Why Sokcho, why this drama
Autumn in My Heart (가을동화, KBS2, 2000) ran for 16 episodes from September 18 to Nov 7, 2000, and drew more than 40 percent of viewers in its time slot, according to Korea.net. It stars Song Seung-heon as Joon-suh, Song Hye-kyo as Eun-suh, and Won Bin as Tae-seok. The story begins with two babies switched at birth: Eun-suh grows up in a well-off family, until a blood test after a car accident reveals the switch and the two girls are returned to their biological families. Years later, Joon-suh, now an artist, returns to Korea and meets Eun-suh again in Sokcho, where she works at a hotel and he keeps a workshop at a closed school. A love triangle follows, and the story ends in tragedy when Eun-suh, who has leukemia, dies.
The drama mattered beyond its ratings. Song Hye-kyo has said, “For me, Hallyu begins with this drama,” and Korea.net reports viewership above 40 percent in mainland China and Japan, plus a sensation in Taiwan in 2001, where it was the first non-Taiwanese production to top the soap-opera charts. It was also the first of director Yoon Seok-ho’s season-themed tetralogy, followed by Winter Sonata (2002), Summer Scent (2003), and Spring Waltz (2006). Sokcho is where the adult half of the story lives: the village, the ferry, the lake, and the beach on this page all sit in one small corner of the city, and a half day covers all four.
The four places
1. Abai Village
Abai Village (아바이마을) is a neighborhood in Cheongho-dong, next to Cheongchoho Lake. It was founded by refugees from Hamgyeong-do Province in what is now North Korea, who escaped south during the Korean War (1950–1953), according to Korea.net. The name comes from abai, a Hamgyeong-do dialect word for elderly people. In the drama, a small mom-and-pop store here stands in for Eun-suh’s family home, where she lives with her mother. That shop is in a lived-in street, so it is not pinned on this page.
Walk the lanes slowly. Old shacks and time-honored houses still stand among newer buildings, wall murals tell the story of the displaced families, and the restaurant alley serves North Korean dishes. This is a neighborhood first and a filming location second: keep noise down, do not photograph residents, and do not enter homes.
2. The gaetbae ferry
The gaetbae (갯배) is the hand-pulled ferry between downtown Sokcho and Abai Village, and it is the single most memorable image of the drama’s Sokcho half. It has no engine: a steel wire is fixed to both banks of the channel, and the boat is pulled across by hand, with passengers welcome to help pull the rope. The crossing takes under five minutes across a channel about 50 meters wide. On it, Eun-suh, holding a yellow umbrella, and Joon-suh cross paths and fail to meet each other — one of the best-known scenes in the whole show, according to Korea.net.
To ride it, take local buses 9, 9-1, 7, or 7-1 to the gaetbae quay, per Korea.net. The downtown-side quay is near Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. Fares and hours change, so check the VisitKorea ferry listing before you go, and allow time for a queue on busy days.
3. Cheongchoho Lake shore
Cheongchoho Lake (청초호) is a natural lagoon in the middle of Sokcho, with a circumference of about 5 kilometers, according to VisitKorea. It is fed from the Misiryeong Valley of the Taebaek Mountain Range via Cheongchocheon Stream, and it sits between the river and the East Sea. Korea.net says important scenes were filmed along the lake, next to the village.
The lake is free and open around the clock, with a walking path around the shore. At its center sits Cheongchojeong Pavilion, reached by a 75-meter bridge, which VisitKorea calls Sokcho’s finest night-view spot, with views of Seoraksan Mountain. The lakeside is decorated with dragon sculptures from local legend, and the lake park holds the 73.4-meter Expo Tower, a landmark from the 1999 Gangwon International Travel Expo. Come back after dark: the pavilion and the illuminated trails are the lake at its best.
4. Sokcho Beach
Sokcho Beach (속초해수욕장) is the city’s main public beach, a short walk from Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, according to the VisitKorea listing. Korea.net names it among the places where key scenes were filmed. The sand is lined with sculptures, including a large compass and a dolphin, and a pine forest with a small park and a trail stands behind the beach, so the beach works as a walk even outside swimming season.
Swimming is lifeguarded only in the official summer beach season, so check local notices before getting in the water. The beach is free to walk at any time of year, and its photo spots — the picture frame with the blue sea behind it and the Stairway to Heaven photo spot — draw visitors long after summer ends.
What to eat nearby
The restaurant alley in Abai Village serves North Korean dishes, according to the VisitKorea listing: Hamheung-style cold buckwheat noodles, stuffed squid, and North Korean-style sausage soup. Across the channel, near the downtown-side ferry quay, is Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. Eat in the village to stay close to the filming places, and save the market for the walk back to downtown.
Getting there
From Seoul, direct buses run from Seoul Express Bus Terminal and Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Sokcho. Allow roughly two to three hours depending on the service and traffic, and check current schedules before you go. In Sokcho, local buses 9, 9-1, 7, and 7-1 stop at the gaetbae quay, per Korea.net. Plan each leg with Kakao Map or Naver Map. If you arrive at Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, Sokcho Beach is a short walk away, and Abai Village is a short local ride or ferry crossing from downtown.
How we checked these places
On this site, Confirmed means at least two independent official or press sources agree that a place was used for filming. Reported means one source says so and a second has not confirmed it yet. Abai Village is Confirmed through Korea.net and VisitKorea. The gaetbae ferry was upgraded from Reported to Confirmed in October 2026 after we read the full Korea.net text, which describes Eun-suh and Joon-suh crossing paths on the ferry barge, alongside the VisitKorea ferry page. Cheongchoho Lake and Sokcho Beach are Reported: Korea.net names both, and we are still looking for a second source for each. All photos on this page are location photos, not drama stills. The shop used as Eun-suh’s house is not pinned because it sits in a lived-in street. Claims we could not confirm — a beach in Goseong, a ranch at Daegwallyeong, and the childhood filming places — are listed at the bottom of this page.
Keep exploring
Sources
All sources for this guide
Accessed Oct 17, 2026 (Asia/Seoul) unless noted.
- Korea.net — K-drama masterpieces (2): Autumn in My Heart
- VisitKorea — Abai Village feature
- VisitKorea — Abai Village Ferry
- VisitKorea — Cheongchoho Lake
- VisitKorea — Sokcho Beach (listing)
- Rome2Rio — Seoul to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal (bus terminals and travel-time range; check current schedules before travel)
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