Overview:
Namhae-gun, or "Namhae County," is a small rural county south of Hadong-gun and Sacheon-si. It consists mainly of two islands that are connected to the mainland via the Namhae Daegyo (Namhae Bridge) and Samcheonpo Daegyo (Samcheonpo Bridge). The county population is around 55000, down from its 150000 population three decades ago and much of the area is either wilderness or farmland. Though small in size and population, Namhae boasts exquisite scenery and features several important historic sites such as Noryang Point and Boriam Temple.
Housing:
Housing is very difficult to come by in Namhae since the county itself is not growing much.
If you are working in Namhae-eup, odds are that your accommodations may be at Shinheung-geurim bil, which is behind the community college. Shinheung-geurim bil is conveniently located; it takes only a 10 minute walk to the downtown area. The apartment is nothing fancy but not too shabby. However, you are very much at the mercy of the elements; it can become very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Mosquitoes can easily manage to get through the gaps in the windowsills. Apartments in the side of the building facing the community college and away from the sun experience mold problems from the coldest months of winter up to the beginning of summer.
Shopping:
Most of your basic shopping needs can be done in Namhae-eup. The center of Namhae-eup has a variety of convenience stores, "marts" selling basic household goods, clothing shops and shoe stores, a basic sporting goods shop, a small "Samsung Digital" Plaza, an LG appliance store, and some cyber cafes. Each town in Namhae-gun has basic grocery stores and some simple convenience stores, but for more items, you would need to go into Namhae-eup. For shopping beyond the bare necessities and simple household goods, however, you would need to go into Jinju-si. Jinju-si has an E-Mart superstore not too far from the city center and the bus terminal. Sacheon-si, which neighbors Namhae-gun, has no major shopping centers.
Transportation:
There are local busses that travel around Namhae island. The average bus fare is just around 1000 won. Since Namhae is rural, busses travel slower and roads wind around through the countryside. Travelling around can take some time. It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to go to Sangju-myeon from Namhae-eup. Taxi is another option, but is pricey. Taxi fares for travelling to Sangju-myeon can cost 15-20000 won.
For inter-city travel, all busses depart from Namhae Terminal although it is possible to catch an inter-city bus at a bus stop that is on the path of its route. For example, you can catch the bus to Jinju-si right at Noryang before the Namhae Bridge.
Busses to Jinju-si come and go at 20 minute intervals and cost 4800 won. Service ends at 8 PM. The bus makes its first stop in Jingyo in Hadong-gun. It takes at least 1 hour for the bus to reach Gaeyang, the first stop in Jinju-si and around 1 hour and 20 minutes to Jinju Terminal.
Busses to Busan come and go at 40 minute intervals and cost 11400 won. Depending on traffic, it can take anywhere from 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours and 20 minutes travelling to and from Busan. Be advised that traffic conditions can seriously impact the duration of the trip to Busan. Also note that since the "express bus" to Busan passes through Jingyo in Hadong-gun and Jinju instead of making a direct trip.
There are also busses that travel directly to Seoul. It takes approximately 6 hours.
Leisure:
Though a mostly agricultural county, Namhae has a bit of tourism and promotes itself as the "treasure island" of Korea. The coastal area and the islands off the coast of Namhae are all part of the greater "Hallyeo Maritime National Park." Namhae island features extraordinary and pristine scenery.
Much of the county is mountainous and so there are many opportunities to go hiking. Seolheulsan and Geumsan both feature hiking trails up to the summit. Seolheulsan, where an ancient beacon tower stands, has a splendid view of the southern coast of the island, rural villages, and terraced rice fields. Geumsan, sometimes called the "Little Geumgangsan" due to their characteristic stone pinacles, is the most famous mountain on Namhae and is the site of the ancient Boriam temple.
Various festivals are held throughout the year. Festivals may be held at Namhae-eup's stadium and often include a brief fireworks display, outdoor music performances, traditional Korean salmunori peformances, and numerous food vendors selling various Korean fast foods. The Hwajeon festival is celebrated in October. A festival and re-enactment commemorating the victory of Admiral Yi Sunsin in 1598 is held at Noryang in November. The garlic festival is held in Namhae-eup at the time of garlic harvests.
For sports activities, Namhae-gun is famous for its "Sports Park," which hosted the Dutch team during the World Cup games. Although parts of the park are somewhat in disrepair, it still features various sports facilities and is frequently visited by tourists.
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