Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). As of 11 PM on Saturday, September 5, the temperature in downtown Sokcho is 23°C. The sky is partly cloudy, and the chance of rain, which had climbed as high as 89% during the day, has dropped to virtually 0% as we head toward midnight. The sea is relatively calm, with a water temperature of 24.6°C and waves of 1.1 m. Today's high was 24°C and the low 22°C, a daily swing of only 2°C. That means humid air sat over Sokcho all day long. If you have your windows open right now, keep in mind that your bedding may turn damp by early morning.
But the first thing I want to bring up tonight is not the weather. It is the news that the 400 m where you can walk on water in Sokcho has become a path with a limited amount of time left.
The Yeongnangho pontoon bridge: removal procedures have begun
At the plenary session of its extraordinary session on August 31, the Sokcho City Council passed a supplementary budget bill, and it includes 700 million KRW for removing the Yeongnangho pontoon bridge. The city plans to go through procedures such as a detailed design service contract before starting the removal. A specific removal date has not been announced yet, but the budget being secured means this has shifted from ‘someday’ to ‘underway as a matter of procedure’.
This pontoon bridge, known as the Yeongnangho Suwitgil, opened in November 2021. At 400 m long and 2.5 m wide, with a circular plaza 30 m in diameter at its center, it was a place where you could stand in the middle of the lake and look all the way around at Ulsanbawi Rock on Seoraksan (설악산) and at downtown Sokcho. The budget spent on installing it is reported at somewhere in the 2.2 to 2.6 billion KRW range, depending on the outlet. Ever since it opened, there have been continued objections that it burdens the ecosystem of Yeongnangho, a lagoon, and in the end the decision was made to spend in the 2-billion-KRW range building it and 700 million KRW taking it away. Opinion in the community is split on this, so I have no intention of taking either side, but from the standpoint of travelers and residents, one thing actually matters: you can still walk it right now.
So if you are planning to fit Yeongnangho into your Sokcho schedule this fall, I would advise not putting it off. Here are a few practical tips.
- Check for closures before you visit: Once the removal schedule is confirmed, the pontoon bridge section is likely to be closed off first for safety reasons. It is safer to check the Sokcho city notices or the 속초어때 live information once before you set out.
- It is a waste to come only for the pontoon bridge: The Yeongnangho loop trail is a 7.8 km circuit. The pontoon bridge is only 400 m of that, and the views of the lake and Seorak from around Beombawi Rock and Yeongnangjeong Pavilion actually photograph better. Allow a comfortable two hours to complete the full course, or about 40 minutes for a short loop covering just the pontoon bridge and Beombawi Rock.
- For a night walk, check the lighting first: If you are heading out at 11 PM like now, the loop trail has stretches where the streetlights are not closely spaced. Turn on at least your phone flashlight, and it is better not to hug the railing along the water.
- Parking: The public parking spaces around the lake are divided up by section, so if the side closer to the pontoon bridge is full, parking on the opposite side and walking over is actually faster.
Tomorrow, Sunday: the rain pulls back and the sea gets rougher
The rain forecast that pressed down on Sokcho all day today eases considerably tomorrow. The hourly forecast looks like this.
- Early morning, 00:00 to 06:00: 19 to 20°C, 20 to 30% chance of rain. Just a passing shower at most.
- 9 AM: 23°C, 10% chance of rain. A good window for outdoor plans.
- Midday, 12:00 to 15:00: 24°C, 10 to 20% chance of rain. Far more pleasant than today.
- Evening, 18:00 to 21:00: From 23°C down to 21°C. The wind shifts to the northeast and picks up.
That said, the waves move in the opposite direction. Tomorrow they stay calm around 0.8 m in the morning, then rise to 0.9 m at 3 PM, 1.1 m at 6 PM, and up to 1.3 m by 9 PM. If you plan to see the sea up close, the morning is better, and around evening it is right to avoid the breakwaters and the rocky shore. A 1 m wave may look small as a number, but on top of the tetrapods it is more than enough to knock a person over.
Water temperature 24.6°C, but the sea is still a season for looking
A water temperature of 24.6°C does not feel cold yet. It has been easing down bit by bit from the 25°C range last week. But the beaches in Sokcho have all already closed for the season. That means no lifeguards and no rescue equipment are stationed there. Recently in Sokcho there was also an accident in which a person in their 30s died while snorkeling at a non-designated beach. The water being warm and it being okay to go in are two completely different things. After the season closes, please think of the sea as something to look at, a place to wet your ankles at most.
Why six places are ‘very congested’ at 11 PM
The places registering as ‘very congested’ at this hour are 석봉도자기미술관 (Seokbong Ceramics Museum), 속초 엑스포타워 (Sokcho Expo Tower), 롯데리조트 속초 (Lotte Resort Sokcho), Sokcho Beach, 발해역사관 (Balhae History Museum), and Jangsahang Port. There is a point here that is easy to misread. The art museum and the history museum do not have visitors packed inside at 11 PM. These figures are closer to the population density of the surrounding area. In other words, 속초 엑스포타워 and 석봉도자기미술관 showing as very congested means the roads and parking lots around Cheongchoho (청초호) are busy, and 롯데리조트 속초 being very congested means overnight guests have just finished checking in and are staying around the area.
So if you are heading out now, this is how to read it. If you are going out for a late-night bite or a walk, the Jangsahang Port and Sokcho Beach directions will be blocked starting with parking. Conversely, the inner alleys of Cheongho-dong and Joyang-dong, or the Yeongnangho direction, are relatively open. Daepohang Port and Oeongchi are also not on tonight's list.
Tomorrow, 4,827 students head out all at once
Starting today and running for two days, the 19th Gangwon School Sports Club Festival is being held across the Sokcho area. It is a large event with 4,827 participants from 272 schools across 22 sports, and some events are being run separately in Chuncheon and Samcheok. This event wraps up tomorrow.
Right now inbound traffic is slow on Misiryeong-ro (toward Seoul), congested on Donghae-daero (coast and downtown), and slow on Seoraksan-ro (toward Seorak). Donghae-daero being congested at 11 PM is a sign that the downtown axis has not loosened up yet. Tomorrow, festival participants and their escort vehicles, plus Sunday return traffic heading back to the capital, all overlap on top of that. To sum it up:
- If you are leaving Sokcho: 2 PM to 5 PM, when the closing of the festival and the return traffic overlap, is the worst. Leaving early in the morning or pushing it back to after 7 PM are the two realistic options.
- If you are coming into Sokcho: Since it is the opposite direction, arriving in the afternoon may actually be easier. Parking downtown, however, is a separate problem.
- For residents getting around: For plans that go via Donghae-daero and Seoraksan-ro during daytime hours tomorrow, it is better to allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes.
Tomorrow, laid out as a timetable
- Sunrise 05:59 / sunset 18:48 (as of September 6)
- High tide 09:10 / low tide 17:59, tide day 2 (2물)
- 속초관광수산시장 (Sokcho Tourist and Fishery Market) car-free street: Daily from 10 AM to 6 PM, with vehicles restricted on two sections, Jungang-ro 147beon-gil and Jungangsijang-ro
- Wave height: around 0.8 m in the morning → 1.1 m in the evening → 1.3 m at night
- Chance of rain: 20 to 30% in the early morning, 10 to 20% during the day
Unlike the West Sea, the East Sea has a tidal range of only about 20 cm. So there is no reason to read the tide table for mudflat activities, but if you are planning to fish or walk the breakwater, it is worth knowing that the water is at its lowest around low tide, near 6 PM.
For reference, September in Sokcho is a month packed with performances and exhibitions. 속초문화예술회관 (Sokcho Culture and Arts Center) has a run of sori-geuk, madang-geuk, classical, and gugak performances, and a small hall performance is also scheduled for the 12th. In a season when the rain comes and goes, booking one indoor item in advance becomes a safety net for your trip.
Tonight, in one sentence
Tomorrow in Sokcho will be a better day for walking than today. The rain pulls back, the temperature stops at 24°C, and the morning sea is calm. And the 400 m over Yeongnangho is still open. Nobody knows yet when it will close, but the procedure has already begun.
Today we covered the live situation in Sokcho at 11 PM on September 5, the news about the removal of the Yeongnangho pontoon bridge, and tomorrow's weather and traffic flow. Was it useful? We will be back next time with even more useful information.
