Hwajinpo Lake
Hwajinpo Lake (화진포; map), is Korea’s largest lagoon. One of the Goseong’s Eight Scenic Views (고성8경), it holds a myriad of tourist highlights, from its natural beauty to a trio of historic villas on its banks.
Keep reading to learn more.
Geography
Measuring 16-kilometers in circumference, Hwajinpo Lake mixes both fresh and saltwater from the nearby East Sea. Dense forests filled with Korean red pine trees encircle the lagoon.
From above, Hwajinpo resembles the number “8,” divided into southern and northern sections by a narrow channel.
The North Lake (북호) is smaller, but lies near many of the landmarks, including Hwajinpo Beach, Hwajinpo Marine Museum, and Kim Il-Sung’s Villa.
The South Lake (남호) preserves more of Hwajinpo’s natural ecology. Surrounding it, you’ll find a 10-kilometer walking and cycling path that passes plentiful reeds, blooming camellia flowers, bird watching towers, and 100-year-old pine trees.
History
Several politicians that determined the course of Korea in the 20th Century vacationed at Hwajinpo Lake, staying in villas along its banks and enjoying its quiet scenery, including:
- Kim Il Sung (김일성; 1912 ~ 1994), North Korea’s founder and leader during the Korean War.
- Syngman Rhee (이승만; 1875 ~ 1965), South Korea’s first president and leader during the Korean War.
- Lee Ki-Poong (이기붕; 1896 ~ 1960), South Korean Vice President Elect, Minister of National Defense, and Mayor of Seoul.
Goseong County transformed these villas into museums and opened them to the public. Visit them and learn the story of how war and politics transformed Korea.
Legend of the Lake
Hwajinpo’s name comes from a local legend. Long ago, there lived a mean-tempered man named “Lee Hwajin”. One day, a monk came down from Geonbong Temple (건봉사; map; Geonbongsa) high atop nearby mountains. He asked Hwajin for alms. Grumpy Hwajin instead offered a bucket of filth. As the monk left, he told Hwajin, “May you receive a great fortune.”
Soon after, the sky opened and driving rain drowned Hwajin’s house and farm fields, creating Hwajinpo Lake.
Attractions
Hwajinpo Lake is famed for its idyllic scenery. But it also keeps a collection of notable highlights worth exploring. Let’s look at a few:
Kim Il-Sung’s Villa
Also known as Hwajinpo Castle, Kim Il-Sung’s Villa (김일성별장; map) was commissioned by missionary Sherwood Hall and built by German architect Weber in 1938. It is one of three villas that lie near one another on the banks of Hwajinpo Lake.
Built from stone and resembling a small European castle, the villa rises two-stories and includes a basement, rare at that time. Sherwood Hall used the building as a chapel, but lost control and abandoned the building during WWII.
After WWII, Goseong County fell under control of North Korea. Between 1948 and 1950, Kim Il Sung, the communist country’s founder and first dictator, often visited Goseong with his family to relax and view its famed landscape.
Kim took over Sherwood’s abandoned chapel and transformed it into his summer retreat, installing opulent features like a fireplace embedded with amethyst rocks to enhance the flames.
Today, you can see these features in the villa, alongside pictures of Kim Il-Sung and his family, including a photo taken in August 1948 of his 6-year-old son and successor Kim Jong-il playing with a visiting Soviet politician’s son.
During the Korean War, heavy fighting damaged the building, and it sat in ruins until 1964, when the government demolished the old structure and rebuilt it, parapets and all.
South Korea’s military used Kim Il-Sung’s Villa as a retreat for military officers until 2005, when Goseong transformed the chapel-turned-retreat into a public museum.
The museum balances exhibits displaying Korea’s modern history with spaces that recreate the villa as it was when Kim Il-Sung and his family visited decades ago.
Climb to the roof and you can catch a stunning panorama of the villa’s surroundings, including the East Sea, Hwajinpo Beach, and Geumgu Island.
Fees
Kim Il-Sung’s Villa is one of three villas around Hyanjinpo Lake:
Collectively, they’re known as the Hwajinpo History & Security Exhibition Hall (화진포역사안보전시관). Buy one ticket and gain access to all three villas.
- Standard fee:
- Adults: ₩3,000
- Youth, Children: ₩2,300
- Visiting Hours:
- Regular Season: 9 AM ~ 6:00 PM
- Winter Season: 9 AM ~ 5:30 PM
- Open year-round
Syngman Rhee’s Villa
The Villa of Rhee Syngman (이승만별장; map) lies on the strip of land overlooking the channel between Hwajinpo Lake’s north and south sections. One of three villas on the lake, it belonged to Rhee Syngman (이승만; 1875 ~ 1960), South Korea’s first president.
After Rhee studied in the United States, he returned home to Korea in 1910 and visited Hwajinpo Lake. The lake’s waters, pine forests, and seclusion captivated him. So after the Korean War (1950 ~ 1953), when South Korea gained control of Goseong County, he revisited the lake.
In 1954, Rhee tore down a ruined missionary’s house and built a new 90-square-meter (27 pyeong) villa on its site. Overlooking a lush pine forest and calm waters, visitors regard the villa’s quiet perch as the best among Hwajinpo’s three villas. When Rhee visited, he often fished and strolled around the lake with his wife.
But by 1961, Rhee’s Villa fell into disrepair. It lived on without an owner until the Korean army reconstructed the villa in 1997 for its officers. Finally, in 1999, Goseong County restored the villa to what it looked like during Rhee Syngman’s visits.
The villa today appears modest compared to Kim Il-Sung’s Villa. But its two bedrooms, office, and living room are decorated with simple period furniture, and items donated by Rhee’s family, including Rhee’s glasses, passport, family photos, and handwritten letters.
Directly behind Syngman Rhee’s Villa, find the Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall (이승만 대통령기념관; map). It holds exhibits that explore the life of President Rhee Syngman, and more personal items, like his handwritten calligraphy, clothing, and books.
Fees
Syngman Rhee’s Villa is a part of the Hwajinpo History & Security Exhibition Hall. Buy one ticket and gain access to the two other Hwajinpo villas: Kim Il-Sung’s Villa and Lee Ki-Poong’s Villa.
- Standard fee:
- Adults: ₩3,000
- Youth, Children: ₩2,300
- Visiting Hours:
- Regular Season: 9 AM ~ 6:00 PM
- Winter Season: 9 AM ~ 5:30 PM
- Open year-round
Lee Ki-Poong’s Villa
Lee Ki-Poong Villa (이기붕별장; map) sits between Kim Il-Sung’s Villa and Syngman Rhee’s Villa, overlooking the banks of Hwajinpo Lake and the sands Hwajinpo Beach. It is the smallest of the three Hwajinpo villas.
The villa resembles its appearance when missionaries built it in the 1920s, with ivy climbing and intertwining its outer stone walls.
At the end of WWII, when North Korea claimed Goseong County, communist officials used the villa as a retreat. After the Korean War, Park Maria, the wife of Lee Ki-Poong, Vice President and Rhee Syngman protégé, used the villa as her private getaway.
Visiting the villa so often, Park Maria became known to Goseong locals for establishing the nearby Daejin Church (대진교회; map) just 4 kilometers north along Goseong’s coast.
In July 1999, along with Syngman Rhee’s Villa, the local government transformed Lee Ki-Poong Villa’s into an exhibition hall for the public.
The villa’s interior is modest, with an office and a reception room holding items such as kettles, candlesticks, cabinets, and other period household items.
Fees
Lee Ki-Poong’s Villa is a part of the Hwajinpo History & Security Exhibition Hall. Buy one ticket and gain access to the two other Hwajinpo villas: Kim Il-Sung’s Villa and Syngman Rhee’s Villa.
- Standard fee:
- Adults: ₩3,000
- Youth, Children: ₩2,300
- Visiting Hours:
- Regular Season: 9 AM ~ 5:20 PM (March ~ October)
- Winter Season: 9 AM ~ 4:50 PM (November ~ February)
- Open year-round
Hwajinpo Beach
Hwajinpo Beach (화진포해수욕장; map) lies beside Hwajinpo Lake’s north end on the coast of Goseong County.
Stretching 1.7-kilometers long, the beach gained fame for its shallow waters and rolling beach, whose soft sands were made from millennia of crumbling pebbles and seashells. Because it lies near the top of South Korea, far from major metropolitan centers, the beach’s indigo waters feature less pollution than more visited sandy patches of coast.
Hwajinpo Beach is equipped with modern amenities, like showers, water fountains, and beach rental equipment. In the summer, various events happen on the beach, including beer tastings, singing contests, face painting, and windsurfing.
Geumgu Island
Geumgu Island (금구도; map; Geumgudo) lies in the East Sea, 400 meters from the top of Hwajinpo Beach. Uninhabited since ancient times, it received its name, “Geumgudo” or “Turtle Island” because its curved green form resembles a turtle’s shell when viewed from the shore.
The island recently gained attention because of an unverified ancient chronicle. The text states that Gwanggaeto the Great (광개토대왕; 374 ~ 413), one the most consequential rulers of Goguryeo (고구려), one of Korea’s ancient Three Kingdoms, was buried on Geumgu Island in 414. But scientists have yet to discover archaeological evidence.
Hwajinpo Marine Museum
Hwajinpo Maritime Museum (화진포해양박물관; map) sits between the fresh waters of Hwajinpo Lake’s north section and the expansive salty waters of the East Sea. This three-story exhibition space features a museum that displays thousands of rare shellfish and crustaceans, and an aquarium that holds over 125 aquatic species.
The museum’s first floor keeps a large aquatic tank holding stingrays, sharks, and schools of fish, and the “Seabed Tunnel,” a 180-degree observation tunnel that supports the weight of 300 tons of water overhead.
Hwajinpo Maritime Museum’s second floor offers a 3D Video Hall that plays information videos titled “Hwajinpo as a Lake,” “A Day in the Sea,” and “Mysterious Sea Journey.”
The Shellfish Museum, with over 1,500 specimens, and Fish Exhibition Hall, whose tanks breed East Sea specimens like pollock, salmon, red seabream, and giant octopus, occupies the museum’s third floor.
- Fee:
- Adults: ₩5,000
- Youth, Soldiers: ₩4,000
- Children: ₩3,000
- Seniors: ₩2,500
Local Cuisine
Hwajinpo Buckwheat Noodles (화진포 메밀 막국수; map) is located 2 kilometers south of Hwajinpo Lake (directions). For three generations, this famed restaurant has served flavors unique to Goseong and Korea’s east coast. Its main dishes include:
