Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). At 2 a.m. on Friday, August 28, Sokcho (속초) is 24°C with a few clouds. It is still quiet outside the window, but the chance of rain this afternoon is set at 94%. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast, rain will begin on the Gangwon East Coast and in the mountains from this morning (06:00–12:00), and expected rainfall for the northern Gangwon East Coast is 5–30 mm. In other words, right now is the driest window of the whole day, and by around sunrise at 05:52 there is a good chance the sky will already look different.
But there is something we have to tell you before the weather today. On the 21st, a person in their 30s who was snorkeling at a beach near 장사항 (Jangsahang Port) in Jangsa-dong (장사동), Sokcho, drowned and died. The site of the accident was not a swimming beach but an undesignated beach. In talking about Sokcho's sea this week, we judged it irresponsible to leave this fact out and report only water temperature and wave height.
Sokcho Sea Conditions at This Hour
- Water temperature 26.6°C - even at the end of August it is still in the 26-degree range. As far as getting in goes, this is not a cold temperature
- Wave height 0.4 m - effectively on the calm side
- Temperature 24°C, high 25°C / low 23°C - a textbook overcast day, with only a 2-degree gap between day and night
- The tide is at 8-mul (8물), just after the full moon on the 16th day of the seventh lunar month. High tides are at 03:42 and 14:49, low tides at 08:46 and 21:51
Here is a point where it is easy to be misled. The difference between high and low tide levels in Sokcho is, as of today, only around 20–30 cm. This is not the West Sea (서해), where mudflats are exposed and submerged in turn. So on the East Coast, the calculation of 'checking the tide and going in at a safe time' is effectively meaningless. What puts people in danger in the East Sea (동해) is not the tide but sudden changes in depth and rip currents, and conditions on the person's side rather than the waves. That is why you must not read the number 0.4 m wave height as 'safe.'
Today There Is Only One Place in Sokcho Where You Can Go in the Water
The City of Sokcho closed Sokcho Beach, Oeongchi Beach (외옹치해수욕장) and Cheongho Beach (청호해수욕장) on the 23rd. Today is the fifth day since closing. However, only Deungdae Beach (등대해수욕장) has extended operations through August 30. Today the 28th, tomorrow the 29th, the day after the 30th. Counting today, there are only three days on which you can enter the water with safety management staff on duty.
To sum it up:
- Deungdae Beach : open through the 30th. You can enter the water with lifeguards and rescue equipment in place
- Sokcho, Oeongchi and Cheongho Beaches : closed on the 23rd. Walking and photos are fine, but the staff managing water entry have been withdrawn
- Undesignated beaches such as 장사항 and the rocky shore area around Yeonggeumjeong (영금정) : these were never swimming beaches to begin with. There is no concept of a closing date, and no managing authority
Why Do Accidents Always Happen Outside the Swimming Beaches?
The statistics show this pattern exactly. From 2023 to 2025, there were 112 water accidents at undesignated beaches during the summer season (June–September), in which 35 people died, and this year through the end of July there have been 14 accidents with 8 deaths. Adding up the four years, that is 43 people. These were not accidents inside swimming beaches; most happened at those beaches that were 'nice because there were few people.'
The reasons come down to three.
- First, detection is late. Swimming beaches have watchtowers and monitoring staff, so a person lying face-down in the water is spotted within seconds. At undesignated beaches, everything depends on the companions noticing. In this 장사항 accident too, the person was already face-down when the companions found them
- Second, the bottom is different. Designated swimming beaches check the depth and terrain of the entry zone in advance and mark the boundary with buoys. Undesignated beaches mix in, with no markings, stretches that reach shoulder depth in two or three steps and fast-current channels between the rocks
- Third, snorkeling is not treated as 'swimming.' While you wear a mask and look at the bottom, your body is nearly motionless and your field of view is fixed downward. Even when the current pushes you, you do not notice it yourself. It is no coincidence that this accident and a similar one last year both happened while snorkeling
Neighboring local governments are addressing this as well. Goseong-gun (고성군) has deployed four additional guidance officers at undesignated beaches near Hwajinpo (화진포), Gajin-ri (가진리) and Gyoam-ri (교암리), and Gangneung (강릉) has hired and deployed its own safety staff in the eup, myeon and dong areas near undesignated beaches. Yangyang-gun (양양군) announced that it will designate Gwangjin Beach (광진 해변) as an official swimming beach starting next year. Turned around, that means beaches without such measures are, at this very moment, being watched by no one.
Today's Weather Is 'Rain From the Morning'
A 94% chance of rain effectively means it will rain. That said, with expected rainfall of 5–30 mm, this is not the kind of downpour that pours all day; think of it as starting in the morning and continuing through the daytime. If you are planning your route today, we suggest dividing it like this.
- Pre-dawn to 6 a.m. : the stretch before the rain starts. Sunrise is 05:52, and with an overcast sky it is hard to expect a dramatic sunrise. This is the last chance for a walk at Yeonggeumjeong or along the Oeongchi 바다향기로 (Badahyanggi-ro) trail
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. : the rain stretch. Building your plan around indoor options is the right call
- After evening : the rain trends toward easing, but after rain the East Sea often sees wave heights rise with a delay. We do not recommend entering the water after this evening
This is a day when the temperature climbs only as high as 25°C. If you take the sea wind while wet, it feels far colder. Even if you go to Deungdae Beach, be sure to bring spare clothes and a large towel.
Where Sokcho Is Crowded Right Now, and the Roads
By 속초어때's congestion tally, the places currently registering as 'very crowded' are five: 한화리조트 설악 워터피아 (Hanwha Resort Seorak Waterpia), Oeongchi Port, Deungdae Beach, Cheongcho Lake (청초호) and Daepohang Port (대포항), while Cheongcho Lake Park registers as 'crowded.' That means people have not thinned out even after the closings, but the part worth noting is that on this list the only places you can actually enter the water are Deungdae Beach and 워터피아. The other four are places to walk, eat and look.
For inbound traffic, all three axes are estimated to be moving slowly: Misiryeong-ro (미시령로, toward Seoul), Donghae-daero (동해대로, coast and downtown) and Seoraksan-ro (설악산로, toward Seorak (설악)). Because it is Friday, the inflow builds from the afternoon. If you are setting out now, it is better to aim to come in during the morning, before congestion sets in on the Misiryeong-ro side.
A Rainy Friday: Three Indoor Alternatives
- 속초시립박물관 (Sokcho Municipal Museum) : visitors this summer numbered 26,000, up 32% from last year. Among indoor alternatives, it is the most proven place this summer
- 속초관광수산시장 (Sokcho Tourist and Fishery Market) : its 'scheduled car-free street' is drawing praise. Since cars do not come in during those hours, walking with an umbrella is far easier
- 워터피아 : on a rainy day the demand for water play piles in all the same. You will have to accept the crowds
Sokcho in September: The Season Changes
The Gangwon Tourism Foundation selected Sokcho, along with Chuncheon, as a recommended September destination. The concept is an autumn trip walking along the lakes and Seorak. When Deungdae Beach closes on the 30th, Sokcho's summer officially ends, and from then the center of gravity shifts toward Cheongcho Lake Park and Seoraksan (설악산). Today's rain is close to the opening signal of that transition.
Today at a Glance
- Water temperature 26.6°C, wave height 0.4 m - the numbers are good, but the only managed stretch of sea is Deungdae Beach
- Deungdae Beach runs through August 30 - three days including today
- Do not enter the water at undesignated beaches. In particular, never snorkel alone or in groups of two or fewer
- Rain from the morning, 94% chance of precipitation, 5–30 mm expected
- Sunrise 05:52 / sunset 19:02, high tides 03:42 and 14:49, low tides 08:46 and 21:51
- All three access routes moving slowly; watch for the Friday afternoon inflow
Even when it closes, the sea is still right there. That is what makes it more confusing. The water people were going into until yesterday has simply become water no one is guarding today, and on the surface it looks exactly the same. If you are coming to Sokcho today, remembering just that one difference is enough.
Today we looked at Sokcho's sea conditions as of the early hours of Friday, August 28, safety at undesignated beaches, the three days left at Deungdae Beach, and the rain starting in the morning along with crowding and traffic - was it useful? We will be back next time with even more useful information.
