Samcheok's Maengbang Beach, the Myeongsasimni shore on the BTS 'Butter' single cover

The parasols from the cover are gone, but the sea is still here

The story of Maengbang Beach

BTS shot the cover photos for their single 'Butter' at Maengbang Beach in Samcheok in March 2021. In the making-of video released that July, the members introduced the place as 'Samcheok, Gangwon-do,' and 'Butter' reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the spot for 10 weeks. That's why fans began to visit this beach, so far from Seoul.^[1][2][3]

In July 2021, Samcheok City recreated the scene from the cover on the beach. With a budget of 50,000,000 KRW it made 9 parasols and 11 sunbeds from materials that stand up to sea wind, and set up a beach volleyball net, a referee chair and a big 'BTS' lettering sculpture; in October 2022 it touched up the props once more.^[1][2][3][4]

This photo zone is gone now. In November 2023, the agency HYBE sent a certified letter saying that the album concept images used on the signboard and sculptures were the company's copyrighted works, and when no agreement was reached, Samcheok City removed the sculptures, sunbeds and parasols in January 2024. A March 2026 news report also says the site is empty, and residents want it restored to something close to how it was.^[4][5][6]

Even without the photo zone, the sea is just as it was. The beach is split into Sangmaengbang, Maengbang and Hamaengbang, but the sand runs unbroken, so the whole stretch is called Maengbang Beach, and because its fine, soft sand seems to go on forever, it has long been called 'Myeongsasimni.' The Hamaengbang section, where people swim, is shallow at 1–1.5 m deep, and a long line of sea pines stands behind it.^[2][7][8]

Deokbongsan (54 m) at the south end of the beach, once off-limits because of a military guard post, opened in 2021 as a coastal ecological trail. The coastal course that circles the sea side is 626 m and the inland course up to the summit viewpoint is 317 m, so it's an easy walk. In spring, a cherry blossom road of about 4 km from the beach entrance blooms around mid-April, and a rapeseed flower festival is held in the rapeseed fields of Sangmaengbang-ri. In 2026 it ran from April 3 to 19.^[9][10][11]

Good to know before you go

Address

Around Hamaengbang-gil, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (the filming spot is on the Hamaengbang-ri side, next to Deokbongsan)

Hours

Beach open year-round (per K-TRIP TIPS, revised August 2025)

Admission

Free

Getting there

By bus: from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, a bus to Samcheok takes about 3 hr 10 min to 3 hr 20 min, and from Seoul Express Bus Terminal about 3 hr 30 min. At the stop in front of Samcheok Terminal, take regular bus 20-1, 20-2, 21 or 23, or seat bus 24, get off at 'Hamaengbang-ri,' and walk about 1.2 km to the beach (per VisitKorea info from January 2023). By train: from Cheongnyangni Station, KTX-Eum takes about 2 hr 10 min to 2 hr 25 min to Donghae Station (per the October 2026 timetable). From Donghae Station, take city bus 112, which passes Samcheok Terminal, and transfer at the terminal to the buses above, or take a taxi straight there. Bus 112 ran 4 round trips a day when it started in 2023, so please check the timetable first. Combine it with Chuam Beach or Cheongok Cave in Donghae, near Donghae Station, and you can take in Donghae and Samcheok in a single day.

Good to know

The parasols, sunbeds and 'BTS' sculpture from the cover were removed in January 2024 and are no longer there. You'll need to walk from the Hamaengbang-ri stop to the beach, and rural routes can have long gaps between buses, so check your return bus time first. If you need help in a foreign language, you can ask the tourist interpretation hotline 1330 (+82-2-1330).

FAQ