Land’s end.

Haenam (해남) is a county in South Jeolla province, and is famous for its Ttangkkeut Village, or ‘end of the land’ in Korean. The southernmost tip of the entire Korean peninsula rests on a scenic spot in the Ttangkkeut Village, and many Koreans are known to visit the area so that they can tell people they have been to the end of the Korean land. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the Ttangkkeut Village from the Haenam Bus Terminal, and there are plenty of affordable motels and restaurants at the Ttangkkeut Village to cater to tourists.

At the top of the Sajabong peak, which is located at the tip of the land, you can go up an observatory that overseas the Southern Sea as well as the Dalmasan Mountain in the north. You might see a restored old beacon called Bonghwadae which was used to warn the villagers of approaching Japanese ships in the past.

Take some time to relax and admire the view at the end of the land point. After all it was not easy getting to the location! First, we had to travel by train from Seoul to Haenam, and then hop onto the bus to get to the Ttangkkeut Village, and then its another monorail and a pretty tiring descend to the official end of the land point. Take all the time in the world to enjoy the view here and tell yourself how far you have come to make it here. Many Koreans themselves can only dream of coming to step onto the end of the land!

After resting, it is time to make the ardous ascend up the same flight of stairs that you came from. The climb up should take you more time than before. There are also benches located along the way for you to rest when you get tired. When you eventually reach the top, do check out the observatory tower where you can get a vantage view of the southern sea. Tickets cost 1,000KRW each.

Once you decide to head back to the village, go back to the same monorail waiting point to catch the monorail back to the village.

Haenam holds a special place in the hearts of Koreans. The start of the Korean land begins from Mt. Baekdusan in North Korea, and ends at Ttangkkeut Village in Haenam, South Korea. Many Koreans feel that Haenam will turn into a special place in the event of a reunification with their neighbours North Korea. As such, many events advocating peace friendship has been held at the Ttangkkeut Village, as they believe that this place can be the start of hopes for Korean unification.

How to get to Ttangkkeut Village:

From the Haenam Bus Terminal, buy a ticket for Ttangkkeut Village. The trip will take you about 30 – 45 minutes

For an unforgettable and meaningful countrywide trip in Korea, Haenam is not to be missed. Getting here is not as easy as travelling to the bigger cities, as there are no trains servicing this county. You can take the train to Mokpo, and then transfer to a intercity bus from Mokpo Bus Terminal.