Ganjeolgot Cape

Ganjeolgot juts further east than any other point on the mainland at this latitude, and the practical consequence is that the sun clears the horizon here earlier than anywhere else on the Korean peninsula proper - a few minutes ahead of Homigot up the coast and of the eastern capes, which the district advertises heavily. On 1 January tens of thousands come for it and the road is closed to manage them. The cape has a white lighthouse of 1920 with a small exhibition, a broad grassed area with sculptures, a walking path along the rocky shore, and an outsized postbox where letters are collected and posted for real, which is a piece of civic whimsy that works. Around it are windbreak pines, a beach at Jinha nearby and a coastal road running down toward Busan. Outside sunrise hours it is a pleasant, unremarkable seaside park.

The landscape

• The earliest sunrise - the sun clearing the horizon at the cape.
• The white lighthouse - the 1920 tower and its exhibition.
• The giant postbox - letters actually collected and sent.
• The shore path - the walk along the rocky coast.

When to go

Sunrise, which is the entire point; 1 January is the national event and brings enormous crowds and road closures. Otherwise any clear morning.

What to expect

Outside sunrise it is an ordinary coastal park. New Year means arriving hours early in the cold and heavy traffic. The cape is exposed and windy year-round.

Nearby

Jinha beach is close; Daewangam and Ulsan are north, Busan south.