Jejudo (제주도) is an island geographically distinct from the South Korean peninsula.  While Jejudo (제주도) is considered to be a part of the South Korean soil, it’s considered an autonomous province as well.  So yeah, it’s a bit complicated but to make a long story short, Jejudo (제주도) is considered a part of Korean territory, but with special rights that are not given to other provinces.  Jejudo (제주도) has it’s own unique sub culture and dialect.  Contact with the Japanese, the Mongols, and China have influenced the Jeju (제주) dialect, which is noticeably different from the standard, Korean Seoul dialect.

Jejudo (제주도) contains many tourist attractions.  I would recommend going to see Hallasan (한나산).  Hallasan (한나산) is the tallest mountain in South Korea.  For those of you who are hiking freaks, there’s a national park nearby that leads to a hiking trail.  On Hallasan (한나산) you’ll see a small lake called baengnokdam (백록담), which means ‘white deer lake’.  According to local legend, baengnokdam (백록담) is a deer-hunting-hotspot for the gods.  ( Since when were mountains the natural habitats of deers?  Oh well.)

One of the more poignant sites is the gwaneumsa (관음사) temple on Hallasan (한나산).  Just outside the gwaneumsa (관음사) temple lies a memorial for the victims of the Jeju (제주) rebellion against the South Korean government.  It’s a very controversial part of Korean history and to this day there’s still some residual tensions between the South Korean government and the Jeju (제주) Islanders over this issue.  The Jeju (제주)rebellion is called Jeju minjong hang jang (제주민정항장).  It started when the Jeju (제주) Islanders led demonstrations to protest a tax on agricultural goods.  In response the South Korean government sent troops to squash the demonstrations, which resulted in a large scale execution of villagers.

With it’s rich history and scenic sites, I’d recommend everyone to go to Jejudo (제주도) at least once.  In my next post, you’ll see why Jejudo (제주도) is a great place to go for the Valentines Day weekend.  (Wink, wink).