Abai Village, Sokcho

Marie · CC BY-SA 2.0

A village of northern refugees, crossed for seventy years by a raft pulled hand over hand on a steel hook.

In December 1950 thousands of people from Hamgyong province in the north came down to Sokcho aboard warships, believing they would be home again within weeks. They put up shelters on the sandspit at the harbour mouth and named the village after their word for father — abai. Seventy years on their descendants are still there, and nobody has gone home. You cross to it on the galbae: an engineless steel raft that passengers haul themselves, hooking a cable and pulling it across fifty metres of channel. The village sells Hamgyong food found nowhere else in Korea: ojingeo sundae, sausage stuffed into a squid's body, and Hamhung cold noodles made from potato starch.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Abai Village, Sokcho?

May–June and September–October

How much does it cost to visit Abai Village, Sokcho?

The hand-pulled ferry across the channel costs 500 KRW each way

How long do you need at Abai Village, Sokcho?

2 hours

What are the opening hours of Abai Village, Sokcho?

Raft runs roughly 06:00–23:00

Did you know

The village dates from December 1950, when Hamgyong refugees arrived at Sokcho by ship.
'Abai' is the Hamgyong dialect word for father.
The galbae raft has no engine; passengers pull it across on a cable themselves.
Ojingeo sundae and Hamhung cold noodles are the village's northern specialities.

Travel tips

Take the galbae at least one way — it is the memorable part.
Try ojingeo sundae at the village market; it is best hot.
Combine it with Seoraksan, about 20 minutes away by car.

Source: https://www.koreatodo.com/seoraksan-national-park

Updated: 2026-08-04