I must admit at times I really wonder who created the “12 scenic Sights of Ulsan” as some areas fall short of the mark. One being the view of the petrochemical complex at night. You can find that one on the top of Muryongsan, yet the view is kilometers away and not exactly the one they picture. With that being said, the Jujeon Coast and the Black Pebble Beach is quite nice.

 

This is always a special spot because I took my wife there on our first date. It was a great night, where we got caught in the rain and drank coffee out of the little trucks that were parked along the beach. That was many years ago and they have started to improve the area quite a bit since then which sort of takes a bit of the charm away… no more little tucks selling hand-drip coffee.

One of the improvements is the pagoda-shaped lighthouse-thingy that seemed like has just been completed when I was there last weekend. It was still blocked off but the barricade was kicked down and peopel were passing back and forth freely like it was there at all. So, we took that cue and went out to take a look.

The coastal area is tucked just behind Dong-gu’s Namok area and for those that don’t know Ulsan very well that is the area to your left as you pass Ulsan’s famous Hyundai Motors Factory on your way out to Bangeojin. The have also improved the road out there quite a bit by cutting a nice path through the mountain.

The shops and services are slowly improving but not quite close to Ilsan beach just yet. The Jujeon beach is a rock beach consisting of baseball-sized stones worn smooth from the ocean. So it is not your typical sandy beach like Ilsan or Haeundae. However, it is charming to take a walk around.

Eating is more towards the fresh seafood shops as is standard in beach areas in Korea. There are numerous Hwaet-jibs to choose from but unlike the pushy places in other areas, places here are pretty laid back. However, if raw fish is not your cup of tea there  are a few chicken, jajeong places off the main beach road too.

Slowly little coffee shops have opened up and I am really looking to explore these more. They started off as little trucks parked in the parking lots along the beach but now they are getting formal shops. These shops are not the greatest for roasting house coffee but they are located close to the beach and some will have places to sit outside which is nice.

So what can you seen when you go there? Aside from the seaside you can catch a glimpse of some wind generators, a Goliath crane from Hyundai and local fishermen going about their business.

This is still one of those places that is just relaxing and a great place to go and shoot. Early mornings are probably your best bet to capture the area without a lot of people. It does get pretty busy on the weekends  and the few coffee shops and places do get overwhelmed as there are not a lot of modern places to choose from out there.

How to Get There:

If you are coming into town from the Taehwagang Station, head towards the Asano road which is what will take you past Hyundai Motors and towards Hyundai Heavy Industries. Take a left and head towards the village of Namok. From there you can follow the signs straight to the beach.