Located in the southeast corner of the city, Haeundae Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Busan, and is also marketed as one of the best tourist destinations for the city. According to a English sign on the beach, approximately 10,000,000 tourists visit the beach, with Dongback island and the Busan Aquarium nearby for even more to see.

The name ‘Haeundae’, surpringly enough, did not develop from the car company with the similar name. ‘Haeun’ was a pseudonym of a great scholar named Choi Chi-won during the late Silla Kingdom period (late 9th and early 10th century). This scholar became fascinated with the wonders of the area on the way to Mt. Gaya, and gave up his government post as a result.

Arriving at Haeundae Beach is simple enough. Take the Busan subway to the Haeundae Beach station, then look for exits 3 or 5 – they’re the ones that say, in bold English letters, ‘this way to Haeundae Beach!’ A straight 400 meter walk down the sidewalk and you’re on the sand. Along the way, you’ll cross a couple of streets and have the opportunity to buy anything you forgot or left behind – upgrading to some nicer / newer equipment is certainly possible as well. Merchants of all shapes and varieties will hawk anything and everything beach-related at you – some at good prices, like 3,000 won (about $3) for a pair of sandals. You’re probably not buying the best-quality sandals in the world, but hey, they’re cheap!

While going to the beach is free, plan to spend some money to avoid some inconveniences or spend some time to avoid paying some money. During the high season (June – August), any hotel within walking distance is 3 times its normal / low-season price.

Arriving (for the first time) a bit later in the day, when some of the vendors had started to pack up umbrellas and inner tube. Renting the inner tubes cost 5,000 won (about $5), and supposedly renting a ‘parasol’ and ‘beach bed’ were the same price. In reality, just find an empty spot to lay down your stuff and head out – no one was patrolling the area.

Welcome to the beach – and don’t let all the umbrellas scare you. They comprise a pretty thick zone between the road and the beach, but once you navigate past them, there’s about 30-40 meters of sand before the waves start rolling in. Beware, though: if you have anything that can get damaged by water (think camera, cell phones, etc.), it’s probably prudent to put your stuff further away from the water. It’s not just the waves to worry about, it’s other people at times as well.

A few semi-permanent or trailer-type facilities offering their services on the sand – for a price, of course. Other facilites not pictured include an ATM built into the trailer of what Americans might call an 18-wheeler, a Korean cell phone company with a glitzy display, a number of drink / food vendors, and so on. And so it goes – whenever a critical mass of people have gathered together, there will almost certainly be attempts to sell them something one way or another.

As a quick note, if the thought of going to a beach evokes a desire for solitude / a little peace and quiet, I’ve been informed that Songjeong Beach, on the eastern coast of Korea / Busan, is the place to go. More out of the way and less popular as a tourist destination (the nearest subway station is several kilometers away – take a local bus or a taxi), it’s still an excellent beach to visit.

Where’d the beach go?! It’s somewhere out there, amidst the sea (pun intended) of people…

Aaahhh, there it is! Even on a weekday, it’s still a popular place – I can only imagine how crazy it gets during the weekends or Saturday nights. A permanent-looking stage complete with plenty of lights (not pictured), seemed poised to offer any number of shows or performances. For both times I visited, however, it seemed content to pump out some pop or techno music to contribute to the energy of the beach.

Apparently, burying someone one alive is just as popular in Korea as it is in America.

Overall, Haeundae Beach is a great place to check on the list of ‘sights to see’ in Busan. It’s hard to miss, easy to get to, and easy to leave once you’ve had your kicks in the sand and sea. There’s enough stuff to do to keep you busy even after your sunburn has begun to stop hurting within walking distance. With that said, if you still associate the beach with a relaxing time and few people around, this is definitely not the place to come – especially during the high season. Several other beaches in Busan are great for that – they may not be as conveniant, but I suspect they’re worth the effort. The next time I’m in Busan I’ll be looking for them in earnest.

UPDATE: (8 August 2008) There’s a news article about Haeundae Beach trying to set a Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of parasols. All those umbrellas you saw earlier? Yep, they’ll have the world record. Here’s an aerial view of the roughly 12,000 parasols that will assist in the record: