Daewangam Park in Ulsan, South Korea

When I first came to South Korea in 2003, Ulsan was my first destination. At that time a Korean co-worker, who was ironically named Mr. Bin drove us to a few places in Ulsan to go sightseeing. One place that I went to and loved was Daewangam Park. However, I couldn't remember the name of it until I made a trip back to Ulsan last month.

Thankfully, as a "global supporter" of the Hotel Hyundai in Ulsan, I was able to return to where my career in Ulsan started and I was able to see Daewangam Park in all its glory. My wife, her sister, her brother-in-law and I took a five-minute taxi ride to Daewangam Park. Once we got there, we saw restaurants and cafes to the left and started walking down a 1-kilometer trail that leads to Ulgi Lighthouse.

We came at the perfect time (April). The cherry blossoms were in full bloom in the southern part of Korea and Ulsan was no different. I got a pretty good shot in the middle of the path with cherry blossoms on both sides:

You'll be able to see magnolias, camelias, and apricot trees on the left side. My wife even got a picture of a forsythia tree in the middle of the trail. Someone even made some hearts of forsythias next to the tree. I'll make an objective statement and say that my wife looks cute in this picture! :)

Towards the end of the path is the old Ulgi Lighthouse which was constructed in 1906 but deactivated in 1994:

The newer one is right next to it and is currently in operation and started to be lit in 1994:

But the best part of the park is when you continue walking to the ocean. You'll get some great views of the coastline and also the lighthouse as you walk across a bridge to Daewangam Island, which is a rock island. You can see a a view of Ulsan in a different way than most people would expect. Most people think of Ulsan as shipyards and factories since its the home of Hyundai. However, once you reach Daewangam Island, you'll get a different perspective of Ulsan.

The trail to Daewangam Island

One view from Daewangam Island

The area was very quiet even though many local people come here to visit. It reminded me of Fukuoka, Japan to some extent! My wife even got a picture with one of the locals. Haha!

You can even walk to Ilsan Beach, which is about 10-15 minutes away on foot. You can get a great view of it as you walk back to the Daewangam Park parking lot. Here's a shot that I took of it here:

A path that leads to Ilsan Beach

As of this moment, Daewangam Park is my favorite place to sightsee in Ulsan. It's about an hour away bus ride from the Ulsan KTX station, so keep that in mind. However, it's worth the trip because it's relaxing and you'll get some great pictures!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy