Photo: Mobius6 / CC BY-SA 4.0The village on the sandbar beside the terminal was founded in the Korean War by North Korean refugees from Hamgyeong. It still sells their food. Abai sundae is a pork sausage stuffed with glutinous rice and blood; squid sundae is the version invented when intestine ran short. It is the one sight in Sokcho that costs nothing and needs no transport.
The Gaetbae is the way out. Two cable-guided boats cross the 50 m channel to the town centre, and the passengers pull them with iron hooks. It takes five minutes and ₩500. It lands you a few minutes from the Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. The city's map puts the market 20 minutes from the ship by this route.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Carry 500-won coins or small notes. The city's map says the machine takes credit cards only; other guides say cash only. Nobody has confirmed a foreign card works.
- There is a step down onto the deck and the city notes a wide gap. Take a hand if you need one; the elderly are excused from pulling.
- The old lanes are mostly gone to waterworks. Head for the alleys south of the new channel, where the murals and the surviving shacks are.
- The village is residential. Keep voices down in the lanes and ask before photographing anyone's door.
- The ship-day shuttle, when it runs, goes to the market, not the mountain. Check at the gangway; recent calls have had one.
The city's map puts the market 20 minutes from the ship by this route.
Guided days from Sokcho
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
Questions people ask here
How far is Abai Village from the Sokcho cruise terminal?
About 582 m, a 9-minute walk, on course A of the city's own cruise walking map. The terminal stands on the same spit of land, beside Cheongho Beach.
How much is the Gaetbae ferry and when does it run?
₩500 one way for adults, ₩300 for primary-school children, paid at a ticket machine; Sokcho residents ride free. It runs every day, 05:00–23:00 from May to October and 05:30–22:30 from November to April, weather permitting, and carries 32 passengers.
Do I have to pull the Gaetbae myself?
Passengers haul the boat along a steel cable with iron hooks, and most do. The elderly and anyone who cannot are excused. The crossing takes about five minutes.