Hwa-Ting Sports Podcast - Season 5 Ep 10 Water Sports in Korea

Water sports in Korea

Copy intro from previous episode

Opening joke

*water noises* Look man, I’m from California. I already know how to surf. It’s in our blood, pretty much. (pause for 2 seconds). How do I stand on the board again? *joke sting*. *switch to wave noises* I just have to stand up when the board is moving and- WAuughghg *underwater sounds*. *wave sounds* Ohhhh wipeout *joke sting*

Today I’m covering Korea’s water sports and recreation. It’s hot out here! Let’s get in the water! *water splash* *whistle* Ut oh… here comes the no fun police. *joke sting*

Where to find rentals

Let’s say you want to do something fun on the water, besides swimming. Obviously you need to go to a place that has water. But a decade or two ago, there weren't as many city-owned facilities that had rentals, so you had to buy your own stuff. These days cities with ocean or river access tend to have rentals or even schools where you can learn aquatic skills. I mean sure you can try to windsurf without practicing but lemme tell you, you won’t be jumping that shark *joke sting*.

Let’s say you wanna go to Busan. Busan’s got a lot of water recreation these days. Wanna rent a dingy and learn to sail? Go to Busan Sailing School which is on Haeundae gil, at the yacht harbor about 5 blocks south of Centum City Station on the green line. They have a 2 day class and I think they have rentals if you already have a sailing license. Their website’s a bit old so you’ll probably have to go there in person to see what’s up. Link in the description. Also in busan they’ve got surfing at Songjeong Beach. There are some surfing rentals there, and the waves are not challenging. But if you wanna book it in advance, I’ve included a link to Trazy dot com which has a deal set up. Also, Gwangali beach has SUP or stand-up paddleboarding. There are some SUP rental places on the southern edge of the beach area, kinda clustered around the Nambu san church and the elementary school. Rates vary but think around 35k to 50k for a day’s rental. Classes will cost more. You can book on Naver dot com if you have an account, or check Trazy dot com. If you wanna go Kayaking in Busan, I’ve found a kayak rental place at the southern edge of Gwangali beach. Look for 광안리해양레포츠센터 since they’re still in business and they can rent for 22k. They also have a SUP drone show package where you paddle out with them at night to watch the Saturday night drone shows. You can also rent sea kayaks that you can sit in, which is better for my butt *joke sting*. Songdo beach south of Busan station also has a marine leisure center and you can rent kayaks, paddleboards, plastic boats, and dinghies from them too. Go to jalgachi station and take buses 30 or 26 to get close to Songdo. I’m also including a link to Dadaepo’s academy too if you prefer that side of town. If you’re more into beach-based activities, Busan’s got a Marine Healing activity going on from May to October. They’ve got Beach Yoga, Sunset Pilates, Ocean Running, and a relaxing Sound Lounge with singing bowls. It’s 10k for those and you’ll need to sign up in advance. They have some special all-day and 2 day events if you want a really comprehensive trip.

But let’s say you can’t get to Busan or their stuff’s already booked up. In Jeonnam Gwangju, Yeosu’s got things to do on the water as well. At Yeosu expo they’ve got windsurfing, canoe, kayak and kickboard rentals. It’s in a protected bay so it’s best for beginners. If you’ve got some skill, go to Soho Yacht Marina on the west side of town. In the papers I read that Yeosu has free rentals of boats and windboards, but the showers and lockers are not free so bring some cash. The waves there are a bit stronger so if you’re scared, go to Ungcheon beach nearby as their waters are more protected. They’re also running their program through November to celebrate the Islands expo so you get more chances to exercise on the water this year. If you’re in the Jeonnam area and wanna go surfing, head to Namyeol Sunrise Beach and you can even take some training classes before hopping in the water. The waves there are not high so it’s good for beginners but you will get yeeted if you’re not careful. Like me *joke sting*. I also heard of a 1 week stay and surf program there for 436 dollars or something like that. I don’t know if it’s worth your time but if surfing’s your love, I’m sure you can design a plan around it. While you’re there, try some mud eel gatjang-eo. They say it’s really good.

Next water part

Let’s say you can’t get down south for water sports. What can you do around Seoul? They’ve got the water play areas for the kids, but you’re not a kid. Are you? Well damn now I gotta bring back the swear filter *joke sting*. Anyway on the han river there are some places to go on the water. At 뚝섬한강공원 you can find windsurfing, cheap kayaks, windsurfing and paddleboarding. You’ll wanna get a reservation for those as they can get booked up on hot days. I heard SeoulPass and Klook do reservations so check with them first. The water around that park’s a bit cleaner and the current’s less strong but overall it’s a flowing river so be strong, otherwise you’ll float all the way to Incheon *joke sting*. Dolphin Surf has wind foil if you wanna try something really different. Link in the description.

This option’s a bit tricky to really lock down but there is water polo in Korea. You’ll need to check on Band and Carrot market. I’ve seen some facebook water polo clubs but they may be defunct so message first but don’t wait long for a response. Some pools in Seoul and Busan have water polo if you wanna give it a try. For Seoul and Gyeonggi-do residents there’s always the option of flying to Jeju in one hour and doing water sports there too. I included a couple of rental places in Jeju in the description if you’re curious.

If you’re into rivers and rafting, I’ve included a guide in the description. Some smaller rivers have kayak rentals. There isn’t much white water rafting in korea, but Gangwon province has some. I’ve read X-games resort in Inje has a 20 km course that looks fun. It might be faster to arrange a tour through Klook because getting to the rafting areas from Inje will take time. Now I have heard that rafting guides are a bit too cautious by western standards (ohhhh sound) but that’s because people here aren’t experienced swimmers. We’re gonna talk about that after the break.

Copy Yonosim ad here

How to be safe on the water with Ik Hyeon.

Today on the show I’m talking to a Yeosu firefighter I know very well. Welcome Ik Hyeon to the show *cheering*

1) Why did you choose water rescue?

Technically, there are mainly three parties in fire department. Firefighter party, rescue party, and medical party and I am a rescue party. I didn' t choose water rescue.

In my province, A rescue party covers all the rescue work such as water rescue, chemical rescue, fire rescue, etc. There are no separate water rescue party, but in case of Seoul or big cities, there are separate water rescue parties.

2) What sort of risks at Korean beaches should we expect? (bugs, jellyfish, etc)

We don't have special beaches. Korean beaches are all the same as other countries' beaches. There are jelly fish, bugs, and riptides, etc.

3) If someone gets stuck in a rip-tide, what should they do?

If someone gets stuck in a rip tide, they should try to make a detour to the right or left. they should not try to return directly from where they are because of the pushing power of water.

4) Why are lifeguards in Korea so strict? Most foreigners have a lot of swimming experience and they get annoyed when challenged by lifeguards for doing normal things.

Koreans are very sensitive for the negligent accidents because they are responsible for the safety accidents of the beaches. so they don't wanna see that kind of accident happen.

5) If something goes wrong on a boat or kayak out at sea, who goes to help? Your fire department or the coast guard? And how do we contact them? ...

If someone goes wrong on a boat or kayak at sea, the coast guard would help you. because it is their jurisdiction. However if it is valley, fire department would help you. Never enjoy those sports alone. Somebody should call the coast guard or fire department and ask for help.

6) During rainy season and typhoons, how often is flash flooding a problem? Should we avoid rivers during these times?

It depends on the amount of rain. but for the last couple of years, flash flooding has happened in many cities. Only those who live around rivers or dams should be careful. If the dam fills up, they open the sluice. And they send messages in advance.

7) What is your favorite Korean beach?

My favorite Korean beach is Seolli beach. That is because there are not many people. It is kind of a hidden beach! So nice place for family gathering. They can enjoy themselves.

The weather

On a related note, the weather in the summer can be tough to deal with if you’re not used to strong sun and high humidity. Hell even I struggle with it. If you see a foreigner that’s a sweaty mess that’s probably me *joke sting*. July’s rainy season will probably be done by the time you listen to this, but it came late again so that’s something to watch out for if you come to Korea in July or wanna do beach activities. They take lightning seriously here so don’t get too upset if they close the beach and you still wanna swim. Typhoons are tracked pretty well and we don’t get the sudden blowups like the Gulf of Mexico region does, so if you pay attention to the weather you won’t get caught with your pants down *joke sting*.

One big issue is that unexpected rain does come up at times outside of rainy season and you should expect rainouts when trying to go to baseball games. That’s why there’s a lot of talk about building domes. But if you’re in Korea in late September or October, you can still get tickets to regular season games that are makeups. There’s still chatter about the K-League moving to September & may seasons because the heat risk is growing and it’ll be easier to get players when their off-season’s synced with other European leagues. A fan almost died of heatstroke in Jeju last august and that’s kinda got the league leadership in consideration but so far has not changed things. At any rate, I recommend more indoor sporting events this time of year because of that. Many of the pro sporting events have moved to night games to get around the heat, but if you find yourself at a day game, bring a towel, a hat and extra water. It can be brutal in the stands.

The love of fishing

Many people here like fishing. No you don’t hear an Andy Griffith show song as they walk to the river or pond *joke sting*. There’s a Junior Tony song about fishing that’s pretty popular and parents with young kids could probably hum it by memory…and then you hear (soft voice) make it stop, make it staaaauuupp *joke sting*. Anyway there’s also a Korean rock song about fishin from the Fishing Girls that came out around COVID. Fishing was one of the few activities you could do outside because of the 2 meter distance. There’s also a trout song about fishing from 오욱철 that sounds like it was recorded in a car tunnel for some reason. Yeah, fishing in Korea is popular. So where can you go fishing?

There’s no licenses, but some bodies of water can have wildly divergent rules on fishing so what was said online last year might not be true this year for various reasons. You can use naver maps to find bodies of water near you then check recently posted blogs for photos of people fishing. When you get to the body of water, look around for any signs posted by the controlling authority. In Seoul at hangang park they have signs with zones for fishing and no fishing. Now whether or not you actually wanna eat fish caught there is a decision for you and your doctor. If you wanna fish in your town, go over to Naver and put in your city name then 낚시 and you’ll see fishing blogs.There are camping sites that also allow fishing. Anyway, you might see people fishing in the no-fishing zone, or maybe at the edge of it. Who knows if it's true or not, so why take a risk? But if you’re more uncertain, you can join a fishing group on Band or Meetup, then you’ll get all the guidance you need. If you’re more lazy or more independent or don’t want to buy a lot of equipment, then you can go to a fishing village experience like Seonjae Fishing Village in Incheon or Ieo Fishing Village Experience & Recreation Village in Namhae and you can dig up clams and other seafood in the mudflats. They also provide prepared seafood so you don’t have to clean it! Just like in the old days yaaaay *joke sting*.

Ocean fishing

If you wanna go ocean fishing, it can get a little expensive but there are places where you can arrange a boat rental. I’d talk to a tackle shop to see some rates then try to gather up a group or join one arranged by the captain. Some boats have rods for rent and other stuff but you might need to buy bait and that kinda stuff. You will need to get up very early in the morning to get to the fishing boats, unless you live near the coast. You can catch mahi and amberjack tuna, anchovy, rockfish, black bream and others. Also bring a change of clothes and a coat, especially in the fall because temperatures can drop and you will get splashed. There are some trips where you can be dropped off at a big rock and fish or even camp there overnight. Geoje is famous for that.

And finally today there’s a sweetfish festival starting this Saturday in Bonghwa county at the river in town near the bus terminal. You can catch fish with your bare hands! Just like noodling, minus the snapping turtles *joke sting*.

GOTW

(wheelchair basketball in Suwon 보훈재활체육센터, women’s baseball world cup in the USA with games this weekend early in the morning, Jeju Super Cup 2026)

The rainy season should be ending this weekend but Saturday’s still a bit dicey, especially in the Gyeonggi-do area. Y’all have enough rain by now? Can you send some to Oregon? They need it badly. Anyway I’d like to recommend some baseball but I’m sure Sunday’s games are sold out by now. So we’re gonna focus on some other great ideas! First up is wheelchair basketball in Suwon at 보훈재활체육센터. They’re playing games Saturday and Sunday starting at 1pm and ending around 6pm. Today’s host is Mugunghwa so if you’re a Suwon resident, check out your local team!

Also this weekend in baseball is the WBSC I think I said that right, World Cup rockford Illinois stage and Korea’s in it! The ladies played twice so far and Saturday’s game is against Hong Kong at 1am our time then Sunday 5am against Australia and finally 1AM Monday vs Mexico. According to their instagram post they will have streaming but it’s not free. If you’re up early or staying up late, you’ve got some baseball to watch!

And we’ve got the Volleyball Supermatch at Halla Gymnasium in Jeju Aug 1st and 2nd next week. Korea’s top teams Hillside and Pink Spiders will be playing against Chinese and Japanese teams over the weekend. Hopefully the volleyball federation doesn’t screw this up like last time *joke sting*. Megawati the Indonesian top pro has joined Hillside and that’s how I found out about this match, because the Indonesian Instagrammers were talking about it. They called it the Super Cup, which is also the name of a poker tournament later this year as well as a kite surfing race so don’t get them mixed up! Anyway if you wanna watch volleyball this weekend, there’s a friendly in Jecheon against Team Indonesia on Saturday and Sunday at 12PM I think. Chungcheong gets some pro sports love this weekend.

If you’re more of a footie fan, don’t worry homie, I gotcha! *joke sting*. Pohang hosts Jeonbuk for Saturday marquee night game and Seoul hosts Ulsan is Sunday's best game. Ulsan is in 4th place which means they’ll be watching Jeonbuk’s game with interest. Over in K League 2 Busan hosting Suwon on Saturday will be the class of titans! If Suwon wins they’ll move into a tie for 1st place. But don’t count out Daegu vs Bluewings as well. Check Below the 38 dot com for match previews. And finally on Wednesday we get some more Korea Cup action with Ulsan Citizens hosting Ulsan HD at 7pm along with Busan hosting FC Seoul. Great footie matchups all around!

Stars of the game

Time for our new segment Stars of the Game where we profile a retired or rising star of Korean sports! Today some basketball news came my way, even though the league’s not in session. We’ve got two names in the news to watch out for. Let’s start with Kim Sang-sik, the new coach of the Seoul Samsung Thunder basketball team. He was the national team coach and won a chip with KGC 4 years ago. He played college ball for Korea U then IBK in 1991 where he was called the Moving Missile because of his accurate outside shooting and off-ball movement. He was an assistant at Samsung before so hopefully he understands what needs to be done and Samsung’s got money to spend so maybe they won’t be hugging the bottom of the table anymore. He also coached the men’s national team for awhile so he’s got a good sense for the modern game.

The next basketball rising star is Lee Hyun-jung, whom you’ve probably seen on TV more than a few times. His mother won a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics and some of that basketball skill has rubbed onto him. He played for the national under 16 team and won gold in the 2015 FIBA Asia championship, then played college ball for Davidson for 3 years in 2020. Curry used to play there. Speaking of Curry, Lee signed with the Santa Cruz Warriors but a foot injury limited his play there and with the 76ers summer league team so he signed with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia, won a chip with them in his second time with the team, signed with Nagasaki Velca and led them to the championship and got the MVP award. This month he played for the San Antonio Spurs in the Summer League. He played very well and caught the eye of ESPN and noted NBA youtuber Mattydubs. Lee compares himself to Klay Thompson and his catch & shoot 3s tend to be money. This could be the year he gets a contract though the Spurs are pretty stacked right now.

The last star I wanna talk about is retiring from a long career in women’s football. Choi Somi made over 200 appearances for the WK League and won a title with Suwon in 2024. You can learn more about her on WK League News on Substack.

Copy Ending from previous single host episode

A shoutout to our listeners in Santa Clara California! Home of the…(sound excited) San Francisco 49ers! I wonder which 49er is listening to my show? If it’s Christian McCaffrey or anyone else, I will send a Hwa-ting Sports t-shirt to your mailbox! If it’s Brandon Aiyuk, I will send some Korean hangover medicine because homeboy you REALLY need it! *joke sting* The show will return on the 7th and I’ll be covering the story of Michelle Kang, US soccer tycoon from Seoul. You can tune in while suntanning at the beach, Korean Sports Fans!

(AI voice) Guests of the Hwai-ting sports podcast get new shoes from Graham’s kicks, the best shoe shop on Insadong street! Graham’s Kicks has a wide variety of shoes to choose from, including 8-inch high heels from his burlesque days in Gwangju! New mismatched Crocs and flip-flops can be purchased individually! (speed up) Shoes sold as is! Extensive cleaning required to remove fungus and pee stains!

Notes

https://kwbl.or.kr/theme/kwbl_25/html/game_table_26.php

Yeosu marine rentals

Weekend Marine Healing Programs by the Coast: From Yoga to Singing Bowls

2026 부산 해양치유 프로그램

Kayaking Experience with Diamond Bridge Views in Gwangalli - Klook

Busan Surfing at Songjeong Beach (Lesson & Rental) - Trazy, Korea's #1 Travel Shop

Gwangalli Beach SUP Paddleboarding in Busan - Trazy, Korea's #1 Travel Shop

Water Sports at Hado Beach, Jeju Island - Kayaking/ Snorkeling/ SUP/ Speedboat Ride

Kayak Fishing at Hado Beach in Jeju Island - Trazy, Korea's #1 Travel Shop

All You Need To Know About RIVER RAFTING in Korea

(Dadaepo Beach academy rentals)