About four kilometers west of Wando Harbor, in Jeongdo-ri, Wando-eup, lies a distinctive pebble beach stretching 800 meters long and 200 meters wide. Over a long span of time, waves have exposed layers of pebbles in a pattern that appears to form nine terraces, giving the site its name, Gugyedeung — "nine-step lantern." The beach is composed of five types of pebbles, each worn smooth and rounded by the surf, and its bow-shaped shoreline curves gently around on both sides to form a striking landscape.
This beach was designated South Korea's Scenic Site No. 3 on July 26, 1972. Its pebble coast, shaped over a long period by waves and currents, is protected for its scenic value. Reading the landscape as an expression of deep natural time is a visitor's interpretation, not the formal designation rationale itself.
The National Heritage Portal gives 152,925 square meters at lot 151 and the adjacent sea. Tourism descriptions of an 800-by-200-meter beach use a different basis, so the figures are not exact equivalents. Gugyedeung refers to pebble layers appearing like nine terraces, not nine lines visible under every tide. Visitors should observe the pebble shore and windbreak forest together, leave stones in place, and keep clear of the changing waterline. Accessibility facilities should be checked before arrival. This edition does not assign an unsupported age of “thousands of years” to the formation; it separates verified designation, area, and location from interpretation.