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Dongbaekseom Island, Coastal & Circular Walking Trails 동백섬
All year round.
Free
Travel Options to Dongbaek Island:
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Walk from Haeundae Beach towards The Westin Josun Busan (hotel) at the right end of the beach (facing the sea). Walking past the main entrance of The Westin Josun Busan will lead you to the main entrance of Dongbaekseom Island OR take the path on the hotel's beach side to start off from Dongbaekseom Coastal Trail; OR
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Busan KTX Station (main entrance) / Busan Subway Station (line 1, exit 6). Cross to the middle of the road for the bus stop and take Bus# 1003 to Dongbaek Island Entrance 동백섬입구 stop (1 stop before Haeundae Beach stop), 40 mins. Walk back 100m in the direction where your bus came from, turn left onto the first road (Dongbaek-ro) and walk past The Westin Josun Busan (hotel) to reach the park entrance. 6 mins walk; OR
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Dongbaek Station (line 2, exit 1). Upon exit, walk straight forward along Dongdaek-ro passing The Westin Josun Busan (hotel) to reach the park entrance. 14 mins walk.
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Taxi from Busan Station, 35 mins.
Dongbaek Island (or Dongbaekseom) is located on the extreme right end of the famous Haeundae Beach in Busan. It used to be an island but is now part of the mainland by sedimentation over time. Nonetheless, it still retains its original name of an island.
At Dongbaekseom Island, there are 2 easy walking trails, a scenic coastal trail (450m) on raised wooden deck along the coastline and a circular trail (930m) around the island's nature forest. The whole walking course takes about 30-50mins.
Entry Points to Dongbaekseom Island
There are 2 entry points to Dongbaekseom Island in Haeundae, Busan.
a) Enter via the island's Main Entrance
If you are coming from Dongbaek Station (line 1), nearest bus stops, The Bay 101 or Haeundae Marine City, you can walk along Dongbaek-ro, passing the main entrance of The Westin Josun Busan (hotel) to the main entrance of Dongbaekseom Island.
You will be starting your walk on the barrier-free Dongbaekseom Island Circular Trail (also known as Dongbaek Park Circular Trail).
b) Enter via the island's Coastal Trail
If you are coming from Haeundae Beach, you can also enter via The Westin Josun Busan's beach side to kick start your walk on Dongbaekseom Island Coastal Trail.
Dongbaekseom Island Coastal Trail will connect with Dongbaekseom Island Circular Trail near the lighthouse.
Direction Signs, Map & Information
Though Dongbaekseom is a small Island, there are many direction signs, maps and island information for visitors.
Dongbaekseom Island Circular Trail (Distance: 930m)
The circular trail is an easy walking path that loops around Dongbaekseom Island passing by Nurimaru APEC House, Lighthouse Observatory and Carved Stone of Haeundae Observatory.
From the circular trail, there are paths leading uphill to Choi Chi-Won Statue, the highest point of the island; or down towards the coastline for the coastal walk.
a) Nurimaru APEC House
Opening Hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (till 19:00 in Jul & Aug) | Closed on 1st Monday of every month | Free admission
Nurimaru APEC House is probably the most significant landmark and tourist attraction at Dongbaekseom Island. It is built for the 2005 APEC Summit where the head of states from 21 Asia-Pacific countries gathered.
💡Meaning of 'Nuri' (World) and 'Maru' (Summit).
Visitors can tour Nurimaru APEC House that spreads across 3 floors.
1F - Outdoor Yard
2F - Conference Rooms
3F - 2005 APEC Summit Hall & APEC Memorial Hall
💡On the 3rd floor main area, there is an interesting artwork on the 12 Symbols of Longevity featuring the sun, cloud, mountain, rock, water, crane, deer, turtle, pine tree, herb of eternal youth, bamboo and mythical peach.
To commemorate the 2005 APEC Summit, the 2005 APEC Summit Hall with its big round meeting table and items used during the summit (i.e. name plates, microphones, chairs and carpets) are preserved in their original form.
The APEC Memorial Hall features information on APEC Summit, dinner setup, group photos taken during the summit, etc.
Views from Nurimaru APEC House is certainly a rewarding one. On the left is the island's lighthouse standing on top of the cliff. On the right is view of Gwangandaegyo Bridge and Oryukdo Islets.
b) Lighthouse Observatory
The lighthouse is another popular landmark of Dongbaekseom Island.
From the observatory deck, you can have panoramic view of the ocean, the whole skyline of Haeundae from Haeundae Beach, Haeundae LCT the Sharp - Landmark Tower (Busan's tallest building) to Mipo Port with glimpse of the popular Haeundae Sky Capsule along the coast, Gwangandaegyo Bridge, Igidae and Oryukdo Coasts.
c) Choi Chi-Won Statue & Octagonal Pavilion
Located opposite the Lighthouse Observatory in the direction of the pavilion is an uphill stone stairway leading to the top central part of the island.
Alternatively, you can take the easier direct path 50m left of the island's entrance or 300m right of island's entrance.
At the top of the island is a statue of Choi Chi-Won, a scholar and writer during the Shilla Kingdom. Next to the statue is the 2-storey Octagonal Pavilion of striking colours and a beautiful Korean architecture.
This is also a popular place for camellia flowers viewing during its flowering season.
d) Craved Stone of Haeundae Observatory
About 10m left of Lighthouse Observatory is another observatory for the viewpoint of 'Craved Stone of Haeundae'.
💡Origin of the name, 'Haeundae'
It is said that Choi Chi-Won enchanted by the natural beauty of the place, inscribed 3 Chinese characters 海雲台 (direct translation: sea cloud platform | pronounced as 'Hae-Un-Dae') on a rock below 'Craved Stone of Haeundae Observatory'. 'Haeun' is also his pen name.
Dongbaekseom Island Coastal Trail (Distance: 450m)
Dongbaekseom Island Coastal Trail is probably the most accessible, easy level and scenic coastal trail built on raised wooden deck above rocks in Busan.
The coastal trail will connect with Dongbaekseom Island Circular Trail near the lighthouse.
💡Busan Galmaet-gil Trail
Busan Galmaet-gil is a popular walking trail with a total distance of 278.8km across 21 sections for travellers to enjoy the charms of Busan. Dongbaekseom Island Coastal Trail covers a small section of Busan Galmaet-gil Trail Course 2-1 (Moontan Road to Millak Bridge).
💡Geosite of Busan National Geopark
The coast along Dongbaekseom Island is a Geosite of Busan National Geopark. Besides its beautiful scenery, it has the remains of volcanic activity from the Late Cretaceous Period and a precious geological heritage.
a) Suspension Bridge
The suspension bridge along the coastal trail, located near the Mermaid Statue is a beautiful solid architecture. It also provides good vantage point of Dongbaekseom Island coast.
b) Mermaid Statue
The coastal walking path also leads to the popular 2.5m high mermaid statue located near The Westin Josun Busan.
💡The statue of the mermaid is about the sad legend of Princess Hwangok (Topaz) whom came across the sea to marry King Eunhye. Princess Hwangok suffered from homesickness and used to comfort her sorrows by looking into the topaz where her fatherland was reflected at each full moon.
Camellia Flowers at Dongbaekseom Island
Dongbaekseom Island is known for its camellia flowers in bloom during Winter and Spring around December to March.
💡Origin of the name, 'Dongbaekseom'
The name of the island, 'Dongbaek' is the Korean pronunciation for Camellia and 'seom' in Korean refers to 'island'.
Sunset at Dongbaekseom Island
Dongbaekseom Island is also popular for its beautiful sunset, particularly the views of the sun setting over the horizon with Nurimaru APEC House and lighthouse in the foreground.
Nightfall at Dongbaekseom Island
Dongbaekseom Island can also be visited during night time with trail lights available. This is probably one of the best places to view the brilliant night lights of Haeundae Beach and Gwangandaegyo Bridge.
Nearby Attractions
After the walk around Dongbaekseom Island, check out The Bay 101, a waterfront yacht club with cafes, restaurants and shops. The place is particularly popular when the city lights up on nightfall or hop on a 60 mins yacht tour around Gwangan Bridge (/Gwangandaegyo), Gwangalli Beach and Marine City.
Alternatively, you can walk back to Haeundae Beach and visit the SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium.
On the other end of Haeundae Beach is BUSAN X the Sky Observatory located on 98-100th floors of the tallest building in Busan (& 2nd tallest in South Korea).
Across the road from BUSAN X the Sky is Haeundae Blueline Park that operates both the popular Haeundae Sky Capsule and Haeundae Beach Train with Busan Green Railway walking trail running parallel to the railway line along the scenic coast.
Recommended Hotels Nearby Dongbaekseom Island
a) The Westin Josun Busan
★★★★★ | 8.4 Review Rating
Located at the entrance of Dongbaekseom Island is the Westin Josun Busan, a 5-star landmark hotel in Haeundae, Busan. Its luxurious rooms offering views of Haeundae Beach or Gwangan Bridge. For buffet lovers, check out its globally-inspired buffet at its Camellia seaview restaurant.
b) ibis budget Ambassador Busan Haeundae
★★★ | 8.1 Review Rating
ibis budget Ambassador Busan Haeundae is located within 8 mins walk to Dongbaekseom Island, 5 mins walk to Haeundae Beach and 10 mins walk to Haeundae Station (line 2).
c) Best Louis Hamilton Hotel Haeundae
★★★ | 8.4 Review Rating
The final nearest recommended hotel to Dongbaekseom Island is Best Louis Hamilton Hotel Haeundae, located within 9 mins walk to the island.
Map of Getting to Dongbaekseom Island & Nearby Attractions
Map of Dongbaekseom Island & Highlights
Map of Dongbaekseom Island Circular Trail & Distance Breakdown
Map of Busan Galmaet-gil Trail Course 2-1
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