Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Selects Top 3 "Excellent Beaches for 2026" Nationwide… Boryeong’s Daecheon Beach Makes the List

Zero Casualties for 4 Consecutive Years… Built a Tight Safety Net with 92 Safety Personnel, 24-Hour 3-Shift System, Drones, and CCTV
From Standard Pricing and Eradication of Unauthorized Tent "Squatting" to Pet Beaches and Children’s Playgrounds… Transforming into a "Sea Where Visitors Stay"
Chungnam Province Expands Four-Season Stint Marine Tourism Infrastructure Based on Daecheon’s Success Model

Boryeong’s Daecheon Beach in South Chungcheong Province is moving beyond a safe, fair, and fun sea to re-establish itself as South Korea’s representative beach—one that visitors want to revisit and linger in for a long time.

Chungnam Province announced on the 1st that Daecheon Beach in Boryeong has been selected as one of the top three excellent beaches nationwide in the "2026 Excellent Beach" evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, alongside Gangneung Gyeongpo Beach and Busan Gwangalli Beach.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries comprehensively evaluated beaches this year based on criteria such as reinforced safety management, establishment of public order—including cracking down on overcharging and unauthorized tent "squatting" (leaving tents unattended long-term)—specialized content, and user satisfaction.

Daecheon Beach’s transformation began with "safety."

This year, safety management personnel were increased by 15% from the previous year to 92, and a 24-hour, three-shift rotating work system was operated throughout the opening period. The site was managed multi-dimensionally using drones and an integrated CCTV control system, while emergency response systems were strengthened through collaboration with related agencies such as the Coast Guard and fire departments.

As a result, Daecheon Beach continued its record of zero casualties for four consecutive years. An environment where visitors can safely enjoy water play on their own was also fostered by operating a free life jacket rental service, which recorded 1,503 rentals this year.

Following safety came a "fair beach."

Daecheon Beach implemented a standard pricing system, strengthened joint public-private inspections, and deployed 23 order-guidance personnel—three times the usual number. Prior to opening, unauthorized "squatter" items on the sandy beach were cleared out, and continuous on-site guidance and crackdowns were enforced to establish beach order that anyone can use fairly and comfortably.

Furthermore, Daecheon is now transforming from a "sea for swimming" into a "sea for staying."

Content for family visitors was expanded by operating a separate pet beach and creating a children's sand playground. In addition, stay-type tourism content combining swimming, festivals, and tourism was reinforced by linking the beach with the Boryeong Mud Festival.

User-perceived satisfaction also increased. The overall satisfaction score of Daecheon Beach visitors rose by 1.4 points, from 79.4 points last year to 80.8 points this year. Management of convenience facilities—such as environmental maintenance, marine debris collection, water quality management, public restrooms, shower rooms, and foot-washing stations—was also continuously strengthened. In particular, by maintaining a pleasant beach environment and convenient facilities while expanding diverse experiential contents, the beach continues its transformation into a place where visitors can stay safely and comfortably.

Chungnam Province plans to use this selection as an excellent beach not just as an achievement for Daecheon Beach alone, but as a new turning point for Chungnam’s marine tourism.

Based on the accumulated experience in safety management, establishing usage order, and operating specialized content at Daecheon Beach, the province intends to enhance the competitiveness of beaches across the province and expand a four-season stay-type marine tourism infrastructure connecting marine leisure, experiences, festivals, and tourism.

From Chungnam's sea visited only in summer, to Chungnam's sea visited and stayed in all four seasons.

Daecheon Beach’s selection as an excellent beach is the starting point of that transformation.

Lim Sung-bum, Head of the Marine Policy Division at Chungnam Province, stated, "The selection of Daecheon Beach as an excellent beach is not simply receiving an award, but the result of on-the-ground efforts accumulated to create a safe, fair, and revisiting-worthy beach. Moving forward, we will develop Daecheon Beach into Korea’s representative stay-type marine tourism model and continuously elevate safety, convenience, and content competitiveness so that this transformation spreads to other beaches in Chungnam."