Source: https://heyseorak.com/places/saemaeul Last-Updated: 2026-09-25 --- # Saemaeul Korean name: 새마을 Type: place atlas Variant: village The small-lane neighborhood behind Sokcho Beach, built in 1968 after a storm surge. Now udon, yoshoku, brunch and a lamp studio, with a 3D map to walk it. ## Quick facts - Where: Behind the south end of Sokcho Beach - Built: 1968 - From cruise terminal: 3.1 km · about 1 hr on foot - Getting back: Taxi back recommended ## Saemaeul: quick answer Saemaeul (새마을, "new village") is a grid of low houses and narrow lanes just inland from the south end of Sokcho Beach. Families who lost their homes to a storm surge in 1968 moved into disaster-relief housing here, and many of those small houses still line the lanes. Over the last few years, new places have opened between the older homes, laundries and noodle shops. Come for lunch after a morning on the beach, walk the lanes slowly, and stop at the places whose owners chose this street. ## Walk into the lanes Every pin is a place with its own page on HeySeorak. Tap one and its building lights up; pick a kind of place to see only those. Switch between 3D and 2D any time. - From the shore: Walk inland from the south end of Sokcho Beach. The small lanes start almost right away. - Into the lanes: Low houses and low walls still set the scale, with a turn every few doors. - Meet the neighbors: Tap a pin to open its card, then its page or English menu. Places on the map: - mooijung — A small yoshoku kitchen: hamburg steak, Napolitan pasta and butter rice, Japanese-Western style. - udongdang — Cold bukkake udon with firm, chewy noodles, a few turns from the beach. - sonz — Brunch built on Gangwon produce by a chef trained in Montreal. By evening it becomes a wine bar, reservations only. - aurora-dance — Handmade lights and mobiles in an old house. Open on weekends, with drop-in making sessions. ## How the new village got its name **1968** — A village rebuilt after the sea In October 1968 a storm surge struck the east coast and many Sokcho families lost their homes. Disaster-relief housing went up on this stretch of Joyang-dong. Accounts differ on the size, from 440 to more than 800 houses. The families who moved in called their neighborhood Saemaeul, the "new village". Half a century of low lanes The grid of small houses and narrow lanes has stayed. Long-running naengmyeon shops and laundries still sit between newer doors. **2020–2024** — Regeneration, not redevelopment An urban regeneration program repaired old houses, lanes, streetlights and parking and opened a community center. It kept the houses instead of clearing them for new buildings. **2020s** — Udon, surf and small shops Udon and Thai kitchens came first, then a surf shop and gelato, then cafés, guesthouses and small shops. Korean press now calls it the "Seongsu of Sokcho", after Seoul's warehouse-café district. **2025–2026** — A neighborhood that speaks for itself In November 2025 the city designated Saemaeul an alley shopping district (골목형상점가), which gives its merchants' association an official voice. In August 2026 the neighborhood held its own festival, the 68 Saemaeul Neoul Festival, named for the year it began. ## Places on the street Each of these places has its own page and an English menu or guide on HeySeorak. We add more as neighbors join. Curated spots: - mooijung - udongdang - sonz - aurora-dance ## Know before you go - Getting there: Walk inland from the south end of Sokcho Beach; the lanes start within a few minutes. From the cruise terminal, the Port to Beach walk follows the coast through Abai Village and past Cheongho Beach and ends here, about 3.1 km and an hour on foot. - Getting back: Taxi back recommended, especially if you have an all-aboard time to keep. - Opening days: Most places here are small and set their own days off and break times. Some close midweek, and some open only on weekends. Check each place's hours on its page before you walk over. - It's a neighborhood: People live in these lanes. Keep your voice down, and ask before you photograph homes or people.