A Morning in Gijang

One of the last times that I got out before the major CORVID-19 virus broke out across Korea was to Gijang, South Korea. This is a smaller village out near Busan and it is quickly becoming a major tourism centre. With the addition of the new IKEA and the Hilton Hotel, it is a bustling place closer to lunch time. However, if you get there at the crack of dawn, it is still a quiet and peaceful place.

On this particular morning, I met up with a good friend and fellow photographer Lee Kelly. He is creating a name for himself in the Busan photo scene and it was great to finally meet up again. Not to mention that he brought me a box of girl scout cookies!

The morning started off fairly gloomy and I honestly didn’t think that I would get much more than a cup of coffee out of the day. However, mother nature was persistent and blue skies showed up just before lunch and that was a great thing.

JukSeong Dream Cathedral

This is a popular site among many locals and kpop fans as it is an old drama filming location. It is easy to get to and kind of a unique site. Now that the area has been getting more and more popular, cafes and restaurants have started to occupy what used to be a sleepy little village.

What I like about this spot is that it is easy to get to in the morning and the landscape around the church is relatively interesting. If you follow me at all then you know my love for Korean lighthouses. This area in particular has a number of good ones.

DaeByun Harbour

This is another place that is really great in the morning. This harbour is quite active with boats leaving in the morning to bring in the daily catch. If you are a street photograph and like this sort of thing, then it is second to none.

What I like about it is the fact that you get a taste of the local life here. People don’t care if you are a foreigner walking around with a camera. They have better things to do and as long as you don’t get in their way, they don’t care that you are there.

Coastal Road

Outside of these areas there are a ton of great places to see. Just drive along the coastal road between JukSeong and Daebyun and you will find some spots to pull over and get close the the ocean. Just be careful along this road as it is quite narrow and many drivers feel that they have the right of way because their car is either bigger or more expensive. Just keep that in mind when you are coming around some of the corners, please.


The bottomline here is that there are some great landscapes or perhaps seascapes in some of the smaller areas. Granted Gijang is quite well known around here, it is sort of off the radar for many of those who are coming to Korea for the first time.

If you have any questions about this location or any others around Korea, I would be more than happy to help you out. Drop a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

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Jason Teale 

Photographer, educator, podcaster

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Photographing Korea and the world beyond!