Everyone Seems to Be Heading to Korea's Coasts
So here's something you might not have noticed unless you've been following Korean entertainment closely β a lot of the country's biggest celebrities and media personalities have been gravitating toward the same kinds of places lately. Jeju Island keeps popping up, and now the port city of Mokpo is getting its own spotlight. And honestly, there's a good reason for all of it. Let's talk about what's going on.
Ra Mi-ran, Ryu Hye-young, and the Hunger Walk Heard Round Jeju
If you're a fan of Korean cinema, you probably know Ra Mi-ran β the actress behind memorable roles in films like "Detective: City of Chaos" and the "Exit" franchise. She recently showed up as a guest on SBS Power FM's radio show "Park Ha-sun's Cine Town," and she had some explaining to do.
Here's the backstory: fellow actress Ryu Hye-young uploaded a travel vlog to her YouTube channel showing a trip she and Ra Mi-ran took together to Jeju Island. The thing is, the video was heavily edited and mostly showed the two of them eating β which, fair enough, that's great content β but it painted a picture of the trip that Ra Mi-ran felt was a little incomplete.
"The YouTube editing only showed the eating parts, so it looked like that's all we did. But we actually did a lot of staring into the distance too. We ate because it kept showing up, not because that's all we did."
She also had a confession to make about a moment of frustration that apparently did make it into the video. What's really interesting is her explanation for it β she and Ryu Hye-young apparently have very different thresholds for how far they're willing to walk before eating. Ra Mi-ran described a scenario where mealtime had already passed, a restaurant break was imminent, and yet they kept walking and walking toward a specific spot that simply would not appear.
"I was so angry. Mealtime had passed. A break was coming up. And we just kept walking toward this restaurant that never showed up. I reached my limit and said, let's just eat anywhere. I lost it on the street."
Relatable content, honestly. Anyone who's traveled with someone who has a very different appetite for walking will understand this completely.
When asked about what to eat in Jeju, Ra Mi-ran gave a pretty well-rounded answer β she mentioned galchi-guk (a savory hairtail fish soup that's considered a Jeju staple) as something she always makes a point of having. But she also noted that Jeju's food scene has changed dramatically. She visited Dongmun Market, one of Jeju's most famous traditional markets, and was struck by just how international it's become. "You can eat food from all over the world just by walking one lap around it," she said. "It's packed. Absolutely packed."
Ra Mi-ran and her co-star Lee Re are both currently promoting their upcoming film "The Mysterious Candy Store: Zenitendo," directed by Park Bong-seop, which opens on May 29. The film is based on a beloved Japanese novel series of the same name and follows customers who carry lucky coins to a magical candy shop that grants wishes β a lighthearted fantasy that sounds like a perfect summer watch.
Na Young-seok PD Takes His Cameras to Jeju's Food Festival
If you follow Korean variety content at all, you know Na Young-seok β or Na PD, as basically everyone calls him. He's the producer behind some of Korea's most iconic entertainment programs, including "1 Night 2 Days," "Grandpas Over Flowers," and "New Journey to the West." He now runs his own YouTube channel called Channel Fifteen Nights (μ±λ μμ€μΌ, pronounced "Siboya"), which has become a go-to destination for fans of his style of unscripted, food-forward travel content.
On May 19th, he uploaded a new segment called "6 O'Clock Someone Else's Hometown" β a brand new corner on his channel that promises to explore delicious food and festivals from all over Korea. And naturally, he kicked things off in Jeju.
Na PD visited the Jeju Food and Wine Festival, now in its 11th year, alongside event coordinator Noh Hyun-ho. The highlight of the visit was a meal at the restaurant of a Jeju local cuisine master β a title given in Korea to artisans who have preserved and mastered regional traditional cooking. The spread was generous: mom-guk (a hearty seaweed and pork soup that's deeply tied to Jeju culinary identity), blood sausage, doraji (bellflower root) fritters, boiled pork, japchae glass noodles, and spicy squid salad.
"The mom-guk is so refreshing and clean. This is hangover cure material. It's genuinely delicious. You can eat all of Jeju food right here."
He also got to preview cocktails that will be featured at the festival β including one called the "Siboya Martini," designed around the concept of a full moon (a nod to the name of his own channel, which means "fifteenth night," referring to the full moon). His reaction was enthusiastic, to say the least. He described the taste with his signature poetic flair: "Imagine a nobleman in May, sitting under deep eaves, gazing at a lush green forest. A nobleman so wealthy he never had to study. That's what this tastes like."
He was equally charmed by a cocktail called "Awaken Fizz," made with cheongyang peppers β a particularly fiery Korean chili variety β which gave the drink a clean, sharp heat on the finish. "The spice comes in from behind," he said. "Not the dusty heat of chili powder β this is a clean pepper finish. I'm not going back to Seoul today."
He also took the opportunity to reveal that writer Kim Dae-joo, a frequent collaborator, apparently drank the entire wine selection at last year's festival and ended up thoroughly inebriated β much to the delight of his audience.
Meanwhile, Mokpo Is Quietly Becoming One of Korea's Most Compelling Travel Destinations
While Jeju gets most of the international attention when it comes to Korean leisure travel, the port city of Mokpo β located on the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula in South Jeolla Province β is having a genuine moment right now. And if you haven't heard of it, here's why it deserves to be on your radar.
Mokpo is one of those cities where old Korea and new Korea coexist in a way that's genuinely atmospheric. It opened as a port in 1897 and has served for over a century as a major maritime hub connecting the mainland to islands like Jeju, Hongdo, and Heuksando. The city has layers β colonial-era architecture, fishing culture, mountain trails, and now a suite of modern tourism infrastructure that makes it surprisingly accessible for visitors.
The Cable Car That Goes Over the Sea
The headline attraction right now is the Mokpo Marine Cable Car. At 3.23 kilometers long and reaching a maximum height of 155 meters above sea level, it's one of the most dramatic cable car experiences in the country. The ride takes about 20 minutes one way β long enough to really take in the panorama of the Dadohae (Korea's southwest archipelago), the coastline, and the ridgeline of Yudalsan Mountain rising behind the city. Just note that it can be suspended during bad weather, so check before you go.
A Glass-Floor Walkway Over the Ocean
For those who want to feel like they're actually standing on the water, the Mokpo Skywalk is the place to go. It's a 120-meter elevated walkway that extends out over the sea, with more than two-thirds of its floor made from reinforced transparent glass. Parts of it also feature open steel grating underfoot, which lets you see β and hear β the waves directly below. At sunset, the western sky turns the water shades of red and orange, and after dark, the lights of Mokpo Bridge add a whole other dimension to the experience.
History, Art, and a Port That Still Pulses
If the thrills aren't your thing, Yudalsan Sculpture Park offers a quieter alternative. Opened in 1982 as the first outdoor sculpture park in Korea, it sits in the forested foothills of Yudalsan and features 104 sculptures created by 44 members of the Korea Sculpture Research Society. The works blend into the natural landscape beautifully, and from the paths between them, you get views over the city, Yeongsan Lake, and Gahdo Island.
Mokpo Port itself is worth a visit simply for its sense of place. It's still a working port, still sending ferries off to remote islands, still carrying that particular energy of a city that has always been a gateway. The inner harbor's passenger terminal is the departure point for island-bound travelers, and even if you're not catching a boat, the atmosphere alone is worth the walk.
For families traveling with children, the Mokpo Children's Ocean Science Museum near Samhakdo Park rounds out the experience with interactive marine exhibits designed for younger visitors.
What All of This Tells Us
What's really interesting is that whether you're looking at celebrity travel vlogs, variety show content, or travel journalism, Korea's coastal regions are consistently the story right now. Jeju remains the heavy hitter β the food, the scenery, the cultural cachet β but places like Mokpo are carving out their own identity as destinations that offer something more textured and less crowded. If you're planning a trip to Korea and wondering where to go beyond Seoul, the answer increasingly seems to be: head for the water.
This article is based on reports from Naver News, Naver News, Tournews21.
