A vacation idea? Here is a paradise island in the south of South Korea, the favorite place of young Koreans for their honeymoon. Nicknamed “the island of lovers” or even “the island of Samdado” (the island of three treasures), Jeju is a dream place where vestiges of the past rub shoulders with an intriguing population evolving in an idyllic setting.
Jeju Island is a volcanic island located 85km from the South Korean coast and an hour by plane from the capital Seoul. The island was therefore born from a now extinct volcano, the Hallasan culminating at 1950 meters above sea level. Jeju Island measures 73km from east to west and 31km from north to south, an oval shape reminiscent of a rugby ball. The population of the island is about 600,000 inhabitants, of which about 80% live in the capital: Jeju-Si.
Jeju Island is the favorite destination for young Korean couples who have just married, for their honeymoon. It is also a leading destination for holidays, whose tourists are of course Korean, but also Japanese and lately Chinese, since Jeju is one of the ten favorite foreign destinations for the Chinese. This subtropical island is embodied by a multitude of landscapes, from volcanoes to sandy beaches. The Hallasan volcano is also the spearhead of an area designated a national park in 1970.
Monuments are present on the island, these are the Dolharubang , granite statues representing ancient deities. The latter had the vocation of protecting the inhabitants from demons and preserving their fertility.
Its inhabitants are very welcoming and sometimes surprising, like these Haenyeo (women divers). These women aged between 40 and 70 dive into the ocean without equipment in order to collect shells and seaweed. Moreover, it is reminiscent of the hottest regions of Europe since orange trees grow on the island of Jeju, whose oranges have, it seems, an exceptional taste.
Article updated on 7 December 2022
