Past and future on South Korea's Jeju Island
Our last few days in South Korea has seen a change of pace. We flew to Jeju Island on Sunday off the country's south coast. This gem is popular with Korean holiday makers and increasingly the Chinese, who can fly direct.
However, the influx of Chinese has brought some tension. While welcoming the cash the Chinese spend (and investment in new tourism infrastructure like hotels) locals harbour concerns about the numbers. One example of this is how Chinese people are banned from driving on the island, while other nationalities have no such restriction.
Another source of tension is construction of a naval base on the island. Villagers are upset by what they say is a lack of consultation, and fear the base will destroy Jeju's status as a peace island.
Jeju's special qualities have been recognised by UNESCO, which has made it one of its seven natural wonders of the modern world.
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Shaped by volcanoes, one of the highlights was the steep walk up to overlook Seongsan Ilchulbong, a massive crater on the edge of the island. The view was impressive enough but we had a greater appreciation of the scale when we jumped on a speed boat and cruised around the crater.
Near the speed boat launch point women divers - average age in their 70s - gave a demonstration of their work. The wet suit clad women dived shallowly into the water as they hunted for seafood. One emerged triumphantly with an octopus.
The women divers are one of the traditions of Jeju. Originally men did the diving work but a couple of hundreds of year ago the government imposed a tax on their catch. But a loophole existed so that the catch taken by women was tax free!
One of the other areas of Jeju we visited was Manjanggul lava tube. We are told there are 17,000 km of these tunnels underneath the island, but just 1km of Manjanggul is open to the public.
Tourists with their selfie sticks enjoy the view, Picture: Andrew Tillett/The West Australian
With its stunning natural beauty, Jeju is a photographer'a dream. Ever present among the tourists are so-called selfie sticks, which means you can hold your smartphone about a metre away from your face on a pole and trigger the shutter with a remote, allowing you to strike a perfect pose rather than getting your arms in the shot.
On our return from Jeju, we ducked in for the rehearsal of a K Pop TV being broadcast later that afternoon. The theatricality of the performers is something to behold. One boy band comes out with its members all dressed in different styles. One looks like a lost member of New Kids on the Block, another is all goth and a third glam. Every artist that comes on stage looks incredibly young, enthusiastic and has been carefully groomed. We ask our interpreter Claire what it is the acts are singing. She replies it is just words but they don't mean anything...
What is clear though is that the themes are universal, love and conflict. The hooks also seem to be sung in English while verses are done in Korean.
And "Phone in Love" deserves to be a hit in anyone's language.
I concluded my visit with a tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace, a sprawling complex that dates back to the site in the 1300s but has been extensively rebuilt over the years because of damage to the structures (including fire and Japanese occupation). These wooden buildings were amazing - the colours stood out and wood and stonework first rate.
With such a beautiful day, I made my final stop Seoul Tower, which sits atop Mt Namsan. It is here where you can comprehend just how developed Seoul is. High rise abounds, making for a stark contrast to the mountains that fringe the city. The Han River carves the city into two, with patches of parklands giving this bustling metropolis its green lungs.
I would like to thank the Australia Korea Foundation, the Walkley Foundation and the Korean Press Foundation for their support of our visit to South Korea. I am also grateful to my employer The West Australian for allowing me to participate.
I found my week in Korea very informative and cannot wait to go back.
'''The reporter travelled to South Korea as part of the Walkley Foundation's Australia Korea Journalism Exchange, with support from the Australia Korea Foundation and the Korea Press Foundation.
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