Sokcho Beach. [Herald DB]
Sokcho Beach. [Herald DB]

More than 200,000 people visited Gangwon Province's East Coast beaches over the first weekend after nearly all of the region's shores opened for the summer season.

According to Gangwon Province, 95,064 people visited 84 beaches across the province on Sunday.

Gangneung drew the largest crowd at 41,535 visitors, followed by Sokcho with 16,428, Donghae with 11,996, Yangyang-gun with 9,745, Goseong-gun with 8,055 and Samcheok with 7,305.

Combined with the 105,481 visitors recorded on Saturday, the weekend total reached 201,085.

With roughly 100,000 visitors arriving on each of the two consecutive days, the cumulative number of summer beachgoers has surpassed 500,000.

Visitors on Sunday cooled off by plunging into the sea or catching the ocean breeze under beach umbrellas.

Others strolled through nearby pine forests or spread out mats to rest on the sand.

In Gangneung, tropical nights — temperatures staying above 25 degrees Celsius — were recorded for a second straight day, keeping residents and tourists streaming to the beach well into the night.

Mulchi Beach in Yangyang-gun, the only one of the 85 East Coast beaches yet to open, is set to welcome visitors on Friday.


hss@heraldcorp.com