INTRODUCTION

Jeju is an island of mystery.

Most Koreans today think of Jeju as “Honeymoon Island” or “the Hawaii of Korea,” projecting their fantasies onto what they imagine to be a tropical paradise. As many confess to having been there only once or not at all, it remains for the mainland an island of mystery. Steeped in mythology, shamanic ritual, and legend, with a dialect so distinct from the language of the mainland that linguists question whether it represents a separate language entirely, this “island of 18,000 gods” does its part to provide an aura of otherworldliness.

Now the recipient of UNESCO designation in three categories of natural science, the location of the World Conservation Congress in 2012, a test bed for numerous environmental soundness initiatives, and a finalist in the international New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign, Jeju is also renowned for its ecology. Forged by volcanic activity, the island has a wealth of natural phenomena and a 5,000-year history of human civilization in harmony with nature.

The “Jeju woman” is legendary for her image of strength. Originating with a unique creation myth centered on a giant goddess figure and personified by the famed diving women, Jeju has a longstanding matrifocal and economically egalitarian tradition. An island of villages, Jeju boasts a strong sense of community that has been promoted by a history of struggle for subsistence and against multiple invasions and tragedies.

Jeju is equally well known for its “three abundances”—wind, stone, and women—and for its “three absences”—beggars, thieves, and locks. Having also established itself as an island of longevity, with centenarian records kept for the past 300 years and legends circulating in ancient China about an elixir of immortality to be found here, Jeju may house another mystery: the key to eternal life. At the very least, life on this island would seem to contribute to well-being.

Outside of Korea, Jeju remains a mystery largely because so very little has been written about it in English. This book seeks to rectify that dearth of information, and to share the wonders of Jeju Island with the world.