Travel Phrases — Entry No. 0426
속초
sokcho · noun
속초
sokcho
[SOK-cho]
nounbeginner
Meaning
Sokcho (속초) is a scenic coastal city in Gangwon Province on South Korea’s northeastern shore, celebrated for its fresh seafood, dramatic East Sea beaches, and its position as the gateway to Seoraksan National Park. The city is also home to Abai Village (아바이마을), a historic enclave originally settled by North Korean refugees after the Korean War. Its mix of mountain wilderness and seaside culture makes it one of the most beloved weekend escapes for Koreans and Hallyu tourists alike.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
Sokcho surged in international fame after the hit Netflix drama Crash Landing on You brought global attention to the Gangwon coastal region, with Abai Village becoming a fan pilgrimage site. EXO explored Sokcho’s famous Jungang Market and its seafood stalls in their travel reality show Travel the World on EXO’s Ladder, sparking a wave of K-pop fan tourism to the city. The city’s picturesque blend of snow-capped Seoraksan peaks and crashing East Sea waves has made it a recurring backdrop in Korean variety travel content.
Example Sentences
속초에 가면 꼭 대게를 먹어야 해.
Sokcho-e ga-myeon kkok daege-reul meog-eoya hae.
If you go to Sokcho, you absolutely have to eat snow crab — it’s the city’s signature dish and locals take great pride in it.
속초는 설악산 가는 길목에 있어서 등산객들이 많아.
Sokcho-neun Seoraksan ga-neun gil-mog-e iss-eoseo deungsan-gaeg-deul-i man-a.
Sokcho is on the route to Seoraksan, so there are lots of hikers — the city serves as a base camp for one of Korea’s most famous national parks.
이번 주말에 속초 드라이브 어때? 회 먹으러 가자.
Ibeon jumal-e Sokcho deulaibeu eottae? Hoe meog-eureo ga-ja.
How about a drive to Sokcho this weekend? Let’s go eat raw fish — a classic Korean road trip proposal; Seoul to Sokcho takes about 2.5 hours via the expressway.
⚠️ Don’t use sokcho when…
International fans often confuse Sokcho with Gangneung (강릉), another famous Gangwon coastal city — they are distinct cities roughly 90 km apart (Gangneung hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics). Also watch the romanization: it is ‘Sokcho,’ not ‘Sokjo’ or ‘Sokso,’ which are frequent misspellings caused by applying Japanese romanization habits to Korean.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Crash Landing on You — Abai Village (아바이마을) in Sokcho is a real filming location tied to the drama’s divided-Korea themes; the village’s North Korean refugee history gave the show’s storyline an authentic emotional anchor.
- K-Pop: EXO — Travel the World on EXO’s Ladder (members visited Sokcho’s Jungang Market and seafood stalls, turning the city’s famous crab and squid skewers into viral fan content)
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.