Sky Capsule or Beach Train?

Two attractions run on the disused railway line between Mipo and Songjeong today, and they are easily confused.

Sky Capsule

The Sky Capsule is the one everybody comes for: small pastel-coloured capsules running on an elevated track between Mipo and Cheongsapo. You sit facing each other. The capsule is yours alone and it trundles along at walking pace. That is exactly why it works so well. You have time to look out of the window and take photos.

Beach Train

The Beach Train is the alternative and covers the same coastline, but at ground level below the capsule track and all the way up to Songjeong. It is considerably cheaper, has air conditioning and doesn’t need to be reserved weeks in advance. The catch: it moves faster, and you share the carriage with plenty of other passengers. That makes it the clearly weaker choice if you want to enjoy the view.

My advice: go for the little capsules, of course. The view from the capsule is the reason you are here in the first place. You can still treat yourself to the Beach Train afterwards if you want to carry on to Songjeong. There are also combo tickets covering both.

Which direction should I go?

This is the most important decision before booking, because you can only ever book one direction. There is no return trip in the capsule.

The direction Mipo to Cheongsapo is the more popular one and sells out considerably faster. The reason: on this ride you sit on the sea side, so the view goes straight out over the water.

Going the other way, from Cheongsapo to Mipo, you look more towards the coast and the hillside. To be honest, the difference is smaller than you might think. The track runs so close to the water that you can look out at the sea in both directions.

My recommendation: book the opposite direction, so Cheongsapo to Mipo. You’ll get a slot more easily, pay the same and see practically the same thing.

Booking the Sky Capsule

Book EARLY!!!! You should plan at least one to two weeks ahead, otherwise you’ll be looking at sold-out time slots. For the slots around sunset you need to be even further ahead, those are regularly the first to go. Each capsule holds a maximum of 4 people. The price is per capsule and depends on the number of people, and for the ride you are looking at around 50,000 WON. So you always ride privately, whether there are two or four of you. A capsule is not shared with strangers.

You can book tickets directly here: www.bluelinepark.com

Tip

Decide who is coming along before you book. Since the price rises with the number of people and the capsule is yours anyway, it is worth riding as a group of four if you are travelling together. And plan enough buffer: if you turn up late for your time slot, the ticket expires.

My suggestion for the perfect day

This is how I would plan the day: one way in the capsule and back on foot. Takes a leisurely five to six hours.

1. Getting to Cheongsapo

Getting there is really easy: take the metro to the last stop, Jangsan, and change there to the bus towards Cheongsapo. It runs roughly every 15 minutes, so you won’t have to wait long.

2. By Sky Capsule to Mipo

From Cheongsapo you set off in the capsule. The ride to Mipo station takes around 30 minutes. Time enough for 1,000 photos for Insta and TikTok.

3. On foot to Haeundae Beach

From Mipo station it’s a few minutes’ walk on to Haeundae Beach, Busan’s best-known beach. Here you can lie down in the sand, go for a swim in the sea or simply watch the goings-on along the promenade.

4. Walk the panorama path back

Now comes the best part: simply walk back along the stretch you rode in the capsule. The path runs right by the sea below the capsule track and is freely accessible.

Along the way there is a free observation platform with a glass floor that juts out over the sea. Under your feet you can see the waves crashing against the rocks. Careful if you’re afraid of heights: this one isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it makes a great photo.

When the days get shorter and the first autumn wind sweeps around the houses, there is hardly anything better than Kimchi-Jjigae. This bubbling stew of ripe kimchi, meat and tofu is to Korea what chicken soup is to us: the meal for cold days, for a head cold, and for the evening when the fridge is basically empty. Spicy, sour, deeply savory, and on the table in a good 30 minutes.

The best part: the older your kimchi, the better the stew. So this recipe is the perfect way to use up that jar that has been sitting open in the fridge for far too long.

Overview

1. Korean Food Culture and Tradition
2. What exactly is a Jjigae?
3. Why older kimchi is the better kimchi
4. Beef, pork belly or none at all?
5. The Recipe
6. Insider tips

Korean Food Culture and Tradition

A meal in South Korea never consists of just one dish. There are always several small bowls on the table, the so-called banchan. On top of that comes a bowl of rice for everyone and something warm in the middle to share. That is exactly where the jjigae belongs: in a heavy stone pot that goes straight from the stove to the table and keeps bubbling away there for minutes.

Everyone eats together from the same pot. That is no coincidence! Food in Korea is a social affair, and the pot in the middle is its focal point. Kimchi is never missing. It is less a side dish than a staple, and almost every household has its own preference for how sour it should be.

What exactly is a Jjigae?

Jjigae (찌개) is the Korean word for a boldly seasoned stew, a little thicker than a soup and always meant for sharing. It comes in many variations: with soybean paste (doenjang-jjigae), with very soft silken tofu (sundubu-jjigae) or, of course, with kimchi.

Kimchi-jjigae is the best known of them and at the same time the most straightforward. It came about out of pure necessity: once the kimchi got too sour to eat raw, it went into the pot. What began as a way to use up leftovers became one of the country’s most popular everyday dishes. Today it is on the menu in practically every Korean restaurant.

Why older kimchi is the better kimchi

This sounds wrong at first, but it is the most important point in the whole recipe: for kimchi-jjigae you do not want fresh kimchi. Fresh, it is crisp and mild, and that adds very little flavor in the pot. The longer kimchi ferments, the sourer and more complex it gets. That sour depth is what gives the stew its character. So if you have a jar that has been open for a few weeks and smells distinctly sour when you open it: perfect, that is exactly what you want. Feel free to add a few spoonfuls of the brine to the pot as well, there is a lot of flavor in it.

Beef, pork belly or none at all?

Classic kimchi-jjigae is cooked with pork belly. The fat melts into the broth and makes it round and filling. In this recipe I use thinly sliced beef, the kind you can buy ready-sliced for bulgogi or shabu-shabu. It cooks in seconds and stays beautifully tender.

Both work, just take whatever you can get. The version with canned tuna (chamchi-jjigae) is widespread too. It sounds unusual to European ears, but in Korea it is completely normal and really good. And it works without any meat at all: simply put more tofu and mushrooms in the pot.

The Recipe

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, cut into strips
• 400 g ripe kimchi, roughly chopped
• 250 g thinly sliced meat (pork or beef)
• 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 750 ml water
• Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
• 1 bunch of enoki mushrooms
• 200 g silken tofu
• 2 spring onions, cut into rings
• Sesame seeds
• Rice to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a pot and briefly sauté the garlic and onion.
2. Add the kimchi and fry it over high heat for a few minutes.
3. Now the thinly sliced meat goes into the pot and is fried along until cooked through. The thinner the slices, the faster this goes.
4. Add the gochujang, sesame oil and water and stir everything well until the paste has completely dissolved.
5. Season with soy sauce and gochugaru and bring to a boil once.
6. Now taste and adjust. Depending on how salty and sour your kimchi is, you will need more or less soy sauce and chili.
7. Carefully place the enoki mushrooms and the tofu on top. Do not stir the tofu in, or it will fall apart in the broth. Let everything simmer gently for a few more minutes.
8. Finally, sprinkle with the spring onions and sesame seeds.

Serve hot, ideally straight from the pot. With a bowl of rice on the side.