River · South Korea
Nakdong
The Nakdong is the longest river in South Korea. It gathers its water in the Taebaek mountains and flows about 510 kilometres south, reaching the Korea Strait at the port city of Busan.
Picture credit: Julie (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Robert (CC BY 3.0) · Robert (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Nakdong?
The river starts here: Taebaek mountains in eastern South Korea.
It ends in the Korea Strait at Busan.
Countries on the river: South Korea.
The story behind it
The Nakdong drains a huge basin of green hills where farmers have grown rice for thousands of years. In summer the monsoon can dump enormous amounts of rain in a few days, and the water climbs over the fields until dykes and floodgates hold it back. Old towns such as Andong keep wooden houses and mask dances that belong to the river valley, and stone bridges cross the water where merchants once travelled. Near Busan the Nakdong slows down and spreads into a maze of sandbanks and reed beds. This estuary is one of the most important resting places for migrating birds in East Asia: swans, ducks and geese arrive every autumn from the cold north. Millions of people drink water from this river, so keeping it clean matters to the whole country.
Questions children ask
How long is the Nakdong?
The Nakdong measures about 510 kilometres. That makes it the longest river inside South Korea, ahead of the Han and the Geum.
Which country does the Nakdong flow through?
The Nakdong lies entirely in South Korea. It drains the southeast of the country and passes cities such as Andong, Daegu and Busan.
Where does the Nakdong flow into the sea?
The river reaches the Korea Strait beside the big harbour of Busan. Its mouth is a broad estuary of sandbanks and reeds where many water birds spend the winter.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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