The Edge of the West Sea, Reached Only by Boat: The Eocheongdo Island Lighthouse and the Bangchukdo Island Suspension Bridge

Eocheongdo Island, about 72 km northwest of Gunsan Port at the far edge of the central West Sea, lives up to its name, 'water clear as a mirror and blue', with open views and deep water. It is a natural shelter where fishing boats crossing the West Sea all slip in when the weather turns bad. It is also a sea border where a whale legend and the story of General Tian Heng of China's Qi state are handed down.

At the end of a coastal cliff at 240 Eocheongdo-gil stands Gunsan Eocheongdo Lighthouse, the symbol of this island. A round concrete structure 14.7 m tall, built in 1908. The white tower is topped with a projecting canopy resembling the rafters of a traditional Korean house and a red lantern room, giving it a fine form. The lighthouse grounds, designated a National Registered Heritage, are open free of charge 09:00–18:00. At sunset, the white tower against the dark blue West Sea makes a grand sight you can never see on the mainland.

Reach Jangjado Island (10 Jangjado 1-gil), the end of the Gogunsan Islands you can drive to, and Jangjado Passenger Terminal appears. Buy a ticket at the ticket office here, where the road ends, and you can board a passenger ship to Bangchukdo Island and Myeongdo, Bonongdo and Maldo islands, which form the outer rim of the Gogunsan Islands.

Get off at Bangchukdo Island (9 Bangchukdo-gil), which lies long like a northern breakwater for the Gogunsan Islands, and the Bangchukdo Island suspension bridge linking coastal cliffs and oddly shaped rocks greets walkers. Stand in the middle of the bridge, and along with the waves breaking below, you take in at a glance the strange rock ridge of Independence Gate Rock. Go on to Maldo Island (Maldo-ri, Okdo-myeon), the westernmost end of the sea route, and sea caves and folded rock formations show a coastline untouched since ancient times.

Another jewel of an island, on the sea route northwest from Gunsan Coastal Passenger Terminal, is Yeondo Island (Yeondo-ri, Okdo-myeon). Rocky cliffs stand like a folding screen along the coastline of this island. A passenger ship comes and goes twice a day (adult fare 13,050 won to the island, 12,000 won from the island). Instead of busy tourist facilities, a quiet harbor and trekking courses cover the whole island.

When the bridge-linked islands are crowded with lines of cars every weekend, only the sound of waves and the cries of gulls remain clear in the alleys of Yeondo Island and Eocheongdo Island, reached by timing the ferry.

The absolute rule of island trips by boat is the weather and the tides. For Eocheongdo Island and Yeondo Island, check sailing schedules and remaining seats in advance at Gunsan Coastal Passenger Terminal; for Bangchukdo Island and Maldo Island, at Jangjado Passenger Terminal (or the Coastal Passenger Terminal).

You must carry ID to board any ferry. Sailings may be suspended by fog or high-wave warnings, so leave room and do not book your train or bus back to Seoul too tightly for the same afternoon.