'Nobody can win over the sky': Busan beaches face rainy opening week

Beachgoers on Haeundae Beach in Busan sit and watch ocean waves as swimming is prohibited for safety purposes when a monsoon hit Jeju Island on June 23. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Busan’s seaside communities are anxious over the rainy weather forecast on the eve of the opening of beach season.

Although Korea's southern coastal city’s seven beaches are set to officially open for the summer on Monday, local business owners running retail shops and eateries are on edge because the national weather agency forecast that the upcoming weeks will be rainier than usual.

During the last weekend of June, monsoon rains drenched Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, according to a weather forecast by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Sunday.

On Saturday, Busan had a 70 percent chance of rain, with rain clouds appearing in the morning.

The weather agency predicted that the chance of rain would increase to 90 percent on Sunday, a day before the city's beaches officially open.

The KMA forecasts that the rain will continue until Wednesday, making it difficult for local communities to enjoy the opening week of beach season.

Even after the rain retreats, a cloudy sky is expected until the first weekend of July.

Local communities in Busan’s beach areas are also worried about the weather agency’s monthly forecast.

Precipitation between the second week and last week of July has an 80 percent chance of surpassing the average of previous years, according to the KMA.

The number of beachgoers fluctuates drastically depending on weather conditions.

Last year, the city of Busan saw a 15.2 percent decrease in the number of visitors compared to the previous year. The figure dropped from 2.1 million in 2022 to 1.78 million last year, due to more than 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) of rainfall hitting the city, heavy rain advisories being issued for five consecutive days in mid-July and Typhoon Khanun sweeping through the country in early August.

The number of annual visitors nearly halved compared to pre-pandemic years. In 2019, nearly 3.7 million people visited the city’s seven beaches.

Even before this year’s beach opening, Busan city officials prohibited visitors from dipping into the ocean due to high waves induced by a monsoon front hitting Jeju Island last Sunday.

The city government and district offices recently expanded white sand areas and added amenities to enhance visitors’ experiences at beaches. Local officials are keenly following the weather reports, which predict that rain will soak the city during opening week.

Local business owners expressed “high hopes” of seeing a large number of visitors because “a yearly weather forecast, which was published earlier this year, predicted that this summer would be sweltering,” said Jang Young-guk, head of an organization representing business owners on Gunam-ro, a street in Busan's Haeundae District that is a five-minute walk from Haeundae Beach.

“The vendors’ association is preparing events to give away a toad-shaped chunk of gold and free hotel vouchers to visitors who purchased goods or food at stores on Gunam-ro,” he said.

“Yet, nobody can win over the sky,” he said, noting that vendors will prepare additional measures to better respond to unfavorable weather conditions.

BY KIM MIN-JU, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]