#30: Coastlines & Conifers
Notes from coastal walks in Busan, South Korea
Dear Reader,
This November-December, I had the chance to travel for work to Busan in South Korea. I knew little about the city except for the zombies, as shown in the horror film, ‘The Train to Busan’. I was surprised to find that beyond its bustling night-life and touristy spots, there were incredible landscapes to be explored: rocky coastlines fringed with walkways and skywalks, and steep forest trails leading to hilltops that offer a dazzling view of the East Sea or Sea of Japan.
After a tiring, week-long conference, I was able to explore three of Busan’s coastal walkways. In this newsletter, I want to reflect on how the infrastructure of wooden walkways, giddying skywalks, and signposted trails, open up landscapes for both locals and tourists. And how this can foster a deep appreciation and understanding of the landscapes we live in, and those that sustain us.
I’ve written this as part travelogue and part reflection, without too many geological details. After all, an intrinsic appreciation of a landscape precedes a deeper, researched understanding, and I have much to learn about South Korea’s geography before I can write about it. I hope this blog inspires those who have the chance to travel to Busan to explore its coastal walkways, and also, ignites the imagination of others to look at landscapes closer to home, and think of how civic infrastructure can encourage exploration.
Devayani
All Aboard! Haeundae Blueline Park.
One of the most popular coastal trails in Busan is the Haeundae (pronounced hay-un-day) Blueline Park. The name may have been inspired by this incredible view of the East Sea — on a clear day, you can see Tsushima, one of Japan’s islands, like a smudge on the horizon.
Interestingly, there are several ways to explore this coastal trail: by an old-fashioned, slow train, sky capsule, or on foot! For a touristy or romantic experience, there is the slow train with seats facing the sea, offering views of Busan’s skyline and the thick conifer forests as well. The two-person sky capsules chug along on an elevated track, offering a romantic, picture-perfect coastal viewing. The slow train and the sky capsules are a tad expensive for the short ride but well worth the experience.
Parallel to the railway track runs a wooden walkway with railings that winds its way along the coast, and is free and accessible to walkers, joggers, and even wheelchairs. Every now and then, there are stairs from the main walkway leading to interesting rocks, caves, or through conifer forests, which makes for a more adventurous trail. The walkway is marked with signs announcing the points of interest and the distance between each. The most exciting landmark along this stretch was the Daritdol Observatory, a circular skywalk with a see-through portion from where you can see the churning waves below.
There are a few benches along the way if you need a breather and a few cafes for a quick bite or beverage. The trail is roughly 4.8 kilometres from Mipo to Songjeong but is broken into smaller sections. If you're tired, you can board the train at several points, but I much prefer the walkway.
For those keen on geography, Haeundae Beach, visible to the far right if you’re facing the sea, is an example of a pocket beach — a small beach isolated between two headlands or jutting-out portions that receives very little sediment or sand from adjacent beaches. This beach is eroded heavily throughout the year, and experiences summertime typhoons, and may disappear in a few decades without interventions. Interestingly, there are also hot springs at Haeundae Beach, stemming from a deep faultline, which have been used as a spa for over 1000 years.
Mipo, the starting point of this trail, is a tidal flat named so because it resembles a cow lying down. There is a small fishing port and village at Mipo, with numerous raw fish restaurants serving local delicacies such as sea urchins, sea snails, sand lances, and black breams. Another point along the way, Cheongsapo Port, is known for its excellent seaweed and mackerel, which, in season, offer great sport to local anglers.
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Dongbaekseom Island Coastal Promenade
A short distance from Haeundae Beach lies the Dongbaekseom - derived from the Korean words for ‘camellia’ (dongbaek) and ‘island’ (seom). From December to March, the island’s forest trails play host to camellia blossoms, and I was lucky to see the bright pink flowers with yellow centres when I visited. You can explore the island via two trails: a circular track that loops around the island or a trail along the rocky coast. From both trails, you can also climb to the highest point of the island accessible via a path through conifer forest. From there, the Choi Chi Won statue, dedicated to a scholar and writer of the Shilla dynasty, looks out onto the East Sea.
The circular track brings you to a Lighthouse Observatory, where mounted binoculars offer views across the coastline, the city’s skyline, and the occasional gull or cormorant flying past. Along the track, signposts tell stories of the statues, where the name ‘Haeundae’ originated, and what landmarks can be seen in the distance, yet little of the geography of the coast. This coastal walkway is a favourite with the locals, perfect for a sunset trail and a short walk from the bustling nightlife.
Igidae Coastal Walk & Geopark
My favourite trail, and sadly, the one I had the least time for, was the Igidae Coastal Walk and Geopark. I disembarked at a point from where a steep road led towards a parking lot, the starting point for Jangsanbong Peak. From there, two well-marked trails, one easy, one steep, disappeared into pine and fir forests, no doubt leading to the mountaintop. I continued along the main road and found a sign that said ‘Busan National Geopark’. It was late evening, and the information counter was shut. Yet I was determined to find my way to the coastal track, and I followed a group of local men with fishing rods and stumbled onto Igidae Trail.
Another beautiful wooden walkway stretched in both directions, and a painted sign showed me a map of the coastal trail, the main road and the mountain paths towards Jangsangbong. I seemed to have reached the midpoint of the trail, with the southern trail leading towards Oryukdo islets, and the other, led to the port at Dongsaengmal. With twilight approaching, I decided to follow the northern trail towards Dongsaengmal, with views of the Busan skyline that was familiar to me (as below. My AirBNB was located near the three tall buildings visible to the right of the horizon).
As I was walking along the east coast, I could only watch the sunset glimmer upon the distant skyscrapers rather than in the sea. Several signs along the way indicated marine potholes, a copper mine, and some sea caves. Yet it was getting dark, and I had to hasten to reach the port and find the closest bus stop.
The other trail, I later read, would have led to a skywalk with a see-through section. From here, you could see a cluster of islets named Oryukdo, which translates to five-six islands, as at different times of the day, based on the tides, either five or six islands are visible. Igidae is named after the two gisaeng (professional women entertainers in Korean) who sacrificed their lives along this coast. During the Japanese invasion of Korea, after the Suyeongseong Fortress was conquered, a victory feast was held. Two gisaeng escorting a Japanese commander waited till he was drunk, grabbed him and jumped into the sea.
I wish I’d had more time to explore this entire coastline, perhaps with some literature on the marine formations from the geopark office. I hope future travels take me back to Busan, as there seems to be much to explore.
With the travelogue part tackled, I’d like to reflect on what such coastal infrastructure really offers: an impetus for folks with a wide range of interests to explore landscapes. The dazzling blue coastlines offer the millennials and shutter-happy folks a perfect backdrop for photoshoots. The marked trails allow people to choose their difficulty levels and manage their time and expectations, so that the same landscape can be explored over and over again. The wooden walkways make it accessible for walkers, runners, older generations and those in wheelchairs — a true civic achievement! The info-signs tell of the points of interest, the geographical, social or historical relevance, and other stories, so curious visitors can better appreciate the landscape. These all-season trails seem to need little maintenance and allow locals and tourists to experience the coastline.
In India, as elsewhere, we often view landscapes in touristy destinations as a means to generate revenue. Ferry services thrive along coastal points of interest like islands, mangroves or sea-forts, yet thrill-seekers are not sensitized to the sights and the geographical relevance. Along highways, viewpoints that overlook river confluences are seen merely as commercial spots where shops and restaurants can thrive. Even where rare or unusual geological formations exist, the government collects revenue, yet little information is provided. These short-term revenue streams do little to protect the landscapes. There isn’t enough impetus for people to revisit, nor can we tap into a landscape’s true potential — to educate, sensitize, and conserve our geoheritage.
On a brighter note, this is the 30th edition of Geosophy! I started the newsletter in June 2021, and the frequency was determined by when I had something interesting to write about and when I could find the time to do so. A BIG SHOUTOUT to everyone who’s been a part of the journey, whether you’ve just subscribed or have been a long-time reader - you’ve made Geosophy worthwhile! I will always endeavour to keep the newsletter free and seek inspiration in my travels, readings, and other global events to break down interesting concepts in geoscience.
At this 30-edition milestone and as the year ends, I’d love to reach new, wider audiences. If you’ve found the content interesting and know of others who may be interested, please forward them this newsletter and ask them to subscribe.
If inspiration strikes again this year and I can make the time, I will dispatch one last edition. Otherwise, stay tuned for more Geosophy writings in 2025. Have a great end-of-year!
~ Devayani
Extremely informative Devyani, definitely revisit this whenever I travel to South Korea.