Socheongdo Lighthouse
Located 37 kilometers from Incheon Port, the Seonmido lighthouse is used by ships sailing between Incheon and China, and ships sailing between Republic of Korea and North Korea for maritime transactions.
The Seonmido lighthouse was resurrected in December 2003. The old lighthouse, having been damaged through long exposure to the weather, was removed and the new lighthouse was built on the same spot. This new lighthouse is 19 meters taller than the old one, so its range of projection reaches up to 37 kilometers away. It has a rare 3rd-grade large lighthouse lantern fitted with a prism lens and flashes once every 12 seconds. There are only a few such lanterns in Korea.
Seonmido is an uninhabited island but a natural winter habitat for cormorants, magpies, grey wagtails, and spotted-billed ducks, and the endangered Steller’s sea eagles, which are state-designated natural monument No. 243. There are so many conches that you can catch a handful of conches with one swipe. Also, crawling crabs can be easily seen.
| First lighting date | Apr-34 |
|---|---|
| Location | 91 Seonmi-ro Deokjeok-myeon Ongjin-gun Incheon |
| Structure | White circular concrete (19.4meters) |
| Character of light | One white flash every 12 seconds(Fl W 12s) |
| Feature | The lighthouse was installed on the highest place in Korea, and the powerful beam from the 3rd-grade rotational large lantern serves as a guide for ships at sea. |
| Contact | Seonmido navigation aids management office☎ 032-831-4927 |
Surrounding attractions
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Bijobong (Deokjeokdo)
Peaks such as Gamtubawi and Mangjedeung connected to the ridge located at an altitude of 294 meters each show a distinctive feature. Due to abundant coniferous forests, Bijobong is a perfect venue for spring showers and echoes the sound of cicadas in summer.
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Batjireum Beach (Deokjeokdo)
Along with the soft, white sand beach on the edge of the thick forest of hundred-year-old pine trees, this beach is the coziest and quietest resting place for families.
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Nungdong gravel beach (Deokjeokdo)
This soft gravel beach is in harmony with nearby strange rock formations and a field of reeds, which create romantic scenes. Moreover, it is no exaggeration to say that the glow of sunset in the sky is Haegeumgang on the west coast.
Tip
Many fishing boats sunk due to the high waves near Seonmido. As legend has it that long ago, there was a kindhearted and beautiful court lady who found favor with the king but was banished to a remote island by a jealous queen. She ended up falling from a cliff to her death. Bearing a grudge, her soul cursed the island into becoming so wicked and rugged that nobody could approach it. Thus, people found a young unmarried man and held a memorial service to comfort her spirit and let her soul go to the king that she had been longing for. After that, they named the island Seonmido (善尾島), which means doing good. It is also called Akheomdo because the grudging soul placed a cursed on the island, making it wicked and rugged.
Location
- By car: Gyeongin Expressway→ Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal
- By bus: East Incheon Station → Bound for Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal (Bus No. 12 or 24)
- By ship: Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal→Deokjeokdo (3-4 times a day, 50 minutes required by a fast-sailing liner)* By ship chartering: Deokjeokdo→ Seonmido (40 minutes required)