VISIT JEJU

In the west sea of Jejudo is Chagwido Island, with splendid views of seashore cliffs and bizarre rocks and stones. Chagwido Island is the largest uninhabited island of Jeju. The small island, which consists of the main Jukdo Island, Wado Island, and Jisiriseom Island (Doksuri Rock or Maebawi Rock), is designated as a natural monument. Chagwido Island was a restricted area for three decades and reopened in late 2011.

Chagwido Island is about a five-minute boat trip from Jagunae Port in Gosan-ri. As soon as you step on the island, you can see the grand coastal cliffs with the island’s history in front of you. The real trip begins as you climb the steep stairway. Chagwido’s main island, called Jukdo, is surrounded by bamboo and silver grass. The fields of silver grass swaying in the autumn wind are particularly splendid. This island is attractive throughout the four seasons, and its beauty peaks between autumn and winter.

As you walk through the silver grass listening to the wind passing by, you will see the red Songi Hill and towering Janggun Rock ahead. While Songi Hill refers to a cliff composed of the island’s burgundy-colored scoria, Janggun Rock is the name of one of the Five Hundred Jangguns, while the other 499 are on Hallasan Mountain. Janggun Rock is the only rock that is on Chagwido Island to protect it.

The tale of the 500 jangguns (janggun means a general or strong man in Korean) is a myth about the strange rocks and stones in Yeongsil on Hallasan Mountain. According to the story, a long time ago, there was a mother who had 500 sons. One year, the country’s harvest failed. To get some food, the sons left the house. The mother stayed and started to cook some porridge for her children in a large caldron. While she was stirring the porridge, the mother slipped, fell into the caldron and died. The sons returned, and not knowing about this tragic event, began to eat the porridge. As the youngest began to eat, he discovered a human bone and realized that their mother had drowned in the porridge. Filled with despair, the youngest son ran all the way to Chagwido Island at the westernmost tip of Jejudo. He kept crying, and soon became a rock. Only then did the other brothers notice what had happened. They cried, too, and became rocks at Yeongsil in Hallasan Mountain. These 500 rocks were later named the Five Hundred Jangguns, with the 499 sons on Hallasan Mountain and the youngest on Chagwido Island.  

The trails on Chagwido Island go over a gentle hill and through a field of silver grass. On that gentle mound, called Bollaegi Hill, stands a white lighthouse that was built by the residents of Gosan-ri. They say that when the people had to climb the hill with stones to make the lighthouse, they would breathe hard, which is described as “bollack-bollack” in Korean, and this is the origin of the hill’s name. From the hilltop there is an awesome view of faraway Hallasan Mountain, Sanbangsan Mountain, and Sinchang’s Windmill Coastal Road.  

Chagwido Island has earthy paths decorated with pieces of red scoria and large, magnificent shore cliffs. This small island standing in the middle of the sea resembles the early Jejudo when no people lived there. Chagwido Island has a legend related to its name. Legend has it that there once was a man named Ho Jongdan from Fuzhou in the Song Dynasty, or ancient China. Hearing that a great figure would be born on Jejudo and become a threat to Song, Ho went to Jejudo and blocked the flow of the land and water. 

When he got on his ship to return to Song, Grandma Seolmundae (a goddess who created Jejudo) caused a storm to sink his ship with fury. As Ho’s return to China was prevented, the island got its name Chagwido, which literally means an island where one’s return is stopped in Chinese characters. Even nowadays, Chagwido Island prevents visitors from departing; the island is just too beautiful to leave.

Chagwido Island is the most subtropical region in Jeju, which makes the little island very significant. In the waters around it there are various marine plants, including those that have not yet been presented to the academic world, and a variety of marine animals. Due to its wide range of fish, Chagwido Island is popular among anglers as the best fishing spot. In addition, you can go fishing on a boat leaving from a raw fish restaurant at Jagunae Port. 

An excursion boat usually offers a ride around, and to, Chagwido Island; however, the service is currently unavailable. Besides the boat, you can take the Pirate Submarine and enjoy a splendid underwater view of the clean sea. In this case, you won’t be able to explore the island, but you will have the opportunity to see a variety of fish and seaweed and hear explanations about Chagwido Island.  

Take the geo trail at Jagunae Port, where you sailed to Chagwido Island, and it will lead you to nearby Suwolbong Peak and Dangsanbong Peak. The two peaks are volcanic edifices created when hot magma exploded after coming into contact with cold water. Dangsanbong Peak isn’t easy to climb. It is more than 50 m high and very steep with a slope over 25 degrees. Suwolbong Peak, on the other hand, is lower and gentler, making it much easier to climb. Suwolbong Peak is a precious textbook of volcanology because its coastal cliffs clearly show various sedimentary structures that were formed by volcanic activity.

The geo trail that connects Jagunae Port and Suwolbong Peak runs along the coast. You can see the fabulous coastal trail on one side and the coastal cliffs displaying signs of volcanic activity on the other. After Suwolbong Peak was formed, waves cut off parts of the volcanic edifice, and as a result, its inside has been exposed. Details on the peak's interesting formation are available from the free Suwolbong tour guide, which is provided at the Visitor Center at the approach of Suwolbong Peak.

As you walk along the path on Suwolbong Peak, with its fragrance of flowers on the cliffs and the scent of the sea, you will see water dripping through the rocks. These drops of water are called the Tears of Nokgo. According to legend, there lived a brother and sister named Nokgo and Suwol. One day, in search of a medicinal plant to cure their mother’s illness, the two went up Suwolbong Peak. Unfortunately, Suwol fell off the cliff and died. Her younger brother, Nokgo, cried himself to death. Since then, the water drops falling at the cliff of Suwolbong Peak were called the Tears of Nokgo, and that cliff was named Nokgomul Volcanic Cone. The dripping water is actually rainwater that infiltrates through the coastal cliff’s strata and comes out of the cliff after it fails to pass through the mud beneath the strata.

The top of Suwolbong Peak offers a full view of the three islands of Chagwido Island and Dangsanbong Peak. The nice village of Gosan-ri lies beyond the sea. Suwolbong Peak, located on the western end of Jejudo, boasts the most gorgeous sunset. How about taking a stroll on the geo trail and climbing up to the top of Suwolbong Peak in time for sunset? One of Jeju’s secret wonders awaits you.

A walk from Chagwido Island, where the entire island is a natural monument, to Suwolbong Peak will offer you a wonderful journey to the layered roots of Jejudo. The geo trail linking Jagunae Port and Suwolbong Peak is laid out beautifully along the coastline. The strata of volcanic ash, which were seen only in textbooks, are spread out before you. This western point of Jejudo has the most exquisite sunset. So, time your tour to see it. As the sun sets, the sea slowly changes colors, offering a more fantastic view of the area.