Visiting Bito Island in Sacheon for Seasonal Oysters and the Byeoljubu Legend
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
I visited Bito Island in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, to buy oysters in season. Bito (meaning “island where rabbits leap”) is a small island connected to Seopo-myeon by a bridge and famed for the local legend of Byeoljubujeon (a folktale about a turtle and rabbit). The island’s extensive tidal flats enabled an early development of rack oyster farming: shells with oyster spat are hung on wooden poles in the mudflats, exposing the oysters to air at low tide so their meat becomes firmer and more aromatic compared with suspended culture. At the oyster-specialty street, locals shuck oysters by hand and sell fresh 1kg portions—perfect for grilled oyster pancakes, doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), or tteokguk (rice cake soup). Nearby Habong Village’s national leisure camping ground features sculptures and live rabbits representing the Byeoljubu legend; a marked path toward Woldeungdo explains the tragic tale (the folktale says a clever rabbit, a deceptive turtle called Byeoljubu, and islands formed from their fates). Woldeungdo is a tidal island accessible only twice a day at low tide, and visitors can enjoy coastal roads, folk motifs, and fresh oysters on this short seaside trip.
