The story
Sokcho Tourism explains that the ferry was created by displaced residents who settled in Abai Village during the Korean War and needed a way to cross into downtown Sokcho. That origin makes the crossing part of the village's survival infrastructure, not a retro tourist ride invented later.
Behind the signature
The gaetbae is a small barge-style boat without an engine. It crosses the roughly 50 m waterway by fixed cables, and the slow manual pull makes visitors physically participate in the route that once carried residents between work, market, and home.
Local tip
Map apps may show different dock addresses because the ferry has two sides. Start from the downtown Jungangbudu-gil dock: it links naturally from Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market to Abai Village, Art Platform Gaetbae, and the mural alleys.
Seasonal note
Wind, rain, ice, and crowding can change the feel of this very short ride. Keep the ferry as a flexible connector in a route rather than the only way to make a timed reservation.
For travelers
For international travelers, this is an easy, low-barrier way to feel how geography shaped Sokcho's refugee culture. The crossing is only a few minutes, but it explains why Abai Village developed as both a separate community and a daily extension of downtown Sokcho.
