Jeju Island

During my trip to South Korea, I spent four days on the picturesque island of Jeju (제주도) which is a famous holiday destination throughout Asia as it operates a “no visa” policy meaning Chinese can freely visit also. It’s quite a big island with over half a million inhabitants and a culture and language that are distinct from those of mainland Korea. Whilst I spent two of those days in the Lift Asia conference I did manage to squeeze in a little sightseeing.

The Path Up

Jeju island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago and is dominated by Halla-san: an inactive volcano 1,950 metres high and the highest mountain in South Korea. I didn’t have time to climb the main peak but instead, I make it up Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise Peak) which is a smaller volcanic crater on the east coast of the island that provides a beautiful panoramic view from the top.

Seongsan Ilchulbong

During my visit I stayed in the Poonglim Resort hotel, conveniently located on the south coast close to the beach and the conference centre. Somehow I ended up with a massive condominium-style apartment with two bedrooms and a kitchen/living room but while the price was low the big downside was the lack of internet in the rooms – you had to go down to the reception area for wi-fi.

Seafood

Jeju is famous for its seafood (I am not a fan of seafood) so of course, at some point, I was compelled to try some. Did I mention I hate seafood? There’s something about it that is really off-putting to me. I gave it a try anyway and it tasted as I expected – slimy, chewy and rubbery. Luckily the kind ajumas in the restaurant cooked up some extra mushrooms to compensate so it wasn’t a complete washout (they had been previously been giving me disapproving looks for my apparent lack of appetite).

Tetrapod Defences

With clear blue seas and rugged landscapes, many people come for walking holidays – there are well-established trails that ring the island. Next time it would be nice to spend a bit more time getting to know Jeju as I only really scratched the surface of what there is to see.

David avatar

3 responses

  1. I like this post,coz I like sea very much,this is really a nice place,what a pity you dont like sea food,haha,you should take some pictures of sunset,it should be very nice:)

  2. It is so great to read and see photoes about my hometown.
    Few years ago, I also have climbed 성산일출봉 to see sunrise but .. it was too late . Sun already came up when i’v got arrived at the peak.

    Thank you for the posting.
    I think that is what i should say to you.
    : )

    1. Hey Soo, thanks for your comment!

      I’m looking forward to returning to Jeju island again sometime in the future. I really want to explore it more 🙂

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