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Selection of July’s Marine Products, Travel Destination Fishing Villages, Marine Life, Lighthouses, and Uninhabited Island of the Month
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2026.07.30.
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Selection of July’s Marine Products, Travel Destination Fishing Villages, Marine Life, Lighthouses, and Uninhabited Island of the Month
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Hwang Jong-woo) selected croaker and abalone as July’s Fishery Products of the Month.
The croaker is a warm-water fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae in the order Perciformes, long been loved as a summer health food to the extent that there is a saying, "Croaker soup is best during the dog days of summer." It has a mild fishy smell and its flesh is both tender and resilient, making it suitable for a variety of dishes including croaker sashimi, grilled croaker, and braised croaker. In particular, its umami flavor and texture are further enhanced when aged in the refrigerator for 2–3 days, making it excellent for sashimi. The croaker's swim bladder, thinly sliced and salted, can also be enjoyed as a delicacy.
Prized since ancient times, abalone is one of the leading health-promoting seafood items. In China, it is regarded as one of the “Three Treasures of the Sea” along with shark fin and sea cucumber. Abalone is rich in magnesium—which helps stabilize the nerves—and taurine, making it effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Grilled, steamed, or stir-fried abalone is delicious, but abalone porridge is a signature dish in particular as the chewy abalone meat and the savory flavor of the innards blend with the soft, spread-out rice grains.
Detailed information on fishery products, including croaker and abalone as July’s fishery products of the month, can be found on the website of Eosik Baekse (https://blog.naver.com/korfish01).
MOF selected Jonghyeon Village in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province and Gusan Village in Uljin, Gyeongbuk Province as July’s Fishing Village Travel Destinations of the Month.
Jonghyeon Village in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province is a West Coast fishing village close to the metropolitan area where visitors can enjoy both the vast mudflats and the coastal scenery. The village offers various fishing village experience programs such as digging for clams in the mudflats, riding sleds on the mudflats, and catching fish with bare hands. Also located there are the Daebu Haesol Trail trekking course along the coastline and the Gubongdo Sunset Observatory, allowing for walking tours and sunset viewing. Moreover, visitors can taste local specialties onsite such as Daebudo grapes and clams, a representative seafood of the West Coast.
Gusan Village in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk Province is a fishing village where the East Sea and lush coastal scenery harmonize. The village offers transparent boat experiences, fish trap experiences, clam digging experiences, and fishing experiences. Also located nearby are Gusan Beach, Gusan Fishing Village Experience Center, Daepunghun, and Suto Culture Experience Center, allowing visitors to enjoy a combined tour of history and culture. In particular, the abundance of seasonal seafood—such as fresh seaweed and octopus harvested directly in the village—enhances the enjoyment of a gourmet trip.
Detailed information regarding the Fishing Village Travel Destinations of the Month, including village introductions, experience programs, accommodations and restaurants, nearby tourist attractions, and transportation, is available on the Sea Travel website (www.seantour.kr).
MOF selected the Japanese seahorse as July’s Marine Life of the Month.
Japanese seahorses are mainly found along the western and southern coasts, inhabiting the entire coast of Korea. The adult is about 8 cm in size—making it the smallest of the seahorses inhabiting Korea—and characterized by a short snout and a dark brown color mixed with mottled patterns.
They breed actively in July, the summer season when water temperatures rise. Seahorses including Japanese seahorses have poor swimming abilities and spend most of their lives with their tails wrapped around seaweed and coral; they have a unique reproductive characteristic, i.e., the male receives eggs from the female and gives birth to offspring.
As a sedentary species highly dependent on habitat, it faces threats such as habitat destruction and bycatch from recent coastal development; thus necessitating systematic protection and management. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the coral seahorse as Vulnerable (VU).
The Yeosu World Island Expo, which opens in September, plans to introduce various kinds of marine life to the public, including Japanese seahorses found in the waters around the islands near Yeosu.
Information on marine life, including the Japanese seahorse, is available on the Marine Life Resources Integrated Information System website (https://www.mbris.kr) and the Marine Environment Information portal (https://www.meis.go.kr).
MOF selected Incheon Port Lock North Breakwater Lighthouse in Gaehang-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City as July’s Lighthouse of the Month. This lighthouse is affectionately nicknamed “Wolmi Light Lighthouse” following a public contest. It flashes a green light once every five seconds, serving as a safety guide for vessels entering and exiting the Incheon Port Lock Gate.
The Incheon Port lock gate is a facility designed to allow ships to navigate safely between two bodies of water with different water levels. Installed at the entrance of the lock gate, Incheon Port Lock North Breakwater Lighthouse has supported the safe passage of ships through the lock. The lighthouse was built in 1977 but was reborn in May of this year in its current sailboat-shaped design due to aging facilities, harmonizing with the scenery of the National Incheon Maritime Museum. It now offers new attractions for visitors including media facade video screenings with the gray whale as theme.
Wolmido Island offers a variety of tourist attractions that can be enjoyed together, including the following: National Incheon Maritime Museum, where visitors can enjoy the sea through diverse exhibitions and experiences; Wolmi Sea Train, an urban sightseeing monorail that circles the island; Wolmi Theme Park, featuring a blend of various rides and LED lighting; and Wolmi Park, a traditional park recreating the architectural style of the Joseon Dynasty.
The butterfish, a summer delicacy of the Incheon region, is at its best during this season, with the thickest flesh and just the right amount of fat to offer the finest flavor. It has almost no fishy smell and tender bones, so it is enjoyed either raw with the bones still intact or braised with radish. The radish aids in digestion and absorption, making it easy on the stomach. Butterfish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids—which are good for brain and blood vessel health—and is also high in protein and vitamin A, making it beneficial for growing children and immune function.
More information about July’s Lighthouse of the Month is available on the National Lighthouse Museum's Lighthouse and Sea website (lighthouse-museum.or.kr/sea), and information on nearby tourist sites is available on the Incheon Tour website (itour.incheon.go.kr).
MOF selected Meokdo, a semi-conserved uninhabited island* located in Deokjeok-myeon, Ongjin-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City as July’s Uninhabited Island of the Month.
* An uninhabited island where certain activities (installation of buildings or artificial structures, capture or collection of animals or plants, cooking or camping, etc.) or access can be restricted if necessary due to its high conservation value
Meokdo lies approximately 1 km south of Deokjeokdo—a nearby inhabited island—and covers an area of about 225,000 m². The coastline of Meokdo, composed largely of dark rock, and the surrounding sea waters have a grayish or blackish hue.
Before the development of navigation equipment, fishermen used Meokdo as a landmark to determine their location. Because it is an island that guides the way with its black color—a dark, solid island—it has also been called "Meoktongdo," "Mukseom," or "Heukdo" (Black Island). In particular, when mist settles over the calm sea, Meokdo evokes the image of an ink painting.
Various topographical and geological features can be observed on Meokdo. Along the island's edges, wave-eroded cliffs, shores scattered with large boulders, sandy beaches, and coastal caves are well-developed, making it worthy to be called a small-scale marine geological park.
The upper part of the island is covered with dense forests of pine and small-leaved oak trees. According to MOF's survey of uninhabited islands, about 30 plant species grow naturally on Meokdo, and it is home to birds such as black-headed gulls, cormorants, and black-tailed gulls.
Information on uninhabited islands including Meokdo and nearby tourist attractions is available on MOF's comprehensive information website (http://uii.mof.go.kr) for uninhabited islands and on the Ongjin-gun Tourism & Culture website (https://www.ongjin.go.kr/open_content/tour/).
- Croaker and abalone as Fishery Products of the Month; Jonghyeon Village in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province and Gusan Village in Uljin, Gyeongbuk Province as Fishing Village Travel Destinations of the Month; coral seahorse as Marine Life of the Month; Incheon Port Lock Northern Breakwater Lighthouse as Lighthouse of the Month; and Meokdo as Uninhabited Island of the Month
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Hwang Jong-woo) selected croaker and abalone as July’s Fishery Products of the Month.
The croaker is a warm-water fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae in the order Perciformes, long been loved as a summer health food to the extent that there is a saying, "Croaker soup is best during the dog days of summer." It has a mild fishy smell and its flesh is both tender and resilient, making it suitable for a variety of dishes including croaker sashimi, grilled croaker, and braised croaker. In particular, its umami flavor and texture are further enhanced when aged in the refrigerator for 2–3 days, making it excellent for sashimi. The croaker's swim bladder, thinly sliced and salted, can also be enjoyed as a delicacy.
Prized since ancient times, abalone is one of the leading health-promoting seafood items. In China, it is regarded as one of the “Three Treasures of the Sea” along with shark fin and sea cucumber. Abalone is rich in magnesium—which helps stabilize the nerves—and taurine, making it effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Grilled, steamed, or stir-fried abalone is delicious, but abalone porridge is a signature dish in particular as the chewy abalone meat and the savory flavor of the innards blend with the soft, spread-out rice grains.
Detailed information on fishery products, including croaker and abalone as July’s fishery products of the month, can be found on the website of Eosik Baekse (https://blog.naver.com/korfish01).
MOF selected Jonghyeon Village in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province and Gusan Village in Uljin, Gyeongbuk Province as July’s Fishing Village Travel Destinations of the Month.
Jonghyeon Village in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province is a West Coast fishing village close to the metropolitan area where visitors can enjoy both the vast mudflats and the coastal scenery. The village offers various fishing village experience programs such as digging for clams in the mudflats, riding sleds on the mudflats, and catching fish with bare hands. Also located there are the Daebu Haesol Trail trekking course along the coastline and the Gubongdo Sunset Observatory, allowing for walking tours and sunset viewing. Moreover, visitors can taste local specialties onsite such as Daebudo grapes and clams, a representative seafood of the West Coast.
Gusan Village in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk Province is a fishing village where the East Sea and lush coastal scenery harmonize. The village offers transparent boat experiences, fish trap experiences, clam digging experiences, and fishing experiences. Also located nearby are Gusan Beach, Gusan Fishing Village Experience Center, Daepunghun, and Suto Culture Experience Center, allowing visitors to enjoy a combined tour of history and culture. In particular, the abundance of seasonal seafood—such as fresh seaweed and octopus harvested directly in the village—enhances the enjoyment of a gourmet trip.
Detailed information regarding the Fishing Village Travel Destinations of the Month, including village introductions, experience programs, accommodations and restaurants, nearby tourist attractions, and transportation, is available on the Sea Travel website (www.seantour.kr).
MOF selected the Japanese seahorse as July’s Marine Life of the Month.
Japanese seahorses are mainly found along the western and southern coasts, inhabiting the entire coast of Korea. The adult is about 8 cm in size—making it the smallest of the seahorses inhabiting Korea—and characterized by a short snout and a dark brown color mixed with mottled patterns.
They breed actively in July, the summer season when water temperatures rise. Seahorses including Japanese seahorses have poor swimming abilities and spend most of their lives with their tails wrapped around seaweed and coral; they have a unique reproductive characteristic, i.e., the male receives eggs from the female and gives birth to offspring.
As a sedentary species highly dependent on habitat, it faces threats such as habitat destruction and bycatch from recent coastal development; thus necessitating systematic protection and management. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the coral seahorse as Vulnerable (VU).
The Yeosu World Island Expo, which opens in September, plans to introduce various kinds of marine life to the public, including Japanese seahorses found in the waters around the islands near Yeosu.
Information on marine life, including the Japanese seahorse, is available on the Marine Life Resources Integrated Information System website (https://www.mbris.kr) and the Marine Environment Information portal (https://www.meis.go.kr).
MOF selected Incheon Port Lock North Breakwater Lighthouse in Gaehang-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City as July’s Lighthouse of the Month. This lighthouse is affectionately nicknamed “Wolmi Light Lighthouse” following a public contest. It flashes a green light once every five seconds, serving as a safety guide for vessels entering and exiting the Incheon Port Lock Gate.
The Incheon Port lock gate is a facility designed to allow ships to navigate safely between two bodies of water with different water levels. Installed at the entrance of the lock gate, Incheon Port Lock North Breakwater Lighthouse has supported the safe passage of ships through the lock. The lighthouse was built in 1977 but was reborn in May of this year in its current sailboat-shaped design due to aging facilities, harmonizing with the scenery of the National Incheon Maritime Museum. It now offers new attractions for visitors including media facade video screenings with the gray whale as theme.
Wolmido Island offers a variety of tourist attractions that can be enjoyed together, including the following: National Incheon Maritime Museum, where visitors can enjoy the sea through diverse exhibitions and experiences; Wolmi Sea Train, an urban sightseeing monorail that circles the island; Wolmi Theme Park, featuring a blend of various rides and LED lighting; and Wolmi Park, a traditional park recreating the architectural style of the Joseon Dynasty.
The butterfish, a summer delicacy of the Incheon region, is at its best during this season, with the thickest flesh and just the right amount of fat to offer the finest flavor. It has almost no fishy smell and tender bones, so it is enjoyed either raw with the bones still intact or braised with radish. The radish aids in digestion and absorption, making it easy on the stomach. Butterfish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids—which are good for brain and blood vessel health—and is also high in protein and vitamin A, making it beneficial for growing children and immune function.
More information about July’s Lighthouse of the Month is available on the National Lighthouse Museum's Lighthouse and Sea website (lighthouse-museum.or.kr/sea), and information on nearby tourist sites is available on the Incheon Tour website (itour.incheon.go.kr).
MOF selected Meokdo, a semi-conserved uninhabited island* located in Deokjeok-myeon, Ongjin-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City as July’s Uninhabited Island of the Month.
* An uninhabited island where certain activities (installation of buildings or artificial structures, capture or collection of animals or plants, cooking or camping, etc.) or access can be restricted if necessary due to its high conservation value
Meokdo lies approximately 1 km south of Deokjeokdo—a nearby inhabited island—and covers an area of about 225,000 m². The coastline of Meokdo, composed largely of dark rock, and the surrounding sea waters have a grayish or blackish hue.
Before the development of navigation equipment, fishermen used Meokdo as a landmark to determine their location. Because it is an island that guides the way with its black color—a dark, solid island—it has also been called "Meoktongdo," "Mukseom," or "Heukdo" (Black Island). In particular, when mist settles over the calm sea, Meokdo evokes the image of an ink painting.
Various topographical and geological features can be observed on Meokdo. Along the island's edges, wave-eroded cliffs, shores scattered with large boulders, sandy beaches, and coastal caves are well-developed, making it worthy to be called a small-scale marine geological park.
The upper part of the island is covered with dense forests of pine and small-leaved oak trees. According to MOF's survey of uninhabited islands, about 30 plant species grow naturally on Meokdo, and it is home to birds such as black-headed gulls, cormorants, and black-tailed gulls.
Information on uninhabited islands including Meokdo and nearby tourist attractions is available on MOF's comprehensive information website (http://uii.mof.go.kr) for uninhabited islands and on the Ongjin-gun Tourism & Culture website (https://www.ongjin.go.kr/open_content/tour/).
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