The name Dumulmeori means “the head of two waters.” It is the spot where the North Han River, coming down from the Geumgang Mountains, meets the South Han River, and from here on the river that flows to Seoul is simply the Han. Before roads and railways, that made Yangpyeong a river port: goods from Gangwon-do passed its landing on the way to the capital, and the county’s markets grew up around the trade.
Yangpyeong is a county, not a city — one town and eleven townships, about 127,000 people spread over 878 km². It also holds South Korea’s official cold record, −32.6°C on January 5, 1981. Seoul people come for the river at dawn, the cafés along the banks, a cycle path on an old railway, a temple with Korea’s best-known ginkgo tree and, often, a bowl of hangover soup.
The short answer
- Where: east of Seoul, along the Han. The Gyeongui–Jungang Line from Cheongnyangni runs through the county: Yangsu for the rivers, Yangpyeong for the town, Yongmun for the temple.
- Best for: river views, gardens, a mountain temple and market food. A full day covers the three main stops.
- Must-see: Dumulmeori and Semiwon at Yangsu, then Yongmunsa and its 1,100-year-old ginkgo.
- Must-eat: Yangpyeong haejangguk, the county's ox-blood and tripe hangover soup, or thick-noodled Okcheon naengmyeon.
How do you get to Yangpyeong from Seoul?
Take the Gyeongui–Jungang Line from Cheongnyangni, east toward Yongmun. It is part of the metropolitan subway, so you tap in with T-money and stay on the same train for all three stops. KTX trains on the Jungang and Gangneung lines also stop at Yangpyeong Station; they are faster but need a reserved ticket. Check the destination board: many Gyeongui–Jungang trains end at Deokso, short of Yangpyeong.
🚆 Gyeongui–Jungang Line stops in Yangpyeong (from Cheongnyangni)
| Station | Approx. time from Cheongnyangni | What’s there | Market days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yangsu | about 40 min | Dumulmeori, Semiwon, the bike path | Yangsu-ri market: dates ending in 1 and 6 |
| Yangpyeong | about 1 hr | Town centre, Yangpyeong Market, haejangguk; KTX stop | Yangpyeong Market: 3 and 8 |
| Yongmun | about 1 hr 10 min | Yongmun Market; Yongmunsa is about 9 km northeast | Yongmun Market: 5 and 10 |
Plan around the train gaps
Trains that run as far as Yongmun come about every 9–10 minutes at rush hour but only every 20–30 minutes at other times, so look up the next departure before you leave a sight. Yongmunsa is not walkable from the station; take a local bus or a taxi for the last 9 km. If you ride, the Namhan River Bike Road runs 26.8 km from Paldang Station to Yanggeun Bridge in Yangpyeong, much of it on a former railway with old tunnels and a rail bridge.
What is Yangpyeong known for?
Rivers, markets, and the food that grew around them. Goods from Gangwon-do bound for Hanyang, as Seoul was then called, passed through the Yangpyeong landing, and VisitKorea traces the town market back to that traffic. The market still sells mountain greens from Yongmun, savoury pancakes (jeon), sweet sorghum pancakes, noodles and the county’s signature soup, 양평해장국 Yangpyeong haejangguk: a beef broth loaded with ox-blood curd and tripe, usually red with chili oil. In Okcheon-myeon, a village of noodle houses serves 옥천냉면 Okcheon naengmyeon, thick, springy cold noodles eaten with boiled beef and fried meatballs.
Yangpyeong in six facts
- Two rivers: the North Han (from the Geumgang Mountains) and the South Han meet at 두물머리 Dumulmeori in Yangsu-ri, the start of the Han proper.
- A county: one eup (Yangpyeong-eup) and 11 myeon; about 127,000 people on 878 km² (2024).
- The cold record: −32.6°C, January 5, 1981, still the lowest temperature on record in South Korea.
- The tree: the Yongmunsa ginkgo is Natural Monument No. 30; King Sejong gave it an official's rank.
- The garden: Semiwon became Gyeonggi-do's first designated local garden in June 2019.
- Markets: three five-day markets, at Yangsu-ri, Yangpyeong and Yongmun, each on its own dates.
What should you see in Yangpyeong?
The river at Yangsu in the morning, the temple at Yongmun in the afternoon, and the market in between if your date ends in 3 or 8. The sights sit at three different stations on the same line, which makes the day easy to string together.
Dumulmeori (145 Dumulmeori-gil, Yangseo-myeon) — Come early. The site is known for mist rising off the water at dawn and for its sunsets. Look for the old ferry landing, the willows, and three zelkova trees more than 400 years old that grow together like one giant tree. The Joseon painter Jeong Seon painted this stretch of river. It is open all day, every day, and free; VisitKorea notes a paid car park nearby. Allow about an hour.
Semiwon (93 Yangsu-ro, Yangseo-myeon) — About 1 km from Dumulmeori, this garden is surrounded on three sides by the river and uses ponds of aquatic plants to clean the water before it flows back into the Han. It has about 270 plant species, a small lotus museum and a floating boat bridge; VisitKorea’s listing ties the site to the boat bridge that the scholar Jeong Yak-yong built across the river. Lotus season, in summer, is when it is at its best. Adults pay 7,000 won; children 6 and over, youths and seniors 4,000 won; Yangpyeong residents enter free.
Yongmunsa (782 Yongmunsan-ro, Yongmun-myeon) — The temple dates its founding to 913 under the monk Daegyeong. It was rebuilt in 1395, burned by Japanese troops in 1907 during the Righteous Army uprising, and damaged again in the Korean War. The ginkgo in the courtyard came through all of it. VisitKorea estimates it at about 1,100 years old, 42 m tall and 11 m around at chest height, the tallest and oldest on record in Korea. One legend says Crown Prince Maui, the last Silla king’s son, planted it on his way into exile; another says the monk Uisang stuck his walking stick in the ground. King Sejong granted the tree the rank of a senior official. The temple is free; you pay for parking at the Yongmunsan tourist complex below it (1,500 won compact, 3,000 won small car, 5,000 won larger vehicles), where the walk up begins.
Yangpyeong Market (11-1 Yangpyeongsijang-gil, Yangpyeong-eup) — A short walk downstream along the stream from Yangpyeong Station. The 양평장 Yangpyeong-jang five-day market fills the lanes on dates ending in 3 and 8, with about 200 street stalls added to roughly 400 permanent shops. Come hungry: VisitKorea lists haejangguk, noodles, jeon and susu-bukkumi, sweet sorghum pancakes, among the market’s specialities. Yongmun has its own market by Yongmun Station on dates ending in 5 and 0.
🎫 Yangpyeong visitor information (VisitKorea data, updated 2025–2026)
| Place | Hours | Closed | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumulmeori | Open 24 hours | Open daily | Free (paid car park nearby) |
| Semiwon | 09:00–18:00; last ticket 30 min before closing | Mondays, November–March | 7,000 won adults; 4,000 won ages 6+, youths, 65+ |
| Yongmunsa and ginkgo | Open at all times | Open daily | Free; parking 1,500–5,000 won |
| Yangpyeong Market | Varies by shop | Market days: dates ending in 3 and 8 | — |
| Yongmun Market | 09:00–19:00 | Market days: dates ending in 5 and 0 | — |
Where do locals eat in Yangpyeong?
Locals eat soup and noodles: haejangguk in town, sundae soup and cold noodles in the townships, and mountain-vegetable sets at the foot of Yongmunsan. All four places below have VisitKorea listings updated in 2025–2026. Prices are not listed there, so we don’t give them. For the wider hangover-soup family, see our haejang guide.
Eomuimat Yangpyeong Haejangguk (88 Jungang-ro, Yangpyeong-eup) — Near Exit 1 of Yangpyeong Station, which makes it the easiest bowl of the county’s signature soup to reach by train. The house special is seonji haejangguk, with ox-blood curd, generous offal and chewy tripe in a red broth; VisitKorea notes the restaurant makes its own sauces. If offal is too much, order the ugeoji version, made with cabbage leaves and more meat. Open 06:00–21:00 with a break from 15:00 to 16:00, so it works for breakfast too.
Gaegun Halmeoni Tojong Sundaeguk (27-2 Hajapo-gil, Gaegun-myeon) — “Grandma’s native-sundae soup”, next to the Gaegun post office in a farming township outside town. VisitKorea says it has been open for more than 60 years. The signature bowl, siraegi tojong sundaeguk, combines house-style sundae, offal and dried radish greens, finished with ground perilla seed in a clean broth; there are platters of sundae and boiled pork too. Open 07:30–19:40; closed Wednesdays. You need a car or taxi.
Okcheon Goeup Naengmyeon (6 Okcheon-gil 98beon-gil, Okcheon-myeon) — One of the names in the 옥천냉면마을 Okcheon naengmyeon village. It serves Hwanghae-style cold noodles that sit between the Pyongyang and Hamhung styles: thick and chewy, eaten with sliced boiled pork and big meatballs fried crisp on the outside. A local trick is to eat half the spicy bibim version, then pour in broth and finish it as a soup. Hours are short: 11:00–14:00 on Mondays and 11:00–17:30 Wednesday to Sunday; closed Tuesdays.
Yongmunsan Jungang Sikdang (644 Yongmunsan-ro, Yongmun-myeon) — On the road up to the Yongmunsan tourist complex, opened in 1970 and now run by the second generation. The thing to order is a 산채정식 sanchae jeongsik, a set of foraged mountain vegetables with rice, here paired with deodeok bulgogi (grilled, marinated deodeok root), spicy pork or grilled dried pollack. Open 09:00–20:00 every day, so it fits before or after the temple.
🍽️ Yangpyeong local eats at a glance (VisitKorea listings, updated 2025–2026)
| Place | Area | What to order | Hours | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eomuimat Yangpyeong Haejangguk | Yangpyeong Station Exit 1 | Seonji haejangguk, ugeoji haejangguk | 06:00–21:00 (break 15:00–16:00) | — |
| Gaegun Halmeoni Tojong Sundaeguk | Gaegun-myeon | Siraegi tojong sundaeguk | 07:30–19:40 | Wednesdays |
| Okcheon Goeup Naengmyeon | Okcheon-myeon | Bibim or mul naengmyeon, meatballs, pyeonyuk | Mon 11:00–14:00; Wed–Sun 11:00–17:30 | Tuesdays |
| Yongmunsan Jungang Sikdang | Below Yongmunsa | Deodeok mountain-vegetable set | 09:00–20:00 | Open daily |
How do you spend one day in Yangpyeong?
- 07:30 — Cheongnyangni. Gyeongui–Jungang Line to Yangsu, checking that the train runs past Deokso.
- 08:15 — Dumulmeori. The river, the zelkova and the old landing before the crowds.
- 09:30 — Semiwon. Walk over (about 1 km) for the gardens and the boat bridge.
- 11:30 — Train to Yangpyeong. Haejangguk at Eomuimat by Exit 1, then the market if it is a 3 or 8 day.
- 13:30 — Train to Yongmun, then a bus or taxi about 9 km to the Yongmunsan tourist complex.
- 14:30 — Yongmunsa and the ginkgo. Walk up from the car park; allow two hours there and back.
- 17:00 — Early dinner at Yongmunsan Jungang Sikdang, then back to Yongmun Station for the train to Seoul.
Seasons and days to plan around
- Summer: lotus season at Semiwon. Arrive at opening, before the heat.
- Autumn: the Yongmunsa ginkgo turns gold, and the county holds its ginkgo festival in October. Weekends are busy on the access road.
- Winter: this is South Korea's coldest county; dress for it at dawn by the river. Semiwon closes on Mondays from November to March.
- Restaurant closing days: Okcheon Goeup Naengmyeon closes on Tuesdays and Gaegun Halmeoni on Wednesdays.
- Market days: Yangsu-ri on dates ending in 1 and 6, Yangpyeong on 3 and 8, Yongmun on 5 and 0.
Related reading
- All 31 cities and counties in the series: Gyeonggi-do city guides.
- Next door: Gapyeong (up the North Han), Namyangju (across the river from Dumulmeori) and Yeoju (up the South Han).
- Food: gukbap types explained, including sundae-guk. Autumn: ginkgo walks in Seoul.
- Further along the same direction: a Nami Island and Gapyeong day trip.
Sources
- VisitKorea data (K-Trip Tips), Dumulmeori — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/tourspot/128918 and https://www.ktriptips.com/eng/tourspot/1272552
- VisitKorea data, Semiwon: fees, hours, local-garden designation — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/tourspot/407051 and https://www.ktriptips.com/eng/tourspot/1624796
- VisitKorea data, Yongmunsa — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/tourspot/125537 and https://www.ktriptips.com/eng/tourspot/822835; Yongmunsa ginkgo — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/tourspot/3537762; Yongmunsan tourist complex — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/tourspot/126915
- VisitKorea data, Yangpyeong Market — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/shopping/131988; Yongmun Market — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/shopping/131987; market list incl. Yangsu-ri market — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/shopping?&s_ac=41&s_sc=830
- VisitKorea data, Okcheon naengmyeon village — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/tourspot/612752
- Wikipedia, Yangpyeong County (population, area, cold record, Natural Monument No. 30, festivals) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangpyeong_County
- Wikipedia, Yangpyeong station (Gyeongui–Jungang Line, Jungang KTX) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangpyeong_station_(Yangpyeong)
- Samsung Semiconductor Newsroom (2018), Gangneung KTX stops incl. Yangpyeong, Semiwon — https://news.samsungsemiconductor.com/kr/%ea%b0%95%eb%a6%89-ktx-%ea%b0%9c%ed%86%b5-%ec%a0%95%ec%b0%a8%ec%97%ad-%eb%94%b0%eb%9d%bc-%ea%b0%80%eb%8a%94-%ec%97%ac%ed%96%89%ec%a7%80/
- Korean Wikipedia, Gyeongui–Jungang Line headways — https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%88%98%EB%8F%84%EA%B6%8C_%EC%A0%84%EC%B2%A0_%EA%B2%BD%EC%9D%98%C2%B7%EC%A4%91%EC%95%99%EC%84%A0
- Wikivoyage, Yangpyeong (Dumulmeori walk, Namhan River Bike Road 26.8 km) — https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Yangpyeong
- Restaurants: VisitKorea listings (K-Trip Tips), accessed 2026-10 — https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/food/2836977, https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/food/2844192, https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/food/2853545, https://www.ktriptips.com/kor/food/133211