Sokcho ( ko, 속초; ()) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Gangwon Gangwon or Kangwŏn may refer to: * Gangwon Province (historical), the Goryeo, Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Korean province * Gangwon Province (South Korea), a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Kore ...

Province,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It is located in the far northeast of Gangwon. The city is a major tourist hub, and a popular gateway to nearby

Seoraksan Seoraksan is the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range in the Gangwon Province (South Korea), Gangwon Province in eastern South Korea. It is located in a national park near the city of Sokcho. After the Hallasan volcano on Jeju-do, Jeju ...

national park. Sokcho is home to the few lakes: Yeongrangho and Cheongchoho that are naturally created by the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

It was under DPRK control from 1945 to 1950, but on August 18, 1951, the South Korean army captured it.

History

Sokcho originally was a part of

Dongye Dongye may refer to: *Eastern Ye, chiefdom in northeastern Korean peninsula from roughly 3rd-century BC to around early 5th-century AD Towns in China * Dongye, Wutai County, Shanxi *Dongye, Yangcheng County Dongye () is a town in Yangcheng Count ...

from roughly 3rd-century BC to around early 5th-century. Sokcho started from just a fishing village with a few people around Cheongchoho. In 1905, it became one of the major ports because of its geological feature. Since Cheongchoho lake is adjacent to the Sea of Japan, big ships were able to come in and out with ease. Later on, Sokcho, linked with

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

by air and road, the city became a mineral transfer port in 1937. Upon the division of the Korean peninsula into two countries following World War II, Sokcho was on the North Korean side of the border, but since the Korean War armistice (1953), it has been a part of South Korea.

Tourism

Seoraksan National Park Seoraksan National Park ( ko, 설악산국립공원, 雪嶽山國立公園; RR: ') is a national park in South Korea. It is listed by the South Korean government with UNESCO as a tentative World Heritage site. The government designated the are ...

is located in the vicinity of Sokcho, and attracts many domestic and international tourists. The city itself is known for the beach, natural hot springs and golf courses, as well as its fine fishery products. The nearby '' Yeongrangho'' lake is renowned for its beauty. The reflection of

and its

Ulsanbawi Ulsanbawi, sometimes spelled Ulsan Rock, is a rock with 6 peaks. It is situated in Seoraksan National Park in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, South Korea. Ulsanbawi is one of the primary attractions of Seoraksan, along with Heundeulbawi, Biryeong water ...

are particularly popular. There are a number of well-preserved Buddhist temples in the area around Sokcho. The main building of the '' Sinheungsa'' temple (''Geukrakbojeon'') is a major tourist destination (originally built in the 15th century). Also notable is the ''Hyangseongsaji samcheung seoktap'', a three-storey pagoda of 4.3 metres. It dates from 652 and is located at the site of the ''Hyangseongsa'' temple. ''Yeonggeumjeong'', a pavilion built on the shores of Sokcho, is popular for its magnificent views of the sunrise, as well as for hearing the sound of the sea. It is thought that the pavilion was built at this location for sonic reasons. Marina Yacht is located in Cheongchoho Lake Park and it provides a yacht tour on a wide expanse of the Sea of Japan. The yacht sailing begins and ends at Cheongcho Marina passing

Seorak Seorak Park (; born December 26, 1981), also known by her stage name SeoRock, is a South Korean singer and former VJ for MTV Korea. She currently lives in Manhattan, New York and studies law. Seorak is one of the first Korean singers to success ...

daegyo Bridge, Dongmyeonghang Port, Jodo in order. Marina Yacht rents boats to people who have a boat driving license. The place also operates a café. Yeongrangho

Hwarangdo Hwa Rang Do, also known as "The Way of the Flowering Knights" () is a comprehensive Korean martial art that was developed in the 1960s by Joo Bang Lee and his brother Joo Sang Lee. Hwa Rang Do as a martial art has multiple areas of focus includ ...

Experience Center is held various experience programs, horse riding members recruitment, and annual World Knight Championship. The center contributes to the transmission of traditional horseback martial art and popularization, and vitalization of horse riding.

Abai village Abai or ABAI may refer to: People * Abai (martyr) (died 363), saint of the Syrian Church * Abai Ikwechegh (born 1923), Nigerian jurist * Abai Qunanbaiuly (1845-1904), Kazakh poet and philosopher * Abai Tasbolatov (born 1951), Kazakh politicia ...

near Seoraksan was originally set up as an area to house North Korean refugees in Sokcho due to the separation of the two Koreas. Consequently, many of the population have relatives in North Korea. The village has seen increased tourism due to the popularity of the Korean Drama ''

Autumn in My Heart ''Autumn in My Heart'' () is a 2000 South Korean romantic television drama starring Song Seung-heon, Song Hye-kyo, and Won Bin. The series is the first installment of season-themed tetralogy '' Endless Love'' drama series directed by Yoon Seok ...

'' on KBS. In July 2016, Sokcho became one of the few locations in South Korea where ''

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...

'' could be played due to government restrictions on mapping data. Players flocked to the city, causing bus tickets to sell out. In 1999, Gangwon International Tourism Expo was held. Today, a number of tourists are also attracted by the closeness to the

DMZ A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...

. Sokcho used to have its own airport, linking the city to

. Currently, the city is served by the

Yangyang International Airport Yangyang International Airport is a small international airport in northeastern South Korea. It is located in Yangyang County, Gangwon Province and was built to serve the nearby areas of Sokcho, Gangneung, and Pyeongchang. The airport replace ...

. The opening of

KTX Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...

Kyung Kang line has made it convenient for travelers to visit Gangwon-Do province which is only an 86-minute train ride that starts from

and tons of attractions. Daepo harbor is a port located in Daepo-dong, Sokcho. Mt. Seorak and the East Coast (of South Korea) turn into tourist attractions rather than national professional fishing port, Daepo harbor against tourists began to serve as destinations. Sokcho City offers various attractions such as sea fountain and beach cable car at Daepo harbor. File:Ulsanbawi 1.jpg,

is a rock with 6 peaks File:Ulsanbawi2.jpg,

is a rock with 6 peaks (2019) File:Sokcho Beach 2019.jpg, Dong Myung Hang File:Sokcho Beach2 2019.jpg, Dong Myung Hang File:Yeongrangho 2019.jpg, Yeongrangho (Yeonglangho, Yeongnangho) Lake File:Cheongchoho 2019.jpg, Cheongchoho Lake File:Marina Yacht.jpg, Cheongcho Marina File:Marina Yacht 2019.jpg, Cheongcho Marina File:KTX Stay.jpg, KTX (

Korea Train eXpress Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station th ...

) Stay

Food

Sockho's traditional market is full of things to see, buy, and eat. Formed in 1953 as the Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market, it was included on the Korea Tourism Organization's list of “Best Traditional Markets for Foreign Tourists” last year. With fresh fish caught off the coast in the Sea of Japan to dried fish and various vegetables, one can have fun just looking around and watching the fishmongers bargaining with local market goers. Sokcho is known for Hoe, which is a raw fish. The coastal waters provide good fishing grounds for Ojingeo, Myeongtae, Gwangeo and Godeungeo.

Sundubu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super firm ...

can be found in the streets of the tofu towns such as Sinheung Sundubu and Haksapyeong Sundubu - it is made from

and Sea of Japan water. Sokcho offers a unique twist to

Sundae A sundae () is an ice cream dessert of American origin that typically consists of one or more scoops of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup and in some cases other toppings such as: sprinkles, whipped cream, marshmallows, peanuts, maraschino ...

(not the eponymous dessert) by using Ojingeo instead of pork intestines. The Ojingeo-sundae consists of squid stir-fry, made with noodles and blood sausage, with carrots, onions, seaweed and spices mixed together, covered with thin fried egg yolk. File:Ojingeo Sundae.jpg, Ojingeo Sundae File:Godeungeo Hoe.jpg, Godeungeo Hoe File:Gwageo Hoe.jpg, Gwangeo Hoe File:Jeon Bok.jpg, Jeon Bok Hoe File:Mae Un Tang.jpg, Mae Un Tang File:Sundubu Jjgae.jpg, Sundubu Jjigae

Culture

Local cuisine can be experienced in the various food districts of the city. "Foodtown" is a two block area dedicated to restaurants where visitors can find mainly Korean style beef pork and chicken restaurants. Daepo harbor, outside of Sokcho on the road to Yangyang offers more than 100 individual mini restaurants serving diverse seafood dishes. An own unique stuffed squid dish, Abai Sundae, can be found in Abai village. In October Sokcho comes to life with the Seorak Cultural Festival, which includes parades, stage shows, contests, races and various other forms of entertainment. The rice cake making sampling contests are particularly popular. Another unusual event is the Gaet-Bae, or raft, race. Two teams propel the rafts across the course by pulling on long handled hooks catching the cable that straddles the deck of each raft.

Climate

Sokcho straddles the line between a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cfa'') and a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

: ''Dfa'').

Sister cities

Jeongeup Jeongeup (), also known as Jeongeup-si, is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city limits include Naejang-san National Park, a popular destination particularly in autumn due to its foliage. Jeongeup is on the Honam Expressway and ...

North Jeolla North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...

since June 13, 1996 *

Jung-gu, Seoul Jung District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Jung has a population of 131,452 (2013) and has a geographic area 9.96 km2 (3.85 sq mi), making it both the least-populous and the smallest district of Seoul, and is divided into ...

since January 22, 1997 *

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, United States since June 23, 1985 *

Taitung County Taitung County (; Mandarin pinyin: ''Táidōng Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tâi-tang-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Thòi-tûng-yen''; Paiwan: ''Valangaw'';lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest county in Taiwan, located primarily on the island' ...

, Taiwan since April 16, 1992 *

Hunchun Hunchun (; Chosŏn'gŭl: 혼춘; Hangul: 훈춘) is a county-level city in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, far eastern Jilin province. It borders North Korea (North Hamgyong province) and Russia (Primorsky Krai), has over 250,000 inha ...

Jilin Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

, People's Republic of China since August 22, 1994 *

Yonago is a Cities of Japan, city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Nakaumi, Lake Nakaumi. It is adjacent to Shimane Prefecture and across the lake from its capital of Matsue. It is the p ...

, Tottori, Japan since October 18, 1995 * Khasansky,

Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai (russian: Приморский край, r=Primorsky kray, p=prʲɪˈmorskʲɪj kraj), informally known as Primorye (, ), is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia, located in the Far East region of the country and is a part of the ...

, Russia since July 19, 1996 * Nyūzen,

Toyama Toyama may refer to: Places and organizations * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...

, Japan since October 3, 1996 *

Sakaiminato is a city in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. In 2016, it had an estimated population of 33,888. History An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Sakai as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom. Sakaiminato was fou ...

, Tottori, Japan since April 9, 2002 *

Partizansk Partizansk (russian: Партиза́нск) is a town in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located on a spur of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, about east of Vladivostok, the administrative center of the krai. As of the 2010 census, the population is popu ...

, Primorsky Krai, Russia South Korean Investors Took a Fancy to Partizansk. It is planned to build an enterprise on production of charcoal in the city of miners - Economics - Vladivostok Times. Far East media news. Russian news. Vladivostok
. Vladivostoktimes.ru. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.

Gallery

File:Korea-Sokcho-South of lake panorama.jpg, Sokcho south of Lake Cheongchoho File:Korea-Seorak Mountains behind Sokcho-01.jpg, Seorak Mountains adjacent to Sokcho File:Korea-Sokcho-Squid.Market-01.jpg, Squid drying at the Taepo Fish Market in Sokcho File:Korea-Sokcho-Sinsuro Bridge-01.jpg, Sinsuro Arched Bridge over Lake Cheongchoho in Sokcho File:Korea-Sokcho-Squid boats on Cheongchoho Lake-01.jpg, Squid boats on Lake Cheongchoho in Sokcho File:Korea-Sokcho-Expo Tower-01.jpg, Expo Tower in Sokcho

Notable people from Sokcho

Shin Ye-eun Shin Ye-eun (; born January 18, 1998) is a South Korean actress, best known for her role in the web series ''A-Teen'' and its sequel ''A-Teen 2''. She also starred in the television series '' He Is Psychometric'', ''Welcome'', and '' More Than ...

(

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 신예은), a

n actress *

Park Kwang-su Park Kwang-su (born January 22, 1955) is a South Korean filmmaker. He was born in Sokcho, Gangwon Province and grew up in Busan. Park joined the Yallasung Film Group as a student of Fine Arts at Seoul National University. Upon graduation, he fo ...

(Hangul: 박광수), a

n filmmaker * Hwang Keum-chan (Hangul: 황금찬), a poet born in Sokcho, Gangwon-do * Kim Kang-min (Hangul: 김강민), a South Korean actor under the label of

Mystic Story Mystic Story (formerly Mystic Entertainment, , abbreviated as MSTSTR) is a South Korean entertainment company established by South Korean singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin. It has four subsidiaries, including Mystic Actors (formerly Family Actors ...

* Monday (birth name: ''Kim Ji-min'',

:김지민 ), singer, dancer, rapper and

K-pop idol An idol () refers to a type of celebrity working in the field of K-pop in fandom culture in South Korea, either as a member of a group or as a solo act. K-pop idols are characterized by the highly manufactured star system that they are produced b ...

, member of

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

girlgroup A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

Weeekly Weeekly ( ko, 위클리) is a South Korean girl group under IST Entertainment (formerly Play M Entertainment). The group is Play M Entertainment's second girl group in 10 years, after Apink. The group consists of six members: Lee Soo-jin, Monday ...

References

External links

Sokcho city government English-language home page

Sokcho-si :Official Site of Korea Tourism Org
{{Authority control Cities in Gangwon Province, South Korea Port cities and towns in South Korea