Mid-August in Busan is peak beach season, and Course 12 starts right in the thick of it — Mollundae’s newly reopened east beach, orange umbrellas lined up in neat rows against a beach that had only recently been redeveloped after decades as something closer to a quiet cove than a proper swimming beach. Yerim and I picked, once again, an evening slot to dodge the worst of the heat.
Mollundae’s newly reopened east beach in the last hour of daylight.
Route waypoints
The quiet cove at Mollundae
Past the main beach, the trail curves around to a much quieter, more sheltered cove — calm water, low hills on both sides, and none of the crowds from the main swimming area just a few minutes’ walk away. A lone swimmer was out for an evening dip when we passed, the whole scene looking more like a private lagoon than a public beach in Korea’s second-largest city.
The sheltered cove just past the main beach — noticeably quieter than the crowds nearby.
Along the Gonuru coastal path
From Mollundae, the trail follows the Gonuru coastal path toward Jangnim, a stretch that alternates between boardwalk and paved promenade with the sea consistently on one side. This is one of the flatter, more relaxed sections of the entire Gamnaetgil trail, and in the fading evening light it made for genuinely easy walking — no climbs, no navigation puzzles, just steady coastal scenery as the sky slowly shifted color.
Jangnim and the finish near Sinpyeong
The route continues past Jangnim fishing port, its boats settling in for the night, before finishing near Sinpyeong subway station. By the time we reached the end, streetlights had fully taken over from the last of the daylight, and the evening’s heat had finally started to ease off — a small but real relief after a summer of walks that had mostly been about managing the temperature.
Trail info at a glance
- Distance: approx. 9 km
- Walking time: 3 hours
- Difficulty: Easy — flat coastal boardwalk and promenade for nearly the entire route
- Start: Mollundae (east beach)
- Finish: Near Sinpyeong Station
- Best time: Evening in summer for cooler walking; the beach section is naturally busiest around midday if that’s what you’re after instead
Map of the route
The route at a glance
A few practical notes
Mollundae’s main beach gets busy with families in summer, but the quieter cove just beyond it is worth the short extra walk if you want space to yourself. This entire course is flat enough to do in sandals if you’re combining it with actual beach time. Jangnim, near the finish, has a working fish market worth a look if you have energy left.
For transport to Mollundae and Jangnim, see our guide to getting around Busan.
Walked as an evening walk in mid-August, starting at Mollundae’s beach in the last hour of full sun.
More walks nearby
Other walks in Gamcheon to Dadaepo on this site: