Samcheok Beach Som Festival kicks off with YB band, fireworks drone show

Colorful waves light up Samcheok Beach at night

A scene from last year's Samcheok Beach Summer Festival

Samcheok Beach comes alive with colorful waves after dark, and this summer it will also be lit up by dazzling night performances as the "2026 Samcheok Beach Som Festival" runs Friday through Sunday, featuring headline acts including the YB band led by Yoon Do-hyun.

Samcheok Beach sits north of the Millennium Coastal Road Sculpture Park. It is a shallow, family-friendly stretch of sand running from Sono Sol Beach — the best vantage point for the iconic Chuam Candlestick Rock — to the Sungkyunkwan University summer resort. The site is also home to the Haegasa grounds, where, according to legend, villagers once rescued the legendary beauty Suro from a sea god by singing the communal chant known as Gujiga (also called Changhaegasa).

The beach was once known as "Hujin," meaning "the ferry landing at the back," a name thought to date from a time before the East Coast's tectonic uplift, when the sea separated what are now the connected beaches of Chuam in Donghae and the Samcheok and Jeungsan areas. High-ranking officials of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties — including Han Myeong-hoe, a key figure in the Sejo coup — are said to have visited Chuam, then an island, and the landing behind it took the name "Hujin." The two areas shared the same administrative unit, Samcheok County, until 1979. Because "Hujin" carried an unflattering connotation, the beach was later renamed Samcheok Beach to reflect its status as the city's representative seaside destination.

Held under the theme "This summer, find your 'som' in Samcheok," the festival combines live performances, food and nighttime attractions into a stay-and-enjoy summer event, promising visitors a memorable summer night against the backdrop of Samcheok's scenic coastline.

Top-tier Korean artists headline each evening. Singer Jeong In takes the stage Friday, rock band YB — fronted by Yoon Do-hyun of "Oh, Pilseung Korea" fame — performs Saturday, and reggae duo Skull & Haha close out the festival Sunday, offering three nights of live music across different genres.

Saturday's highlight will be a fireworks drone show, combining a drone light performance that paints the night sky with a spectacular pyrotechnic display, giving festivalgoers a memorable midsummer night spectacle.

The BTS album jacket filming site at Maengbang, south of Samcheok Beach. The sun loungers were removed after Big Hit Music, under Hybe — led by Bang Si-hyuk — raised intellectual property objections that many fans consider excessive. With the loungers gone, so too are the memories fans made there. Fans, known as ARMY, have been vocal in calling for Hybe to drop its pressure so the site can be restored to its original state.

The festival grounds will also feature a food zone showcasing local specialties, photo spots designed to capture the beachside atmosphere, and rest areas. Enhanced nighttime lighting and illumination will bring out a side of Samcheok Beach that looks entirely different after dark.

In the 1970s, the three premier beaches on Gangwon Province's East Coast were Gyeongpo in Gangneung, Bukpyeong in Samcheok and Hujin in Samcheok.

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