Harbor Lights That Come On After Sunset: From Eunpa Lake Park Mulbit Bridge to the Inner Harbor at Night

The hours around 17:00–18:00, when museum visits end, are the crossover from the old downtown to a night walk. Haemanggul Tunnel (131 m long, 4.5 m high) cuts through the foot of Wolmyeongsan Mountain to link Haemang-dong and the old downtown. It is a semicircular tunnel opened in 1926. When the lights come on at dusk, its tiled interior glows like a strange passage through time.

After the tunnel, walk down to the parking lot area of Jinpo Marine Park at the inner harbor, where the Gunsan Night Food Zone comes alive. It runs 18:00–23:00 on weekdays and 15:00–23:00 on weekends (closed on Tuesday). With a glittering light tunnel, photo zones and a variety of food trailers, it is a good place for a light late-night snack in the sea breeze.

The highlight of Gunsan at night is clearly Eunpa Lake Park in the Naun-dong area. The park was built around Mije Reservoir, a farm reservoir since before the Joseon period. A loop road of about 6 km and a deck road along the water gently wrap the lake.

Eunpa Lake Park Mulbit Bridge, crossing the middle of the lake, is a pedestrian-only bridge designed on the motif of the Monk Rock legend. It is open 09:00–23:00 all year. After dark, the lights on the bridge, the musical fountain and the glow of the waterside stage ripple across the calm surface of the lake, a scene that leaves a deep impression in any season.

If you would rather breathe the open night air of the West Sea than a lake's, drive to Saemangeum Bieung Park in Bieungdo-dong (27 Saemangeumbuk-ro). This seaside park at the gateway where the Saemangeum Seawall begins is always open and has a large free parking lot.

When the lights come on over the rainbow fountain, the sculptures and the wide lawn paths in the middle of the park, they blend with the lights of fishing boats moored at Bieung Port. Together they complete the romantic night scene of a port city.

When you plan a night route, consider both your transport and the day of the week. On a Tuesday night the Gunsan Night Food Zone is closed, so it is better to go straight to Eunpa Lake Park Mulbit Bridge after dinner in the old downtown.

Our suggested timetable starts around 18:00 with Haemanggul Tunnel and the Gunsan Night Food Zone at the inner harbor. Around 20:00, park at the free Eunpa Lake Park parking lot and walk the Mulbit Bridge and deck road for about 1 hour. If you are staying near Bieung Port or the industrial complex, adding Saemangeum Bieung Park as the last stop rounds it out perfectly.