Ilgwang Beach: 2024 Visitors Were 27% of 2019, With Parking From 60 m

Ilgwang Beach is a swimming beach in Gijang County, Busan. The Korea Tourism Organization says it is beautiful enough to be counted among the eight scenic spots of Gijang. The sand begins where the Icheon River meets Icheonpo and curves like a circle all the way to the mouth of Hakri. It is 1,100 m long and 20 m wide. In the middle of the beach stands Samseongdae, where three scholars of the late Goryeo period, Jeong Mong-ju, Yi Saek and Yi Sung-in, are said to have strolled. Nearby sights include Guksudang, Namsan Beacon Mound and Hwanghakdae. Old pine trees several centuries old once grew thickly around the sand, and cranes used to fly over them near Hakri village, but much of that scenery has disappeared.

Visitors in 2024 were 27% of 2019

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries figures put Ilgwang at 0.25 million visitors in 2015, 0.29 million in 2016, 0.28 million in 2017 and 0.30 million in 2018. The busiest year from 2015 to 2024 was 2018. The count fell to 0.21 million in 2019 and 0.15 million in 2020, then to 71,950 in 2021. It rose to 0.23 million in 2022, then dropped to 45,000 in 2023 and 55,800 in 2024. The 2024 figure is 27% of the 2019 level. The numbers move up and down from year to year, so they say little about how busy any given summer will be.

Parking: five car parks within 290 m, four of them paid

Korea's national parking registry lists five public car parks within 290 metres of the beach. The four paid ones are registered at 300 won for 10 minutes and 300 won for each additional 10 minutes. The one free car park is listed as village-only, so check on site whether visitors may use it.

This is registered data, so real fees and opening hours may differ on the day. Follow the signs on site in peak season.

Is the water clean?

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries tested the seawater at Ilgwang 12 times in 2025, and all 12 results were rated suitable. Ten toilets are registered near the beach. If there is an accident in the sea, call the Korea Coast Guard on 122. The nearest coast guard station is Gijang Station (기장파출소), 2.2 km away.

If you need a doctor

The nearest emergency rooms are Seoil Medical Foundation Gijang Hospital (서일의료재단기장병원), a regional emergency medical institution 3.2 km away, and the Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (동남권원자력의학원), also regional, 6.8 km away. Three pharmacies are close: Hwajeon Pharmacy (화전약국) at 0.4 km, Ilgwang Station Plaza Pharmacy (일광역프라자약국) at 0.6 km and Hanbada Pharmacy (한바다약국) at 0.8 km. Hwajeon and Hanbada are registered as open on Sundays, while Ilgwang Station Plaza is closed. In an emergency, call 119.

Where to stay

There are 34 licensed lodgings within 3 km of the beach. Motels and inns are the largest group at 21, followed by 6 residence-style stays, 6 hotels and 1 other. Pensions and rural homestays are registered under a different system and are not counted here. For camping, the general campsite Geoclub (지오클럽) is 0.4 km from the beach. The next nearest, Kara Resort (카라카리조트), is also a general campsite, but it is 13.5 km away.