Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). It's 2 a.m. on Monday, September 14, and right now Sokcho (속초) is 21°C with a few clouds. Today's high is 24°C and the low is 20°C, and the chance of rain is 43% — the most ambiguous number there is when you're deciding whether to pack an umbrella. The sea is at a water temperature of 23.7°C with 0.3 m waves, still exactly as calm as it has been since last week. But if you're planning to shop or look around the market in Sokcho today, there's one thing you need to check before the weather. Eight hours from now, at 10 a.m., cars will not be able to enter two sections inside 속초관광수산시장 (Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market).
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Only People Move Inside the Market
Since July 22, Sokcho City has been running part of 속초관광수산시장 as a time-based ‘car-free street’. The two sections covered are the Jungang-ro 147beon-gil (중앙로147번길) area and the Jungang-sijang-ro (중앙시장로) area, and the control hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
The part people miss most here is the word ‘every day’. This is not an event-style measure held only on weekends or in peak season — it applies at all times, with no distinction by day of the week. It closes just the same on a weekday Monday like today. Information signs and standing boards are set up at every entrance, and road surface markings and bollards for blocking vehicle entry are installed as well, so it's easy to end up driving in without knowing and having to back out of a narrow lane.
It's not that there are no exceptions at all. Loading and unloading vehicles bringing goods in and out of shops inside the market can operate before and after the control hours. However, this means they can come and go before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.; it does not at all mean that pulling over briefly during the day is allowed. In practice, the merchants — led by the merchants' association — voluntarily moved toward finishing loading and unloading before the control hours begin, and that is how the current arrangement settled in.
Vehicle Traffic Fell 89% in a Single Month
You might see this as a regulation that only adds inconvenience, but the numbers came out quite clearly. A review of the first month of implementation found that the average daily vehicle traffic during operating hours fell 89%, from 4.8 vehicles to 0.5, and over the same period not a single pedestrian traffic accident occurred inside the market.
4.8 vehicles a day may not look like such a big number. But anyone who has experienced how people get pushed toward the wall when one car passes through a narrow market lane tangled with stalls, shoppers, strollers and suitcases will understand the difference. The problem isn't the number of vehicles — it's that the entire passage comes to a standstill for the few seconds that one car takes to pass. Sokcho City plans to go further and introduce a smart bollard automatic blocking system as well.
And one more thing has been added to this. From September 1, Sokcho City began full-scale intensive crackdowns on illegal parking and roadway obstructions around the market. Through the end of August it was a guidance period with joint campaigns alongside the merchants' association; from September it is actual enforcement. In particular, the one-way road running from 새마을금고 (Saemaeul Geumgo) toward 국민은행 (KB Kookmin Bank) has been designated a special management zone. Citywide, 59 fixed enforcement CCTVs and 3 mobile enforcement vehicles are in operation across 12 major sections, so it's fair to conclude that the habit of turning on your hazard lights thinking ‘just a moment should be fine’ won't work starting this month.
So Where Should You Leave the Car?
Fortunately, the alternative is right next to the market. Here is the parking information near the market that 속초어때 has confirmed.
- 관광수산시장 대형주차장 (Tourist & Fishery Market Large Parking Lot, 191 Subok-ro, Sokcho / 속초시 수복로 191) — 534 spaces in total. With 20 spaces for drivers with disabilities and compact-car spaces separately secured, ranging from the high 20s up to the 50s, it tends to turn over even on most weekends. It's about 300 m on foot to the market.
- Fees — The first 20 minutes are free. After that, charges accrue in 10-minute increments, and if you plan to leave your car all day, the 7,000 KRW one-day parking pass is the best value. Public parking lots at traditional markets and shopping districts sometimes have discounts that apply, so if you are a person with a disability, a person of national merit, or driving a low-emission or compact vehicle, be sure to ask whether a discount applies.
- Season passes — If you work at the market, there are monthly passes: daytime (08:00–21:00) 35,000 KRW, nighttime (21:00–08:00 the next day) 25,000 KRW, and day-and-night 60,000 KRW. For inquiries, contact the Transportation Business Team of 속초시시설관리공단 (Sokcho City Facilities Management Corporation) at 033-630-6230.
One more practical tip: the 30 minutes just before 10 a.m., when the controls begin, is when entry to the parking lot is most crowded. That's because cars that tried to drive into the market and were blocked all turn toward the parking lot at once. Arriving before 9:30 a.m. is far easier, and if you plan to use the 20-minute free window just to pick up raw fish, after 6 p.m. is actually better.
Starting the Day After Tomorrow, a Booth Giving Back 20,000 KRW Runs for Five Days
The reason I'm going on about parking at such length is that the market is certain to get busier this week. Gangwon State (강원특별자치도) will hold a Chuseok Onnuri Gift Certificate refund event for five days, from Wednesday, September 16 to Sunday, September 20, at three traditional seafood markets in the province. The participating markets are 도래미시장 (Doraemi Market) in Wonju (원주), 황지자유시장 (Hwangji Free Market) in Taebaek (태백), and 속초관광수산시장.
- Buy domestic seafood and you get back up to 30% of the purchase amount in Onnuri Gift Certificates.
- The cap is 20,000 KRW per person for the entire event period. In other words, buying about 67,000 KRW worth fills the cap.
- The method is simple. After buying domestic seafood at a participating shop, submit the receipt from the day of purchase at the refund booth inside the market. Bringing it the next day won't do.
Two things overlap here. The refund booth's operating hours and the car-free street control hours (10:00–18:00) are effectively the same. So on the day you go to get your refund, you should erase driving into the market from your plan altogether and set your route around parking at the large parking lot and walking in. To fill the 20,000 KRW cap you'll have to go around several shops anyway, so driving in actually works against you. And since it runs for five days, there's no need to crowd in on the first day or the weekend.
Starting Today, Checkpoints Go Up on the Roads
For those coming into and out of Sokcho, there's one more thing starting today. Gangwon State is conducting the 2026 Hwarang Training (화랑훈련), a joint exercise of civilians, government, military, police and fire services, from today, September 14, through Friday the 18th. The Sokcho area is handled by the Army's 22nd Division across Goseong (고성), Sokcho and Yangyang (양양).
- During the exercise period, movements of tracked equipment such as tanks and armored vehicles, along with troops and vehicles, are planned.
- Partial traffic controls, including checkpoints, will run alongside on National Route 7 and National Route 46 and some other roads.
- An opposing force will be deployed for realistic training, and blank rounds and smoke grenades will be used as well. There's no need to be startled if you hear gunfire or see smoke.
As of this hour, the access roads are all flowing smoothly: Misiryeong-ro (미시령로, toward Seoul), Donghae-daero (동해대로, coast and downtown), and Seoraksan-ro (설악산로, toward Seorak). But this is only as of 2 a.m.; from this afternoon through Friday, I recommend allowing 20–30 minutes more than usual when taking National Route 7. In particular, if you have to get to Yangyang Airport or head toward Gangneung (강릉) on a schedule, it's safer to set out with plenty of time today.
Today's Sokcho Timetable, as of 2 a.m.
- 04:27 High tide (tide level 37 cm) — If you've planned breakwater fishing or moving out onto the rocks, the water is highest around this time.
- 06:06 Sunrise — one minute later than yesterday. At the Daepo Port (대포항) Observatory and toward Oeongchi (외옹치), people start gathering from 30 minutes before this time.
- 10:00 Car-free street controls begin at 관광수산시장.
- 11:01 Low tide (18 cm).
- 17:06 High tide (36 cm).
- 18:00 Car-free street controls lifted.
- 18:36 Sunset — If you're planning a walk at Yeongnangho (영랑호) or the night view of Cheongchoho (청초호), use this time as your reference.
- 23:08 Low tide (23 cm).
As for congestion, the Daepo Port Observatory and Cheongchoho are both ‘congested’ right now, while 마레몬스 호텔 (Maremons Hotel), 켄싱턴호텔 설악 (Kensington Hotel Seorak), 신흥사 (Sinheungsa Temple, in Seoraksan / 설악산) and Sokcho Port are ‘moderate’. A 43% chance of rain doesn't mean it will rain all day — it means there's a possibility of shower-type precipitation, so it's the kind of day where tucking a folding umbrella into your bag is enough.
Things to Mark on Your Calendar in Advance
- Ten days until the start of the Chuseok holiday (September 24) — It's best to finalize lodging, rental cars and travel plans for visiting ancestral graves within this week.
- September 16–20 30% Onnuri Gift Certificate refund event at 속초관광수산시장.
- October 2–4 The 61st Seorak Cultural Festival (설악문화제). It is held around the Expo Lawn Plaza (엑스포 잔디광장) and Seorak Rodeo Street (설악로데오거리), and the street parade takes place twice on October 3, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Sokcho has been selected as Gangwon State's recommended travel destination for September. A course tying together Seoraksan, hot springs and food is what earned the recognition, and in fact, from mid-September the air at the foot of Seoraksan changes noticeably.
To sum up, today's key point in Sokcho is just one thing. If you're going to the market, after 10 a.m. leave your car outside the market and walk in. That's the way to avoid a fine, avoid jostling people, and, in the end, get your shopping done faster. 속초어때 will continue to bring you these ‘things that change starting today’, organized hour by hour.
Today, as of 2 a.m. on Monday, September 14, we've looked at the car-free street operation at 속초관광수산시장 and parking alternatives, the 30% seafood refund event starting the day after tomorrow, and the Hwarang Training traffic controls starting today — was it helpful? We'll be back next time with even more useful information.
