The South Cape Spa & Suite, located in Namhae, South Gyeongsang province, is a constant temptation for golf enthusiasts who dream of golfing every time they look at a patch of grass.

South Cape has become one of Korea’s representative golf resorts just two years from its establishment in 2013, becoming a must-see for foreign visitors and being listed as one of “Korea’s best golf courses” in various golf magazines.

A total of about 400 billion won ($350 million) was invested to build the golf resort complex. It was designed by internationally lauded golf course architect Kyle Phillips. Phillips has designed over 100 golf courses around the world, including Scotland’s Kingsbarns Golf Links in St. Andrews, France’s Golf de Mortefontaine and the remodeled Valderrama Golf Club in Spain.

The South Cape golf course draws in the Namhae sea, islands, mountains and valleys all at once. Golf experts especially praise the Par 3 holes that protrude into the sea, saying it is on par with golf courses at Pebble Beach.

South Cape also boasts many other features not limited to its beautiful golf course. Jung Jae-bong, chairman of fashion manufacturing company Handsome Corp., used his taste and passion to create the luxury golf resort.

The South Cape clubhouse, built at a cost over 70 billion won, lures guests who wish to show off their sensitive tastes.



Upon entering the open lobby of the clubhouse is a chair from British artist Tom Price. Price’s “Blue rope meltdown” is created with blue polypropylene rope bundled like a ball and a mold of the Eames chair melted on top complements the skies and seas of Namhae.

Price also has another chair from his “meltdown” series, created of pipes to resemble a sea urchin. The chair rocks in the breeze, emphasizing its likeness to the sea creature even more. The two chairs are quite expensive works of art, but people are free to sit on them and take pictures.

The luxury chairs casually put about in the resort indirectly shows the subtle luxury experience South Cape wishes to convey.



In front of the clubhouse is a wood and steel frame chair from Italian brand “B&B Italia” designed by Enrico Marone Cinzano, and the sofas placed in every linear suite room in the hotel are from French luxury brand Ligne Roset.

Each hotel room shows off its own unique character with Ligne Roset furniture from different designers, including Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Inga Sempe, Pascal Mourgue, Dogg & Arnved and more.

The restaurants, cafes and music halls also have expensive European chairs by the hundreds, a sight of envy for many housewives and furniture aficionados. Each chair in the meeting halls cost over 3 million won, and the matching New Zealand kauri tree tables are made of 47,000-year-old trees, costing an enormous sum.

The luxury experience doesn’t end there. The music hall at South Cape was built with the consultation of various experts, among whom include classic music enthusiast and television broadcaster Hwang In-yong.

One can experience the fullest sound in any spot they sit on, and the Western Electric speakers over 1 billion won provide an unforgettable musical experience.

The sculpture “Volante,” sculpted from Carrara Marble by American artist Richard Erdman, is also used as a logo for the South Cape Owners Club and expresses a figure soaring through the skies. Inside the clubhouse is a chandelier from New York artist Lindsay Adelman.



Inside the clubhouse’s Cafe Volante are various metal works from Korean artist Lee Kwang-ho, and in the spa areas are art pieces by artist Hong Dong-hee. The piano on the way to the music hall is also a rare item of which there are only two in the world.

The South Cape hotel rooms, designed by architect Cho Byoung-soo, includes a wireless Geneva Sound System, Nanimarquina carpets, Duxiana beds and Toto Neorest bidets. Its amenities are all from Australian luxury skincare brand Aesop.

No one tells you about the expensive pieces laid out throughout the resort until you inquire about them to the resort employees. The amount of luxury hidden in the golf club and resort is impressive once found out, showing a subtle classiness that lies beyond fanciness.



South Cape is a nonmembership course, open to anyone who makes a reservation. As a luxury resort, it is not cheap, but visitors can expect a world-class luxury experience at the price of a foreign deluxe hotel.

Jung, who put all of his life’s savings in South Cape, had many who advised against building his dream golf course. He said in a media interview that he thought it a waste to not use all of his money while he was alive, and thought that he would rather use his riches to create a world-renowned golf course that people can enjoy.

South Cape also provides over ten villas worth 4 to 7.5 billion won across a plot of over 2 million square meters, sparking interest among the wealthy in Korea, China and Japan.

By The Korea Herald Superrich Team (sangyj@heraldcorp.com)

Kwon Nam-keun, Hong Seung-wan, Sung Yeon-jin, Bae Ji-sook, Yoon Hyun-jong, Min Sang-seek, Kim Hyun-il, Sang Youn-joo