Chaeseokgang in Buan has ₩0 admission, and the tourism listing says open 24 hours, year-round. Parking on that same listing is free. The cliff address is 1, Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk-do. Gyeokpo Beach next door is 29-14, Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro. Call Byeonsanbando National Park at 063-582-7808. The wave-cut platform and the sea-cave side do not have a fixed opening hour. You can walk below the cliffs only around low tide at Gyeokpo Port. Check the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency forecast for that port before you go. The intercity bus from Buan Bus Terminal to Gyeokpo is ₩4,900 one way, and the county table shows departures at 10:55 and 14:45 only (page updated 30 September 2026; times can change). On the weekend masil bus, the last departure from Gyeokpo toward the Saemangeum museum is 18:05, which is before a sample early-October sunset (about 18:16). If you want the sunset, use a car. The name is a cliff and the sea, not a river. It was named because the coast looks like China’s Caishi River. The Korea Heritage Service lists the scenic site Chaeseokgang and Jeokbyeokgang Cliffed Coasts, Buan, designated 17 November 2004, area 341,378㎡. VisitKorea describes Cretaceous sedimentary layers about 70 million years old. Figures below follow VisitKorea Chaeseokgang, the Buan intercity bus table, and the Korea Heritage scenic-site page as of 3 October 2026 (KST).
What should a day here aim for?
Aim to walk the wave-cut platform while the tide is out, then watch the cliff and the West Sea sunset from the sand at Gyeokpo. A 24-hour listing does not mean the rocks under the cliff stay walkable at midnight. If the tide is in, stay on the deck, the beach, and the viewpoints.
Jeokbyeokgang is part of the same scenic site. The masil bus stops at Jeokbyeokgang entrance. Gyeokpo Beach is also called Chaeseokgang Beach. The sand is about 500 m, with a gentle slope that suits families. VisitKorea lists parasols, showers, a drinking fountain, and restaurants. This guide does not set swim-season dates. Cliff walking and the beach swimming season are separate.
If you have a car and low tide falls in daylight, a simple day is park at Gyeokpo Beach → walk the platform from the beach toward the harbor while the tide is out → use the harbor for food and toilets → watch sunset on the beach or at the harbor. By bus alone, weekday intercity service from Buan Terminal runs only twice, so a same-day return is tight. The weekend masil at 18:05 leaves before an early-October sunset. An optional national-park talk lasts 90 minutes, needs at least 3 people, and the phone is 063-581-7833. There is no official walking time in minutes, so none is given here.
The accessible-tourism page (updated 21 October 2025) lists the site as open all year, all day; the bus stop is Gyeokpo; there is no low-floor bus; the small Chaeseokgang lot has 6 accessible spaces; there is an accessible restroom; and there is a ramp deck.
How to sequence the visit
Suggested order: check low tide at Gyeokpo Port → walk the platform from the beach → pause at the harbor, then choose sunset and the ride back. If the tide window misses your visit, shorten step 2 to viewpoints and the beach.
Step 1 — Match the tide and the weather first
The platform and the sea-cave side open with low tide at Gyeokpo Port, not at a posted hour. Use the KHOA smart tide forecast and select Gyeokpo Port. Walk below the cliffs only in that window. At high tide, stay on the deck, the beach, and the viewpoints. Low tide and sunset are different clocks. Staying on the rocks until just before sunset can overlap the rising water.
Algae is slippery, rock can fall, the flood can come in fast, and weather can close the shore. Confirm the day at 063-582-7808. The optional 2026 nature talk, “70 million years of Chaeseokgang,” lasts 90 minutes and needs at least 3 people. Meet at the visitor center, 22-19 Chaeseokgang-gil, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun. Book on the Korea National Park reservation page, by phone, or on site. The time moves with the tide, and the rock is slippery. The visitor-center phone is 063-581-7833. Highland trails in the park have separate entry windows in winter and summer. The shore still follows the tide, not those trail hours.
Step 2 — Start at Gyeokpo Beach and walk toward the cliff
Chaeseokgang is at 1 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro. Gyeokpo Beach is at 29-14 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro. Admission is ₩0. The tourism listing is open 24 hours, year-round, and parking on that listing is free. If a sign on site says something else, follow the sign. This guide does not print timed parking rates or a harbor-lot price. Some other pages say the site runs sunrise to sunset. The official listing is 24 hours. What becomes unsafe is the flooded rock, not a viewpoint that shuts at dusk.
Two approaches are described. One is the Gyeokpo Beach entrance. Jeonbuk tourism notes a free lot managed by the national park. The other is the Gyeokpo harbor entrance, which is better if you want the sea caves. Harbor-side rock is steep and floods, so at low tide the safer tip is to start on the beach and walk toward the harbor.
Do not merge the two lengths into one figure. On the Jeonbuk tourism note, the cliff coast from the south end of Gyeokpo Beach to Gyeokpo harbor is about 1.5 km. On the Buan County tourism note, the shore between Gyeokpo harbor and Gyeokpo Beach is about 2 km, including the sea cave at low tide. Pick the segment that matches where you start. There is no official walking time in minutes. The only duration on file is the 90-minute ranger talk.
The layers are sedimentary rock stacked like pages. VisitKorea puts their age at about 70 million years. The 341,378㎡ figure is the scenic-site area on the heritage portal. County tourism says you can see the sea cave and marine life at low tide. This guide does not declare a legal ban on entering the cave, and it does not promise that entry is always allowed. Keep the safety rules: slip, rising water, and weather closures.
Step 3 — Harbor, sunset, and the ride back
Use Gyeokpo harbor for toilets, and eat at whatever is open that day. Meal, cruise, and water-sport prices are not on an official tariff here, so they are not printed. Do not assume how many times a boat sails. Sunset works from the beach or the harbor. The coast is also clear from the Suseongdang side.
Without a car, the intercity bus from Buan Bus Terminal to Gyeokpo is ₩4,900 one way, at 10:55 and 14:45 only. Other fare cells on the same county page are unclear in print, so the only bus fare used here is ₩4,900 to Gyeokpo. Recheck the Buan intercity bus table on the day you travel, because companies change times. Booking links on that page point to Bustago and T-money. Return intercity times from Gyeokpo back to Buan are not on that table. Do not make them up, and do not print a round-trip total. What is firm is one-way ₩4,900 and admission ₩0.
The masil bus runs on weekends and public holidays only. The timetable is on the Buan masil bus page. From Gyeokpo Terminal toward Naesosa (Saemangeum museum → Naesosa) the times are 08:55, 10:20, 12:20, 14:20, 16:20. Toward the Saemangeum museum (Naesosa → museum), leaving Gyeokpo, the times are 11:00, 12:35, 14:35, 16:45, 18:05. Jeokbyeokgang entrance on the museum-to-Naesosa direction is 08:50, 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15. Phones: Smile Transport 063-582-6363, Buan Passenger 063-581-1803. Service can change.
Sunset moves every day. A commercial table for Gyeokpo harbor in 2026 (not an official astronomy source — recheck your date) shows 3 October sunrise 06:30 and sunset 18:16, 15 October sunrise 06:40 and sunset 17:59, and 31 October sunrise 06:55 and sunset 17:41. The masil at 18:05 leaves before that early-October sunset of about 18:16. Watching the sunset and riding this bus back does not work. Use a car if you stay for the light. By late October the sun sets earlier, so compare the last bus with that day’s sunset again.
Fees and hours checklist
Before you leave, mark low tide at Gyeokpo Port and, if you are on the weekend bus, 18:05.
| Item | Amount / value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chaeseokgang admission | ₩0 | Listing: 24 hours, year-round |
| Parking on the listing | Free | Follow the sign on site |
| Chaeseokgang address | 1 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro | Gyeokpo Beach: 29-14 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro |
| Phone | 063-582-7808 | Byeonsanbando National Park |
| Platform and cave side | Low tide, Gyeokpo Port | No fixed opening hour |
| Buan Terminal → Gyeokpo | ₩4,900 one way | 10:55 and 14:45 only · return times not on the table |
| Masil, Gyeokpo toward museum | 11:00, 12:35, 14:35, 16:45, 18:05 | Weekends and holidays · last bus 18:05 |
| Ranger talk (optional) | 90 min · minimum 3 | 063-581-7833 · 22-19 Chaeseokgang-gil |
| Scenic site | 17 November 2004 | Area 341,378㎡ · managed by Buan County |
Five checks for the day:
- Read Gyeokpo Port low tide on the KHOA forecast.
- Walk the platform only around that time. At high tide, use the deck, beach, and viewpoints.
- Wear shoes that grip, and leave the cave and the cliff base before the water returns.
- On the weekend bus, be at Gyeokpo Terminal before 18:05. For sunset, use a car.
- Book the talk the day before if you want it. Minimum 3 people, and the time can shift with the tide.
Leave meal, cruise, and water-sport prices blank. Do not add a round-trip bus total.
Where plans usually fail
The most common miss is reading open 24 hours as the platform is walkable day and night. The 24-hour line is the tourism listing. The rock below the cliff opens only at low tide at Gyeokpo Port. Do not trust another page that says the site closes at sunset, either.
The second miss is merging the distances. About 1.5 km is the Jeonbuk tourism segment from the south end of the beach to the harbor. About 2 km is the Buan County tourism segment between the harbor and the beach along the shore. Do not average them, and do not treat them as a single loop.
The third miss is staying for sunset and missing the masil. The last bus from Gyeokpo toward the museum is 18:05. A sample early-October sunset is about 18:16, so the bus leaves first. On weekdays the terminal departures are only 10:55 and 14:45, so a late arrival makes a same-day intercity return tight. Return intercity times are not on the county table, so do not fill them in, and do not print a round-trip fare.
Fourth, do not treat cruise fares, swim-season dates, or paid parking at Gyeokpo harbor as settled numbers. The only fixed money lines here are admission ₩0, parking free on the VisitKorea listing, and intercity ₩4,900 one way. Do not call the sea cave fully banned or always open. Keep the county line that you can look at it at low tide, plus the safety rules. Last, Chaeseokgang is a cliff and the sea, not a river cruise. Planning it as a riverside stroll skips the shoes and the tide.
FAQ
What are the admission and opening hours? Admission is ₩0. The tourism listing is open 24 hours, year-round, and parking on that listing is free. The address is 1 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro; Gyeokpo Beach is 29-14 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro; the phone is 063-582-7808. The platform and sea-cave side have no fixed opening hour. Walk them only at low tide at Gyeokpo Port. At high tide, stay on the deck, the beach, and the viewpoints.
How do buses and sunset fit together? The intercity bus from Buan Bus Terminal to Gyeokpo is ₩4,900 one way, at 10:55 and 14:45 only. Return intercity times are not on the table. The masil bus runs weekends and public holidays only. Departures from Gyeokpo toward the museum are 11:00, 12:35, 14:35, 16:45, and 18:05. 18:05 is earlier than a sample early-October sunset (about 18:16), so use a car if you want the sunset. Sunset changes by date — recheck the day you travel.
In one line
Chaeseokgang is ₩0 and listed 24 hours, but the rock below the cliff is only for low tide at Gyeokpo Port, and the last weekend masil at 18:05 leaves before an early-October sunset.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Byungjoon Kim (CC BY 2.0); Jjw (CC BY-SA 4.0). Fees and hours: VisitKorea, Korea Heritage Service, Buan County bus tables (verified 3 October 2026 KST).
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