The good, bad and ugly sides to South Korea’s Jeju Island
The ‘Island of the Gods’ has big plans for tourism, but how do they tally with its green ambitions after a Chinese travel ban blew a hole in tourist numbers
The good
As claims to fame go, being at one end of the world’s busiest air route takes some beating. In 2017, a mind boggling 64,991 flights shuttled between the South Korean capital, Seoul, and a volcanic island an hour away. So what’s so special about Jeju that justifies the need for 178 departures every day? It must have something – even the soil that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un used to plant a symbolic tree for peace at a recent summit with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in came from the island.
Nicknamed the Hawaii of South Korea, Jeju was declared one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature in a 2011 global poll. Holidaymakers, hikers and honeymooners can’t get enough of the subtropical destination, situated 90km off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula. Chinese visitors in particular have embraced the “Island of the Gods” by taking advantage of visa-free entry and changes in property rules that allow foreigners to buy apartments, restaurants and hotels. Plans are gaining momentum for a second airport to accommodate a surge in sightseers who come to hike up Mount Hallasan, South Korea’s highest mountain, and to watch the sun rise from the Seongsan Ilchulbong crater.
Tired limbs permitting, it’s also worth tackling the Jeju Olle trail, a series of long-distance foot paths that criss-cross much of the island. Many internationally acclaimed and hugely popular Korean television dramas, such as Dae Jang Geum (“jewel in the palace”) were filmed hereabouts and “set jetters” can busy themselves searching for the tumbling waterfalls, citrus orchards, forests and pristine beaches that served as filming locations. DIY tours are easy to organise – a few minutes of online research will point fans in the right direction.
