If you are lucky enough to see the port of Inchon, South Korea on a summer evening, hundreds of passionate couples saunter aimlessly along the broad seafront boardwalk, watching the sunset over the West Sea. Like thousands of other Seoulites, they have come to Wolmido in the nearby port city of Inchon to escape the capital city, and to enjoy the fresh air, fresh seafood and vintage amusements that characterize the Coney Island of South Korea. Thanks to a 1960s-era sea lock that allows everlasting oceangoing access, Inchon is now Korea's fourth-largest city and second-largest port, an industrial powerhouse of some 2 million people that epitomizes Korea's postwar economic resurgence. Enormous orange loading cranes dominate the modern harbor..
For exhibits and artifacts from the dramatic
landing, take a trip to the Inchon Landing Memorial Hall, an spacious open-air
museum sculpted into the piney hills behind what was then Blue Beach but is now
the Songdo Beach Amusement Park and Resort.
To get a true taste of Inchon enjoy, a string of fresh seafood restaurants
serves up any number of tidal treats, but they're legendary for their spicy clam
soup and deep-fried prawns. something for the children, there are corn dogs and
other Western delicacies served out of mobile steamer carts.
The fashionable of the Inchon Landing,
assemble on Wolmido. Promoted for its Cultural Street, the nightly open-air
shows throughout the summer, Wolmido's real appeal lies in its Coney Island
state of mind. Neon-lit video arcades and meticulous gift shops line the streets
behind the boardwalk and around the pint-size amusement park that features the
high-contact thrills ideal for couples.