ABSTRACT Kim, I.; Lee, J.L.; Hwang, J.S.; Lee, S., and Lee, J., 2014. Vertical structure of rip current observed at Haeundae Beach. On 4 and 7 August, 2012, more than 200–300 people were swept away by the fast moving seaward current at Haeundae Beach, which is located on the southeastern corner of the Korean Peninsula, and they then had to be rescued Beach patrons were carried away 50 to 100 meters away from the shore by rip currents, to an area where swimming is restricted due to safety reasons. Rip currents are narrow currents that begin close to the shoreline and strongly flow seaward through the surf zone and beyond. Although rip currents can cause tragic accidents and are of considerable interest to scientists and to the general public, our current understanding of the spatial and temporal behavior of rip currents is limited. As a result, the Korean Meteorological Administration installed monitoring equipment that can assess weather conditions and issue rip current warnings on Haeundae beach starting...