[A Night Away] Mokpo offers 'roofless museum' of Korean culture, coastal scenery

Mokpo feels like a faraway city compared to the country’s capital, nestled down on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula. But with a KTX high-speed train from Seoul’s Yongsan Station, you arrive at this harbor city in just two hours...

A view of Mokpo city from its Mokpo Marine Cable Car that was newly established in September 2019. [MOKPO CITY]

MOKPO, South Jeolla — Mokpo feels like a faraway city compared to the country’s capital, nestled down on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula. But with a KTX high-speed train from Seoul’s Yongsan Station, you arrive at this harbor city in just two hours and 40 minutes.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated it as a regional tourism hub city in 2020, alongside Andong, Jeonju, Gangneung and Busan.

By injecting a large slice of its budget until 2025, the ministry, by working closely with the Korea Tourism Organization, plans to provide assistance in almost everything related to tourism, ranging from setting up the strategy on how to appeal to potential travelers, developing cultural content that is only available to see in each region, diversifying means of transportation in a shorter amount of time, to marketing all the new changes.

According to Kang Myung-won, the chief of Tourism Division, Culture and Education at Mokpo City, it has added new features since the pandemic so that travelers visit the city not just for its tasty seafood, but to enjoy Korea’s modern history that’s been well preserved here and the marine leisure activities the city has been newly developing.

The city also recently relocated its Tourist Information Office which was inside the KTX station to the outside plaza and dispatched English and Chinese translators.

Public wifi can cover almost anywhere and the city government is also developing an app in English so that visitors can reserve tickets for activities and view restaurant menus in English.

A full plate of raw mineo, a type of croaker fish found in Mokpo costs 50,000 won ($38.20) at Yeongran Hoetjip. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Saturday 12 p.m. Mineo upon arrival Though Mokpo says it now has “so much more to offer than just its cuisine,” travel in Mokpo has to start with trying one of the city’s nine delicacies. One of the best dish to try here, especially during summer, is mineo, a type of croaker fish found in Mokpo. Though people avoid eating raw fish during scorching summer, an exception exists here. In fact, mineo is known to taste at its best from late July to mid-August. A well-known mineo restaurant in town is Yeongran Heotjip that’s been operating since 1969. From Mokpo KTX station, it takes about 18 minutes on foot. Mineo are about one meter (three feet) in length and each part tastes different including burae, or air bladder.

Yeongran Heotjip serves only mineo dishes, like half plate of raw mineo (25,000 won), mineo mixed with vegetables in a spicy sauce (50,000 won), spicy mineo stew (5,000 won) and mineo jeon, or Korean-style pancakes (50,000 won). Locals say Yeongran Heotjip dishes are a little bit pricier than the others, but that is because it only uses male mineo, which is said to taste “way better.”

Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 1 sits atop a hill looking down at Manho-dong and Yudal-dong. [MOKPO CITY]

Saturday 1:30 p.m. Korea’s modern history

Mokpo is one of Korea’s three port cities and the first to be opened independently on the orders of King Gojong on Oct. 1, 1897. The city is also regarded as a 'roofless museum' that allows visitors to walk through Korea’s modern history as the city structure of modern Korea remains largely intact here. The reason why this part of Mokpo was rapidly developed and heavily influenced by Japan in the early 1920s is because it used to be where the foreign settlement, or concession settlement for foreigners, was located when the port opened in 1897.

One of the most popular historical sites in the area is a red brick, two-story building that looks very Japanese that is sitting atop a hill looking down at Manho-dong and Yudal-dong. It now acts as Mokpo Modern History Museum I. The top of the windows feature a pattern that looks like a Rising Sun Flag, hinting that the building was used as the Japanese Consulate back in the day. The building has a Renaissance style and was constructed in 1900. After liberation, it served other purposes, like being used as a government office and as the city hall. This is one of the most popular sites in Mokpo to foreigners, says Lee Ok-hee, a city tour guide, as it was also a filming site of “Hotel Del Luna” (2019). It opens from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Mondays and an adult ticket costs 2,000 won.

Saturday 4 p.m. Mokpo Marine Cable Car

Wait for the sun to set at the Gohado Observatory and take the ride back to the Bukhang Station just in time to enjoy the sunset inside the cable car. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Mokpo’s newest attraction is its Mokpo Marine Cable Car that has been running since September 2019.

It stretches 3.3 kilometers and allows you to see the spectacular view of the city, the Yudalsan Sculpture Park, as well as the sea and the archipelago. It is said to be the highest cable car in Korea and the longest that exists above sea. It has three stations and it is best to get on at the Bukhang Station. After 20 minutes of enjoying the beautiful scenery, you’ll arrive at Gohado Station. It has 55 cable cars and one third of them has glass floors. A round trip ticket costs 24,000 won for a regular cable car and 29,000 won for a glass-floored one.

Saturday 5 p.m. A walk around Gohado

The Gohado Sea Deck takes you around half of the Goha Island.[YIM SEUNG-HYE]

If you are a mountain climber, it is better to get off the gondola at Yudalsan Station and hike up the peak of Mount Yudal. But the newly established decked walking course on Goha Island that takes you around half of the island is more popular. For this, get off at Gohado Station. To reach the starting point of the Gohado Sea Deck, it also requires climbing up the stairs so don’t underestimate the calories burned. The walking tour also offers a great view of the sea and the Mokpo Bridge. At the starting point of the walking tour, you can either go left or right. To the right, you can see the rocky coast and get a glimpse of a man-made cave that was dug by Japanese forces during World War II and a small private beach you are not allowed in. It is better to go left as the Mokpo Bridge provides a casual, breezy walk for about an hour, all the way to the Dragon’s Head and back.

The city government also newly established Gohado Observatory, where visitors to the island can grab coffee or tea after a cable car ride or a walking tour. Unlike most observatories which are solely built to offer visitors a view from a higher vantage point, this observatory has an interesting geometric shape, modeled after the vessel used by Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) during the Battle of Myeongnyang (1597). After the walking tour, you can take a rest here and wait for the sunset and then take a ride back to the Bukhang Station just in time to enjoy the sunset inside the cable car.

Saturday 7 p.m. I dare you

Hongeo samhap, a famous trio of fermented skate fish, steamed pork and kimchi [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

For dinner, hold your nose and take a bite of another seafood delicacy hongeo, or fermented skate. However, it is an acquired taste even among Koreans. Hwanggeum Eojang is a restaurant where you can order gulbi (dried corvinas) special set for 30,000 won per person, it comes with a small plate of hongeo samhap for you to try. Hongeo samhap is a famous trio of fermented fish, steamed pork and kimchi. There are different levels of fermentation, but the pungent smell of hongeo is not as strong here and a good option for those trying hongeo for the first time.

Saturday 8 p.m. Enjoy Mokpo’s latest W Show

The W Show, a combination of music concert, fireworks and a dancing fountain show, gets held every Saturday at 8 p.m. in front of the Pyeonghwa Plaza. [MOKPO CITY]

In October 2021, the city government began organizing dancing fountain and fireworks show in front of the Pyeonghwa Plaza to attract tourists and revive a night life that has somewhat died down since the pandemic. It’s a seasonal event that gets held every Saturday evening. According to the city government, the show attracts about 15,000 people per event. It is a collaborative performance featuring a dancing fountain that is installed in the sea, a music stage with the Mokpo City Choir and a guest singer and spectacular fireworks that includes drones.

This year’s season began on April 29 and runs through Nov. 25. It’s open for free but those who want to sit close to the stage on the deck should show up early to receive a free ticket that gets distributed to only a 300 people on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sunday 10 a.m. Because it’s a hub

Purple Island in Sinan County, another popular travel destination, is located just 30 minutes drive from Mokpo. [SINAN COUNTY]

After checking out from the hotel, you can easily pick a region of your liking and visit there for half a day before heading back home, or to another destination. The city has a harbor for ferry rides to nearby islands or Jeju, it has an airport, a train station as well as an express bus station taking you almost anywhere, close or far, from Mokpo. One of the nearby well-known tourist destinations that travelers like to visit is the Purple Island in Sinan County. It is 30 minutes from Mokpo by car. Another popular island destination from Mokpo is Jindo Island, known for its road that rises above water when the tide goes out. Other inland destinations that are easily accessible from the regional hub are Damyang, known for its bamboo forest, and Hwasun with many cliffs alongside its rivers.

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Upcoming Festivals

Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale 2023:From Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, the international Sumuk Biennale will be held at the Outdoor Plaza of the Mokpo Culture and Arts Center. Sumukhwa refers to a style of painting using traditional materials and techniques of East Asia.

The 104th National Sports Festival:From Oct. 13 to 19, South Jeolla Provincial Office, the Education Office and the Athletic Association are organizing an annual National Sports Festival. Some 20,000 athletes will gather together at 70 different sports arenas across South Jeolla including Mokpo Sports Complex to compete in 49 different sports games. The event will be followed by the 43rd National Para Games that will start from Nov. 3 to 8 at 12 cities and counties.

Getting around

You can largely enjoy the city on foot. From the Express Bus Terminal or the KTX Station, you can reach the city center within 20 minutes, where the shops, restaurants and the modern history museums are located. To use a taxi, it is best to download Kakao Taxi in Korea.

Key stops

Mokpo Culture Center: This former bank building is located just five minutes on foot from KTX train station. The landmark building was erected in 1929 to fight the dominance of the Japanese capital.

Yudal Elementary School:This school sits underneath Mount Yudal and has an unusual auditorium that is registered as part of Korea’s Cultural Heritage. The auditorium was actually the first school in Mokpo established by Japan in 1929 to educate Japanese children.

Old Chosun Refractories factory site: A few kilometers east of Mokpo Port, a large factory is left abandoned. This complex was first established in 1938. The company, which still exists, was founded by Lee Hun-dong as one of the first companies in Korea to produce heat-resistant materials like bricks.

Reproduction of Joseon Tongsinsa Ship: Joseon Tongsinsa is the name given to a series of diplomatic goodwill missions that saw diplomats travel from Joseon to Japan about 12 times using the ship between 1607 to 1811. Measuring 34 meters in length and 10 meters wide, the ship was reproduced in October 2018, and is being used as a museum.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]