Kkotji Beach

Kkotji Beach lies on the western coast of Anmyeondo island in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do, famous nationally for what's likely the West Sea's most photographed sunset. Two small offshore rock outcrops — "halmi" (grandmother) and "harabi" (grandfather), the names drawn from a Joseon-era folk legend about an elderly couple who waited on the beach for their child to return from sea — frame the setting sun perfectly during the right months (particularly March-April and September-October when the sun angle aligns), and a tide-flat mirror surface at low tide makes the silhouette double in the water. The beach is broad (about 3 km of shoreline), flat, and family-friendly, with summer pension stays and seafood houses lining the road behind. Outside the sunset hour the beach is calm and ordinary, but at the right golden hour it produces some of the most repeatedly recognizable seascape photography in Korea. Free beach access. Best at sunset, particularly in March-April and September-October when the sun aligns with the rock silhouettes. Access: about 40 minutes from Taean town by car, or via Seoul-to-Taean intercity bus plus local transfer. Pair with the Anmyeondo Recreational Forest, Anmyeondo Coastal Trail (part of the Taean Haean National Park), and the Taean Cheollipo Arboretum for a full Anmyeondo coastal-and-nature day.