Byeonsan Beach
-
Location2076, Byeonsan-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryTour/ Beach
- Korean변산 해수욕장
- Chinese邊山海水浴場
- Nickname변산 비키니 해수욕장|백사청송 해수욕장
- FieldGeography / Human Geography
- Contents TypePlace Name / Facility
- Current Location2076, Byeonsan-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A beach located in Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- Byeonsan Beach is one of the oldest beaches in Korea and one of the three major beaches in the West Sea region along with Daecheon Beach and Mallipo Beach. It is part of Byeonsanbando National Park, and is also called Baeksacheongsong Beach due to its white sand (baeksa) and green pine forest (cheongsong).
- Development
- The development of Byeonsan Beach began in 1932 with the opening of the national road connecting Buan-eup and Byeonsan in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Previously, the area was mainly composed of fields without any private houses. The Association of Byeonsan Beach, which was established mainly by a group of transport operators for the bus route “Buan-Gimje-Jeonju”, opened the beach in 1933. The association initially considered locating the beach between Gosapo and Byeonsan, but it chose Byeonsan due to its geographical proximity. Since 2011, Buan-gun has been carrying out a project to establish the tourist area of Byeonsan Beach, with a budget of about KRW 47 billion. The first phase of construction of the beach infrastructure was completed in December 2016, and the second phase is under way (as of 2020).
- Composition
- Byeonsan Beach is situated near to national road no. 30, and about 3 km southwest of the point where national roads 77 and 30 intersect at the Saemangeum Embankment. Byeonsan Beach is a two-kilometer-long stretch of white sand with a green pine forest to its rear. The beach has a gentle slope and fine sand, while the water has an average depth of 1 meter and is warm, attracting many family tourists. The beach has various facilities including an auto campground near the parking lot, the Miss Beach Story Center, the Big Slide Tower, and Skywalk Bridge. The auto campground consists of 29 camping sites and 5 caravan sites covering 6,942㎡. The beach is also equipped with showers (including a free shower room at the parking lot), restrooms, and drinking fountains. There is also a free water park for children when the beach is open in summer.
- Current Status
- Byeonsan Beach, one of the three major beaches in the West Sea region, was the representative local beach and was always packed with tourists in summer until the 1980s. However, in 1988, when the Byeonsan Peninsula was designated as a National Park, Byeonsan Beach was recognized as a collective facility of the national park, so development was limited and the beach subsequently fell into decline. Furthermore, due to the construction of the Saemangeum Embankment, completed in April 2006, much of the beach’s sand was lost due to wave erosion, and the white sandy beach was significantly damaged.
In order to recover its popularity, Buan-gun revoked the beach’s designation as a national park protected area in 2003, designated it as a provincial tourist area, and carried out a project to create a beach tourist area in 2008. Moreover, the county plans to build a “Jamboree Course Activity Site” for the 25th World Scout Jamboree in 2023 at Byeonsan Beach. Meanwhile, the 7th Byeonsan Sunset Festival was held in 2019 together with non-profit organizations and local volunteers. Such efforts to develop the area of Byeonsan and Byeonsan Beach are being continuously made.
Byeonsan Beach is included in Course 1 (Saemangeum Project Office-Songpo) of the Eight Byeonsan Coastal Trail Courses in Buan. The starting point of the trail is notable for the beautiful Shasta daisies which bloom from the end of June. Walkers who follow the coastline and walking path will eventually come across the Shell Midden of Daehang-ri before reaching Byeonsan Beach. Neighboring attractions include Gosapo Beach, Gyeokpo Beach, Chaeseokgang Cliff, Jeokbyeokgang River, and Saemangeum Project Office.