Revisit Korea 2011: Going Through the Undersea Tunnel!

03.17.2012 – It was cold… The breeze is all around. I don’t know how to react to the cold weather at the time like this but its one of those adventures you’ll never forget. It was past 7PM and I just finished dinner with the sardines we brought from Manila was enough to hit the spot. The day won’t end without a trip to the Undersea Tunnel known as “Yongmundalyang” which was built before the Second World War broke out. The name is engraved at the entrance of this impressive structure that stretches to 483 meters long and 5 meters wide connecting land to another island which is the other side of Tong Yeong.

I tried my chance to get to this bridge several times the past few days but due to time constraints I end up somewhere like walking around Donam-ro.

Now this is the opportunity for me to check out this legendary place and the first impression looks majestic with those neon blue and green lights fading away while I enter the tunnel. There are several people who take this route mostly some would rather take the bus or a taxi cab but for those healthy buffs or just looking to stroll this is the place to be.


When I got to walk through the tunnel it sounded eerie and yet there’s no better place to find your silence walking along the halls of this undersea bridge. Four wheeled vehicles are prohibited to enter this even though it can fit one car or even motorcycles that can traverse to cross to another land.

It’s only available for pedestrians and it’s a good place to do your walking routine or just run but I tried to do both but I was like huffing and puffing cold breeze through my mouth. I tried to get sweaty but the cold compensates and it pushed my limit through the cold weather. I got out of the tunnel less than 15 minutes and they really maintained its greatness for future generations.


I walk out of the end part of the bridge and see the other side where Top Mart is located. The water was calm and the city where I was located lighted up at night as the bridge above does the same. There were less people in the streets even though it wasn’t that late at night.

I look around and contemplate in silence how it feels to be in a place where quiet is the “normal” thing and watch the calm waves splash the side of the sea wall. The light tower was not active but the lights around it were an assurance that any ships entering the bay are safe not to crash the sea wall.

When I was done reminiscing and taking more photos for the day I walk back to the tunnel called “Yongmundalyang” which is meant "the entrance of an undersea tunnel that connects island to land.” was sure the tunnel I will be passing through for the next few days of my stay here at Tongyeong. There’s more to see in this “prefecture” as the province term in Japan describes their remote place.

I don’t know the real term how they call their province in Korea but surely this is not the province I have come to expect where it would sound primitive. It was actually a complete opposite to what we always thought about provinces and small towns. Their term of “small” is not entirely what it looked like in a literal sense but it surely a big place that left me with a lasting impression.