Hamdeok's Turquoise Water to Jocheon's Stone Walls: A Northeast Half-Day

Hamdeok and Jocheon sit on Jeju's northeast coast, one ride from Seongsan on the 201 bus. Within about 5 km you get the shallowest, clearest water on the east side, a small volcanic cone with a loop path, a 16th-century pavilion standing on a sea fortress, the hill where Jeju's 1919 independence protests began, and a rocky point lined with reeds. The sand is white and the water turquoise, nothing like the dark volcanic shore around Seongsan, so a half-day here feels like a different island.

The half-day in order

• Dakmeoreu coastal path, Sinchon — Start at the western end. Haeannuri Trail No. 50, about 1.8 km and 30 minutes, best for reeds and sunset in autumn.
• Jocheon Manse Hill — Site of the March 1919 Jocheon uprising, the end of Olle Route 18 and the start of Route 19. The Jeju Anti-Japanese Memorial Hall inside opens 9:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) and closes on 1 January and the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays (as of October 2026).
• Yeonbukjeong and Jocheon fortress — A pavilion on a stone fortress beside the harbour. Worth the stop for one photograph alone.
• Hamdeok Beach — About 4.5 km from Jocheon along the Joham coast road. Halfway along, Gwangot is the point of Jeju closest to the mainland; on a clear day you can see the Chuja islands.
• Seoubong — Climb straight from the eastern end of the beach and finish with the sunset.

By car the whole line is about 20 minutes, so start anywhere. Without a car, the 201 shuttles between the Hamdeok and Jocheon transfer stops.

Hamdeok Beach and Seoubong

Hamdeok is shallow and clear, which is why families pick it. In 2026 the designated season ran from 24 June to 6 September with supervised swimming from 10:00 to 19:00 and no night swimming. Parasols rent for 20,000 won and wooden platforms for 30,000 won (as of October 2026). Since summer 2025 private parasols are turned away and busking is banned across the beach, so rent your shade and expect a quiet shore. In front of the Seoubong end is Ham Dog Beach, the first section on Jeju where dogs may enter the water; leads must be 2 m or shorter.

Seoubong is a two-peaked cone of roughly 111 m. The 2.5 km loop, built by villagers, is free and always open, with rape flowers in spring and cosmos until mid-November. On the northern sea cliffs the Japanese army dug 18 cave positions and two bunkers in the final year of the Pacific War; they are protected as Registered Cultural Heritage No. 309. Parts of the loop have no lighting, and the official advice is to come down before dark. Use the beach car park.

Jocheon: a pavilion on the sea wall

Yeonbukjeong was built in 1590 as Ssangbyeokjeong and renamed in 1599. It is Jeju Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 3, and the name, "pavilion of longing for the north", recalls exiles who waited here for news from the capital. The fortress beneath it, Jocheonjinseong, is a small stone fort about 128 m around with the sea on three sides, listed as Jeju Monument No. 68. Night lighting was installed at both in July 2026, so an evening visit works. Five minutes on foot is Manse Hill, one of Jeju's three great anti-colonial uprising sites, with a memorial tower shaped like the island's traditional gate poles.

Dakmeoreu and barley bread

Dakmeoreu is a rocky point west of Jocheon in Sinchon village. A boardwalk runs from Sinchon harbour out to the point, and in autumn the reeds lean in the wind. In the village, Sinchon Deokindang is an old bakery known for mugwort barley bread. Opening hours and closing days differ between listings, so call before you go (064-783-6153, as of October 2026).

Getting there from Seongsan

From the house it is about 35 km and 40 minutes by car. By bus, take the 201 towards Jeju City from Onpyeong or the Goseong transfer stop and get off at the Hamdeok or Jocheon transfer stop; buses run every 15 to 22 minutes (as of October 2026). Allow a little over an hour and check exact times on Kakao Map. Transfers within 40 minutes of tapping off are discounted. To continue east to Gimnyeong and Woljeong, see the Manjanggul and Gimnyeong guide; to walk it, Olle Route 19 runs from Jocheon to Gimnyeong, 19.4 km.