| Gyeongpo Haesuyokjang is a long stretch of cigarette and soju bottle stained sand on the Northeast coast of South Korea, surrounded by barbed wire fences and military look-out posts. The beach was a short 5 minute cab ride through rice fields from my apartment in Gyodong Taekji, Gangneung. It was nice enough for us and for the multitudes of Korean sunbathers, parasailers and banana-boat riders in the summer. We'd rent an umbrella for the day and lay back in the sand, as ajummahs walked by selling boiled corn and gimbap, occasionally stopping to sit with us if we refused to buy. The water was fairly clear and nice enough for swimming and we spent many lazy afternoons just floating in the East Sea staring at the sky, tossing a frisbee and heading back and forth to the Family Mart to stock up on more beer. |
