Each morning at 6am, the local park is filled with people. Some walk the trails up and down hills beneath 20-meter-tall pine trees. Others hug a tree, tapping their body against its trunk repeatedly. Many utilize the area’s exercise equipment. Some lift weights, others jog. Still more walk barefoot down the long path of small stones, stimulating reflex zones on the soles of their feet for the health of the whole body. They are silent, contemplative, and meditative, breathing slowly and deeply.
All are over 60 years of age—many of them by a decade or two.
At midday in the gazebo at the top of the park’s hill, a dozen elderly women sit and chat. Or nap. Or pet the dog that one of them inevitably brings. They are there every day, spending their afternoons under the trees, in the company of one another. Children soon flood into the nearby playground, filling the air with their laughter and shouts of sheer delight
JEJU’S LONG-LIVED PEOPLE
Jeju is well known for its long-lived people. Ranked first among Korean provinces for longevity, with 65 centenarians currently documented in a population of just over half a million, the island first began keeping such records in 1704. Nearly two millennia prior, according to legend, this island was imagined far and wide, even by the emperor of China, to house the elixir of eternal life—undoubtedly the result of a reputation within the region for longevity even then.
A 91-year-old man in a village on the southern shore lives alone in the customized house he built for the storage of grain more than 50 years ago, when he was also the village chief. He has written two books and is an expert on his village’s history—“Our village is more than a thousand years old, but I only really know the past four hundred,” he says—and spends his days reading and chatting with visitors. He needs only reading glasses and has all his teeth, keen hearing, a full head of thick white hair, and a sharp mind, though he describes himself as “an uneducated man.”
The elderly women of Jeju engage in vibrant interaction that belies their advanced years.
He is also the only remaining official skills holder for the “Rice Harvest Song,” used during labor in this rare village that, thanks to its underground springs, was able to grow the prized grain.
“Blue Zones” are areas around the globe where inhabitants typically reach an advanced age while maintaining relative health and an active lifestyle. Jeju has not yet been added to the official list, unlike the nearby island of Okinawa. Nevertheless, it shares many of the common characteristics found in these regions: family and community connectedness, social engagement and a sense of purpose, regular physical activity, and a diet that is primarily plant-based, regularly includes whole grains and legumes, and is consumed in small quantities.
Jeju islanders work hard well into their old age.
To prepare for the inevitable aging of its population, the central government of Korea recently launched a “centenarian project” that aims to support senior citizens’ social engagement and independence—characteristics that have traditionally defined the elders of Jeju.
The vibrant 78-year-old woman in the apartment above lives alone, doing her gardening and visiting her neighbors each day. She has lived in this “village” within Jeju City—in fact, the same apartment over this house—for the past 25 years.
Another woman of equal or greater age passes through the streets each day, bent over and pushing a heavy cart as she collects cardboard for recycling—and the meager remuneration she receives in return.
The women of “Arirang Kimchi,” a small enterprise in a western farming village, decided that retirement didn’t suit them. Joining together, they began producing and distributing their handmade kimchi from a farm storeroom converted into a commercial kitchen. These women meet and work together five full days a week—and they range in age from their mid-sixties to early eighties.
Shin Chang-hyun, who turned 72 in 2011, is a skill holder of the heobeokjang, a Jeju Island Intangible Cultural Property. He is still highly active in the art.
The people of Jeju are well known for their strong spirit; unlike their mainland counterparts, senior citizens on Jeju make every effort not to depend upon family members, but to maintain their independent status and lifestyle, including their professional work and income, for as long as possible. While a source of hardship, lifelong communal labor has provided both physical activity and shared purpose. Regular hiking of Mt. Halla and the island’s nearly 400 oreum, long a tradition among Jeju’s inhabitants, adds to their physical prowess.
The diving women, dwindling in number because their daughters and granddaughters now want office jobs, are typically over sixty. Some are much older. Some even dive in their nineties. Though difficult and dangerous work, the diving gives them purpose, meaning, and economic independence and freedom. It is also communal: the women share the work, the proceeds, the business aspects, and their lives as they regularly converse as a group before and after the actual diving. And there are hidden benefits as well.
“When I’m in the water,” one says, “I think of nothing but the catch before me. And when I come out of the water, all my worries and cares have disappeared.”
Another key feature of the Jeju people’s health and longevity is their deeply felt connection to the natural environment. Extensive research has shown that regular interaction with nature contributes to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The Jeju natives, with their animistic tradition now referred to as “shamanism,” have traditionally viewed nature in a spiritual manner, making this the “island of 18,000 gods.”
Jeju residents work hard together. Among the things contributing to their long lifespans are economic independence and freedom, as well as a clear goal in life.
Jeju women gather to talk and shell garlic cloves.
An elderly Jeju man making bamboo baskets
Jeju men working in an orchard
Diving women keep working through to the end of their lives.
After working together under the same conditions, diving women check their catch.
The bulteok is where diving women talk about their lives with others.
“To understand Jeju, you must first understand this: Halla is our mother, and the oreum are our sisters.”
An eastern seaside community center is filled with a hundred elderly women, all talking at once and sharing food as they look forward to an annual shamanic ritual known as the jamsu gut. These jamsu—diving women, also known as haenyeo—are contributing to personal and societal longevity in profound ways.
The jamsu gut.(top) The women of the coast carefully prepare fruit and other dishes to wish for a year of well-being and good fortune.(bottom)
The village structure of Jeju has encouraged social activities, rituals for seasonal and life passages, and a sense of belonging and engagement. Furthermore, within each small village there can be found an intricately interdependent system of relationship known as gwendang, which contributes to a profound experience of community and security, and a philosophy of sunurum, or mutual aid.
In a western farming village, a hundred elderly women and men gather for a ceremony of recognition and a communal meal to celebrate Parents’ Day. In accordance with Confucian tradition, village leaders and provincial council members bow to their elders as a means of honoring them.
The island culture is also known for its particularly pure mineral water, fresh air, and healthy food. Jeju’s cuisine was once considered secondary to that of the mainland: it depended on whole grains, which were thought of as food fit only for livestock and grown because the rocky soil and drought conditions did not permit rice to thrive, and the food was relatively scarce due to impoverishment and harsh growing conditions. Today, however, is renowned for its healthful properties.
The people of Jeju perform village tasks together, each helping the others. As a result, the working song has flourished. These residents at a festival are reenacting the “Gotbaguri Well-Digging Song,” which tells of the hard lot of working together to make large buckets owing to the village’s lack of artesian wells.
THE LEGEND OF XU FU: SEEKING THE ELIXIR OF LIFE
Xu Fu, court sorcerer for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, was sent to Mt. Halla to find the elixir of life. He is said to have left this inscription on the rock face of Jeongbang Falls reading “Xu Fu passed by here.”
The Xu Fu Gallery in Seogwipo.
A monument bearing an inscription in the handwriting of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at Xu Fu Park
There is a local legend regarding an emperor of ancient China, Qin Shi Huang (259–210 B.C.). It tells of the court sorcerer Xu Fu (called Seo Bok in Korean), who was dispatched by the emperor to find the elixir of life at Mt. Yeongju (an early name for Mt. Halla), one of the three sacred mountains where the immortals were said to live.
In order to comply with the emperor’s orders, the legend says, Xu climbed up Mt. Yeongju with thousands of boys and girls in search of the elixir. When he arrived at Jeongbang Falls, he was so captivated by its beauty that he carved the words “Xu Fu passed by here” in the rock face before heading west. The name of Seogwipo is said to derive from this inscription.
The legendary quest for longevity lives on today in the discipline of “brain art meditation.” Every year, some 3,000 visitors from places such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Russia, and Hong Kong come to experience a meditative journey that has been led for the past ten years by Lee Ilchi, president of the Korea Institute of Brain Science (KIBS), at the Health and Longevity Theme Park of the Jeju Korean History and Culture Park.
Brain art meditation involves traditional Korean meditation and health practices, such as gi exercises and hypogastric breathing. The goal is to discover oneself and heal one’s mind. Lee believes in the legend of Xu Fu and the long-sought elixir of longevity.
It is thought that the elixir of life that Xu was looking for is derived from the Korean dendropanax tree (Dendropanax morbifera), which is said to contain a pharmacological agent effective in combatting aging.
The Xu Fu Gallery, opened in 2003 above the western cliff of Jeongbang Falls, is rooted in the legend of Xu’s exploits. At the entrance, a stone monument bears the words “Xu Fu Park,” carved from characters written by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
EXPLORING JEJU’S SAVORY DELICACIES
A perception that the island’s cuisine might have something to do with the longevity of its population has led to a spotlighting of the health benefits and wholesome influence of Jeju’s food culture.
Seafood dominates many of the dishes for which Jeju Island is noted and colors a food culture that sets itself apart from that of the Korean mainland. Fresh, glistening, near-translucent slices of hoe (raw fish or sashimi), cut from fish that have just been caught, are a must for any gourmand, as are stews chock full of abalone and bubbling with various other fruits of the sea in earthen pots known as obunjagi haemul ttukbaegi.
Grilled okdom (red tilefish) and galchi (large-head hairtail) melt like butter on the palate. The long, silvery, cutlass-like galchi is another soup favorite. A seaweed known as mojaban (Sargassum fulvellum) is served up in a pork broth called momguk. Sea urchin also brings a salty tang when included in soup dishes.
Grilled Jeju black pig
Mandarin oranges, a Jeju specialty.
Hoe
JEJU’S WATER
Water has always been scarce on Jeju, which sits on porous layers of basalt. The earthenware water jars exhibited at the Folklore and Natural History Museum are symbolic of the hardship endured by local women, who used them to draw water from artesian springs. The underground water that so vexed the women of Jeju in the past is now a valuable resource that has given birth to a thriving water industry. The Jeju SamDaSoo brand of aquifer water is the island’s answer to Evian.
Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min offers his guests SamDaSoo water rather than coffee or tea. “SamDaSoo is pumped up from 420 meters below the surface,” he has said. “Rain that falls on Mt. Halla passes through dozens of layers of volcanic basalt to finally reach the water table, a journey that takes over 18 years.” Every day, the SamDaSoo plant in Jeju City processes up to 2,100 tons of water that has passed inspection by the U.S. Federal Department of Agriculture and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This water is exported to the U.S., China, Japan, and Indonesia. It is refreshing and slightly alkaline, containing naturally occurring minerals.
“Jeju’s mineral water is of world-class quality,” Woo says. “We have plans to create a water industry cluster that includes a hydrotherapy center and producers of specialty liquors, health drinks, and cosmetics.”
Those uninitiated to the world of “water hoe” would do well to try out this Jeju Island specialty by simply dipping their chopsticks into a bowl filled with tender, succulent slices of raw jaridom (pearlspot chromis, a delicious small fish that resembles sea bream) or hanchi (miniature mitra squid) sitting in a bath of spicy, savory, ice-cold broth.
Obunjagi Ttukbaegi
For those unfamiliar with the classic dish known as obunjagi ttukbaegi, it is made with small abalone (obunjagi) that is found clinging to rocks 20 meters under the water. Seventy percent of the nation’s obunjagi is supplied by Jeju Island.
Horned or spiny turban shells—like ocean varieties of escargot—are added along with shrimp and clams to a stew seasoned with doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (red pepper paste) to yield a distinctly piquant and refreshing flavor.
These soups are often accompanied by bingtteok, an incredibly flavorful local dish made from a buckwheat crepe filled with finely sliced, blanched, and seasoned daikon radish.
Black Barley Noodles
Culinary nostalgia is very much in fashion these days as a focus on healthy living has sparked interest in reviving long-cherished flavors of traditional fare lovingly prepared by the grandmothers and ancestors of modern-day Koreans.
At the Black Barley Noodle restaurant in Jeju City’s Ildo 2-dong neighborhood, proprietor Kim Jeong-ja was inspired by fond memories of her grandmother’s tasty black barley pancakes. Kim used black barley rice as the primary ingredient in developing her signature pajeon (green onion pancake), sujebi (hand-torn dough served in a soup), and noodles.
“The black barley harvest yields much less than with regular barley, but it has this wonderful fragrance,” Kim says. “It boasts over five times as much fiber as regular barley and is rich in iron, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals, making it helpful in preventing diseases.”
When Kim prepares her barley rice batter, she combines ground potatoes, mountain yam, and mushrooms with water to create a springy texture. For her noodle soup, she makes a clean-tasting, light broth from kelp, anchovies, and salt. Sea gastropods, another Jeju Island delicacy, impart a refreshing, clean flavor to her sujebi soup.
Horse Meat Delicacies
When it comes to meat, Jeju Island is known for its pheasant, pork from the black pig, and, last but not least, malgogi, or horse meat delicacies.
In the past, Korea’s horses were bred and raised on Jeju Island, leading to an abundance of the animals and the development of dishes from their meat. During the Joseon Dynasty, it is said, horse was presented alongside abalone and mandarin oranges as a local tribute to the royal court. This means that it was likely served as part of the king’s sura, or main meals.
Horse, however, was not restricted to royalty alone; common people dined on the meat as well. It was consumed after the tenth month of the lunar calendar, when the meat was less gamey. Since the meat has so little fat on it, it was enjoyed as tartare and braised short ribs or served seasoned and grilled. The bones were used to make broth or ground into a powder to treat neuralgia.
Horse meat started to appear on restaurant menus in the 1980s, when tourists began flocking to the island in search of the delicacy. There are currently more than 40 restaurants on Jeju that serve horse dishes.
Mandarin Orange Coffee and Chocolate
The mandarin orange is Jeju Island’s number one fruit product. The sweet, tasty fruit is grown on the island’s numerous mandarin orange farms. Over 20 varieties of the juicy citrus have been developed, including the popular Hallabong and Cheonhyehyang, premium fruits sold at supermarkets throughout the country.
Mandarin oranges are also used to flavor chocolate and makgeolli, a traditional rice wine that is currently enjoying a resurgence among trendsetters. The fruit’s peel is used as a medicinal ingredient, too. For instance, the peel of the jin variety of mandarin orange can be boiled in water to make a decoction for treating digestive ailments, while cheong peel is used for medication to treat malaria and bacterial diseases.
JEJU FOOD CULTURE
Visitors can learn about the local cuisine of Jeju Island at the Folklore and Natural History Museum of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Because island life was so basic in the past, food was an especially precious thing. Furthermore, cooking methods had to be simple, since most women worked as divers or farmers and did not have much time for household chores.
Hence, dishes based on raw ingredients were favored over those that required time-consuming steaming, boiling, or simmering. As a result, the cuisine of the island has highlighted the natural flavors of the ingredients rather than the seasonings, resulting in the distinctive characteristics of Jeju’s local food culture.
Recreation of a Joseon era meal. This healthful menu consists of multigrain rice, vegetables, and grilled fish.
Young rape flower shoots paint Jeju yellow in the spring. They can be prepared and eaten, and their fruit is pressed for oil. Rape flower sprouts are a healthy food rich in Vitamin C.
An organic green tea farm using manure from free-range livestock as fertilizer
Jeju carrots are popular for their juiciness and sweet flavor.
The perception that the island’s cuisine might have something to do with the longevity of its population has led to the spotlighting of the health benefits and wholesome influence of Jeju’s food culture. People have become more aware of its primary ingredients, which come from the clean ocean waters and fields nearby, and the fact that the fast cooking methods minimize the loss of nutrients.
Hyeon Hak-su, a public relations official at the Jeju Provincial Government, says, “We have plans to highlight over 470 kinds of Jeju Island cuisine that are good for your health and longevity.”
REPRESENTATIVE FOODS OF JEJU: A GUIDE
• Bingtteok: Cold buckwheat crepes filled with daikon radish (julienned, blanched, and marinated)
Bingtteok
• Galchi: Largehead hairtail, served grilled, boiled in a spicy stew, raw, or in mulhoe (see below)
Grilled hairtail, hairtail and pumpkin stew
• Galchi Hobak-guk: Hairtail fish and pumpkin stew
• Godeungeo: Mackerel, served grilled or raw
Grilled mackerel
Raw mackerel
• Gusal-guk: Sea urchin roe and seaweed soup
• Heuk Dwoeji: Pork from the black pig. This meat has a mild flavor and is served in slices, grilled or boiled.
• Hoe: Any type of raw fish or shellfish; this is a very common dish, with a wide variety of seafood served.
• Jeonbok: Abalone, served in juk (porridge), as jang (stir-fried on the half shell), or raw
Grilled abalone and abalone porridge
• Kkwong: Pheasant, served in dumplings, with buckwheat noodles and vegetables, or blanched in “shabu-shabu” style (stew); also made into a sweet “taffy” (spread/dip)
Pheasant dishes
• Memil: Buckwheat, used in making kalguksu (noodle soup), mandu (dumplings), beombeok (thick porridge with other grains), and other dishes
• Momguk: Pork soup with vegetables and seaweed; also known as mojaban soup
Momguk pork stew
• Mulhoe: A spicy cold broth with raw fish. Its name literally means “water raw.” Common variations use galchi, jari (perch), or hanchi (cuttlefish).
Mulhoe
• Myeolchi-jeot: Pickled anchovies, served as a side dish or condiment
• Okdom: Tilefish, served broiled, grilled, raw, or in a stew
Grilled okdom
Traditionally, the most common meal on Jeju was japgokbap (a bowl of steamed mixed grains including buckwheat, millet, and barley) with jaban (fish of different varieties preserved with salt) and a soup with a doenjang (fermented soybean paste) base.
One of the primary crops today is the gamgyul, a small variety of mandarin orange or tangerine. The Hallabong, a larger citrus similar to the navel orange, is also commonly grown.
When on Jeju, be sure to look for restaurants bearing the name “Haenyeoaejip,” or “Diving Woman House.” These will offer the freshest seafood. When buying food-related products, don’t miss a visit to one of the oiljang, the traditional open-air markets held every five days.