Hamdeok Beach & Seoubong

Character

Hamdeok Beach and Seoubong occupy two levels of the same coast. Shallow sandy coves spread below the road, while the volcanic cone rises directly from the eastern end and carries a walking path above the bay

The shoreline is strongly tidal. At low water, broad pale sand and shallow pools extend farther into the coves; as the tide rises, the usable sand contracts toward the road-facing edge. Cafés, hotels and restaurants sit immediately behind the beach, so the built-up village edge stays close to the water

Seoubong changes the scale in a few minutes. The cone borders the beach on the east, with grassland on its upper slopes and a route that opens back toward Hamdeok. Visit Jeju notes that clear conditions can bring Hallasan and the oreums of eastern Jeju into view from above the shore

The experience

The western side of Hamdeok includes a footbridge over the water, while the main sandy sections remain shallow enough for wading during the supervised season. Tide level changes how much sand is exposed, so the beach can look substantially broader at one point in the day than at another

Jeju Olle Route 19 makes the beach-to-hill transition part of a longer walk. The route reaches Hamdeok from Jocheon, then climbs Seoubong before continuing through Bukchon and Dongbok toward Gimnyeong. Official guidance describes the Seoubong ascent as the main sustained climb on an otherwise largely flat route

That sequence explains why Hamdeok works beyond swimming season. The shoreline provides the open horizontal space; Seoubong adds height and a wider coastal view; Route 19 links the two as consecutive terrain rather than separate excursions

History

The path over Seoubong predates Jeju Olle Route 19. Contemporary reports on the route’s opening say Hamdeok-ri’s village head and local young people cut a path across the cone with hoes and sickles over two years beginning in 2003. The present walk therefore grew out of a local trail-making project rather than being created for Olle from scratch

Jeju Olle Route 19 opened on September 24, 2011. Its Jocheon-to-Gimnyeong course deliberately threaded together coast, oreum, villages, fields and Gotjawal, with Hamdeok Beach and the Seoubong path forming the central shift from shoreline to higher ground

In 2025 it became Jeju’s first beach designated for swimming with dogs; the 2026 season retained a designated “Ham Dog Beach” zone near the Seoubong entrance alongside the ordinary supervised swimming area

Before you go

The Seoubong climb begins beside the eastern end of the beach and is steeper than the surrounding shoreline and most of Route 19. A combined beach-and-oreum visit therefore changes from flat sand and pavement to an uphill trail within a short distance