Coastal cities extend lifeguard availability, as beach visits continue

Vacationers are seen in this photo taken Sunday at Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. (Yonhap)

South Korea's east coastal cities recently extended the availability of lifeguards at official beaches, in light of people continuing to visit them even after they officially closed following the summer vacation period.

The city governments of Gangneung and Donghae said they will continue to have lifeguards posted to some beaches for visitors, even after they have closed for this year's summer vacation season.

Regional governments operate "haesuyokjang" -- referring to seaside beaches that have related public facilities and lifeguards -- as tourist attractions. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries every year designates the official operating period for hasuyokjang in each region, during which lifeguards and safety equipment are available there.

"All hasuyokjang have closed operations on Sunday, but we have dispatched lifeguards at Mangsang and Chuam beaches until Aug. 25 to prevent accidents," an official from the Donghae city government told local media. Donghae city officials said they will conduct patrols at other beaches as well.

Gangneung city has also extended lifeguard availability at the Gyeongpo, Jumunjin, Anmok and Songjeong beaches. It was also reported that Jeju Island officials have decided to continue to post lifeguards at 12 of its beaches until Sept. 15.

As of Wednesday, most hasuyokjang in Gangwon Province have officially closed, except for three in Sokcho city and a few in Yangyang-gun that will continue to be open until Aug. 25. People can still visit the beaches, however, resulting in occasional accidents on beaches that lack lifeguards.

It was reported that a man in his 60s fell in the water at Geojin 11-ri beach in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province on Tuesday. Fortunately, he was rescued by a member of the Sokcho Coast Guard, who had been patrolling the area.

A total of 7.5 million people have visited beaches in Gangwon Province this year, as of an official tally on Sunday. The figure marked a 15.9 percent increase compared to the 6.47 million visitors in the same period last year, possibly related to the record heat that has scorched the country this summer.

While no major accidents have been reported as of yet in official hasuyokjang areas, several deaths occurred at other beaches that have no safety personnel or equipment. Last week, a man in his 40s drowned while vacationing with his daughter at a small beach in Yeongduk-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, some 200 meters away from an officially designated hasuyokjang.

Two men in their 20s fell into the water at a beach in Jeju Island the week before, one of them drowning in the process.

Officials stressed that going into the water in seaside areas without lifeguards is extremely dangerous, and requested people to refrain from such activity.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)