Cheju Island

Cheju Island

Cheju Island, also called Quelpart Island, Korean in full Cheju-t’ŭkpyŏlchach’i-do or Jeju-teukbyeoljachi-do, island and (since 2006) special autonomous province of South Korea. The province, the smallest of the republic, is in the East China Sea 60 miles (100 km) southwest of South Chŏlla province, of which it once was a part. The provincial capital is the city of Cheju.

Oval in shape, Cheju Island measures 40 miles (64 km) from east to west and 16 miles (26 km) from north to south. The island is composed of a core of volcanic material that rises symmetrically to the crest of Mount Halla (6,398 feet [1,950 metres]), which has a lake in its crater. The mountain and its surrounding area are a national park. Hundreds of crater-formed hills from which volcanic material once flowed, seaside precipices with waterfalls, and lava tunnels (or tubes) are international sightseeing attractions. The island’s lava tubes and certain other volcanic formations (including Mount Halla) were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. Cheju is bathed in warm currents, and its oceanic climate supports some subtropical plants.

Until 938 the island was an independent kingdom called T’amna. During the Koryŏ period (935–1392) and the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910), it was used as a place of political exile and for grazing horses. The Dutch seaman Hendrik Hamel, the first Westerner known to have visited Korea, drifted to the island in 1653 and introduced it to the West by the name of Quelpart. Cheju achieved provincial (do) status in 1946. Following World War II, the island became a centre of unrest as opposition to the planned division of the Korean peninsula grew. A major rebellion led by leftist guerrillas began on April 3, 1948, ahead of South Korea’s first general elections, planned for early May. Government security forces attempted to suppress the uprising and regained control of the island in 1949, but sporadic fighting continued until the early 1950s. The government was later accused of having committed atrocities during the conflict; although there were no confirmed death tolls, decades later an official investigation estimated that more than 25,000 people had been killed. The extent of the U.S. military’s role in quelling the uprising caused much debate as well. In the early 21st century the South Korean government apologized for any abuses committed by its forces.

The city of Cheju is the island’s principal port and the site of its main airport, which handles domestic and international traffic. Sŏgwip’o (Seogwipo), on the southern coast, is the second largest city and the centre of tourist activity on the island. Tourism, agricultural products (notably oranges), and fishing are among the chief contributors to the economy. A valuable marine product is a species of clam, the shell of which furnishes a special iridescent mother-of-pearl used for inlaid lacquer. Skilled women divers, called haenyŏ (“sea women”), gather seaweed and shellfish. In the early 21st century, controversy erupted over the construction of a South Korean naval base on the southern coast. Area, including 26 small associated islands, 714 square miles (1,849 square km). Pop. (2010) 531,905.