain café nearby gives you another option: reasonably predictable coffee, reasonable prices, and a sea view. Sometimes that's all you need.
Haedong Yonggungsa: A Temple by the Sea
The final destination in my Eastern Busan series is one of the most unusual temples I've visited in Korea: Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. South Korea has countless Buddhist temples, but most are surrounded by mountains and forests. Haedong Yonggungsa is different. It sits directly beside the sea.
The temple's dramatic location, with Buddhist buildings built into the rocky coastline and waves crashing below, makes it unlike almost any other temple I've visited.
A Temple with a Long History
According to the temple's own history, Haedong Yonggungsa was founded in 1376, during the Goryeo Dynasty, by Naong Hwasang, a royal preceptor to King U of Goryeo. The site was considered particularly auspicious because it had mountains behind it and the sea in front. Naong reportedly regarded the location as a spiritually significant place where prayers could bring blessings. The temple was later destroyed during the Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century. It was rebuilt in the early 20th century and subsequently restored and developed as a center of devotion to Gwanseum Bosal (Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion).
The temple's present name, Haedong Yonggungsa, and its identity as a seaside sanctuary became established during restoration efforts in the 1970s. The temple is also regarded as one of Korea's Three Major Sacred Sites of Gwanseum Bosal, along with Naksansa in Yangyang and Boriam in Namhae. The temple's location is particularly meaningful within Korean Buddhist tradition because Gwanseum Bosal is associated with the sea and is believed to appear riding a dragon. That connection is reflected in the name Yonggungsa, which can be translated roughly as "Dragon Palace Temple."
Getting to Haedong Yonggungsa
Getting here used to be considerably more complicated. Before the Donghae Line was extended into this part of Busan, the first time I visited Haedong Yonggungsa, I took a regular city bus from Haeundae. I remember the journey taking nearly an hour. I was traveling with friends, and at first we were all sitting comfortably in our seats, gradually nodding off as the bus continued along the road. Then I woke up. The bus had become absolutely packed with standing passengers. Apparently, this was a very important bus route because there weren't many convenient public transportation options serving the area at the time.
Thankfully, getting to Haedong Yonggungsa is much easier now. You can take the Donghae Line to Osiria Station, then continue by local bus or one of the autonomous shuttle buses serving the area. So if you're staying around Haeundae or other parts of Eastern Busan, visiting the temple is much more convenient than it used to be. And personally, I think it's worth the trip. I've visited quite a few Buddhist temples in Korea, and I've visited plenty of beaches, too. But seeing a Buddhist temple built right beside the ocean still feels unusual. The combination of traditional architecture, rocky cliffs, and the open sea creates a completely different atmosphere from the mountain temples you normally encounter in Korea.
That's a Wrap for Eastern Busan
And with that, I've finally reached the end of my Eastern Busan series.
When I started writing this section, I certainly didn't expect it to turn into three separate posts! But once I started sorting through all the places I'd visited over the years, I realized there was simply too much to fit into one article. Even so, I'm sure there are places I haven't mentioned. Busan is constantly changing, new cafés and restaurants appear all the time, and somewhere that was quiet a few years ago can suddenly become the next popular destination. So think of these posts as a starting point rather than a complete list of everything Busan has to offer.
My goal is to introduce the places I personally think are worth considering—especially for someone visiting Busan for the first time and perhaps having only one opportunity to see the city. If you're coming all the way to Busan, I hope these guides help you decide where to spend your limited time. Next time, we'll leave Eastern Busan behind and explore another part of the city.
There are still plenty of essential Busan destinations left to discover.
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