Discovering the rugged appeal of Korea's lesser-known Heuksan Island

Food & Travel

Published: 23 May. 2024, 14:46 Updated: 23 May. 2024, 21:07

Discovering the rugged appeal of Korea's lesser-known Heuksan Island

Heuksan Island in Sinan County, South Jeolla, from the island's Sangra Peak [LEE JIAN]

HEUKSAN ISLAND, South Jeolla — Ecotourism has been a travel buzzword for decades, though it often remains an abstract concept that looks great in theory but is quite marred in practice.

Heuksan Island in Sinan County strips the hackneyed term to its core.

For Heuksan Island residents, hongeo is both a delicacy and a living

At the far west coast of the peninsula’s bottom tip, this off-grid getaway has no bougie cabins or glamping tents. Nonetheless, it is just as — if not more — luxurious in its own right.

Rustic eateries serve up mountains of freshly caught, luscious seafood sans the inflated prices seen at most tourist hot spots. Nearly all its hotels — however modest — have unobstructed ocean views. The quiet of the island and the extra minutes you can discover within those folds of tranquility is something that no amount of money can buy.

The morning calm at the Heuksan Island [LEE JIAN]

As the sun was rising on a recent Friday morning, an omnipresent calm engulfed the island. Waves gently crashed on the shore and stipes of seaweed softly danced under the clear seawater. Through the crisp, salty air, the hum of ships could be heard in the distance and migratory birds with whom the island’s some 2,000 inhabitants share the space sang a bright song.

“You picked the perfect time to visit,” a passing local said with a soft smile.

He’s right. Heuksan Island isn’t always a giving destination for tourists, largely because of the weather. It’s often blustery, and Yeri Port, where a few hundred travelers are dropped off annually, is closed about one-third of the year, according to county officials. Even if the ferries are in operation, one must brave various subway transfers, a high-speed train lift and two ferry rides — not to mention the very possible seasickness.

The journey from Seoul to Heuksan Island totals around six hours.

In addition, nearly everything, including hotels, boat tours and restaurants, has to be reserved by phone instead of online.

But all is forgiven once inside and immersed in the island life.

As the sun neared its peak, a certain vibrancy quintessential of Korean communities filled the quiet corners with life — at the warehouse where islanders auctioned off fresh seafood; Yeri Port where ships from the mainland dropped off batches of middle-aged tourists donning visors and brightly-colored windbreakers; and village streets where the elderly laid out an array of fish and edible plants to dry under May’s afternoon sun while chatting amongst themselves in a dialect only they can understand. Midday, I encountered my very first hitchhiker in Korea.

Visitors disembark the ship from Mokpo, at Yeri Port in Heuksan Island [LEE JIAN]

But most inspiring of all are the island natives living in villages hundreds of years old. These community-oriented and self-sustaining clusters grow older and smaller by the year but are the basis of what constitutes Heuksan Island’s identity and values. They are also the ones who give the most hospitable welcome to visitors.

“When tourists are here, we consider them temporarily part of our community,” village chief Choi Seong-kwang said.

The Korea JoongAng Daily visited Heuksan Island and its surrounding two smaller islets — Yeongsan and Jangdo — earlier this month. The following is a travelers' guide to these hidden gems.

Heuksan Island

With an area of 19.2 square kilometers (7.4 square feet) and a coastline of 41.9 kilometers (26 miles), Heuksan is one of the bigger islands that dot the peninsula’s southwest waters.

Its name means “black island” — its thick forests and rocky cliffs make the island appear particularly dark when looking at it from a distance.

The government manages the island naturescape today as part of Korea’s largest national park spanning 570 islands and 2,266 square kilometers.

The easiest way to tour the island is by taxi or car, taking a road that wraps some 25 kilometers around the island. The round trip takes around two hours.

The road is full of awing landscapes, including a winding road with 12 consecutive turns. On a clear day, plan the drive to arrive at Sangra Peak in the early evening to catch the sunset.

Sunset from Sangra Peak along the coastal road in Heuksan Island [LEE JIAN]

The coastal drive also includes some educational stops.

Sachon Seodang at Sari Village is an over 200-year-old academy founded by famous Joseon Dynasty scholar Jeong Yak-jeon (1758-1816).

Jeong was exiled during the Catholic Persecution of 1801, also known as the Sinyu Persecution, and spent most of his banishment at Heuksan Island. At the Sachon Seodang, he is said to have taught around six village children and penned the renowned “Jasaneobo” (1814), otherwise known as “The Book of Fish,” about fish and marine life in the waters surrounding Jeju Island.

Some 130 people were banished to Heuksan Island in the Joseon Dynasty alone, and many of them died in exile. In commemoration of this, the county formed an Exile Park on the pathway leading up to Jeong’s academy.

Sinan Bird Sculpture Park in Heuksan Island [LEE JIAN]

For some extra culture, drop by the bird craft museum and an outdoor bird sculpture park, located side by side, featuring dozens of artworks from around the world. Heuksan Island is known to be home to and a place of passing for over 400 varieties of migratory birds.

The outdoor park, located by the shore, has a unique rustic charm with plenty of benches scattered throughout to accommodate the simultaneous revelry of art and nature.

There is also a Migratory Bird Museum nearby that showcases bird taxidermy native to Heuksan.

Yeongsan Island

View of the Yeongsan Island from an observatory [LEE JIAN]

Heuksan Island may be bigger with more touristy things to do, but for those seeking a more solitary retreat, the lesser-known Yeongsan Island some 20 minutes east may be the perfect paradise.

It is a quaint fishing town inhabited by just over 30 people. About one-tenth the size of Heuksan Island, visitors can get a single snapshot of the whole village at the observatory by the island’s entrance.

Standing there on Friday, not a single person could be spotted, but a lone black-winged stilt was treading the shoreline with its lanky crimson legs.

A black-winged stilt was spotted walking along the shores of Yeongsan Island [LEE JIAN]

Inside the village, there are actually many houses, as well as a police station, a clinic and even an elementary school. But many of the buildings are empty now. The school graduated its last student four years ago, and there is just one nurse at the clinic.

“When I went to elementary school here, there were nearly one hundred students,” Yeongsan Island village chief Choi recalled. “My way to school boomed with people.” Over 400 populated the island at the time.

These days, visitors to the island sometimes outnumber the residents. The 100-minute boat tour exploring Yeongsan Island’s sandstone cliffs is a staple tourist activity.

The so-called Elephant Rock seen during a boat tour around Yeongsan Island [LEE JIAN]

For those looking for a more immersive experience of the island life, native residents operate stays at a handful of old houses — often over a hundred years old — that have been renovated. The one restaurant on the island serves the guests seafood caught by the villagers, upon reservation. Whatever they catch is what ends up on the table, though prices (30,000 won for the hoe, or raw fish, meal) are the same every day.

For more information and bookings of Yeongsan Island stays, call 010-7330-7335 or visit the website.

Jangdo Island

Aerial view of Jangdo Island [SINAN COUNTY]

Jangdo Island is named after its elongated shape. Some 8 kilometers, or a 30-minute boat ride, west of Heuksan Island, it is most famous for its internationally recognized mountainous wetlands.

They are designated Ramsar sites, which are wetlands around the world that are said to carry global environmental importance under the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands, a 1971 international treaty signed in Ramsar, Iran, under the auspices of Unesco.

The marshes provide the island’s 60 residents with ample drinking water throughout the year.

The trail leading to a pavilion amid marshland at Jangdo Island [LEE JIAN]

Visitors can sign up for a tour up the mountain marshes where a local guide takes you through stairs and wooden boards along the marshland leading up to a pavilion overlooking yet another stunning open ocean view.

Some 500 species of flora and fauna, including 300 plant varieties and 94 types of birds, inhabit the island’s marshes, according to the county.

Around an hour-long hike, it can get steep and wet at points, so wear sturdy boots and be sure to bring a water bottle.

Future of Heuksan Island

Heuksan Island and its surrounding islets in Sinan County are poised for some change in the coming years.

An airport is slated to open in 2027 on Heuksan Island as part of Sinan County’s 10-billion-won ($7.4 million) undertaking to quadruple its number of tourists in the next four years. What used to be a half-day trip to the island will be reduced to just one hour.

The county also recently made headlines for an ambitious art project, in which it plans to build sorts of museums among the nature, filled with works of art by globally renowned artists like Antony Gormley, Mario Botta and Kim Whanki.

These additions will add to the charm of the island and “consolidate the identity of the island as Korea’s artistic hub,” county Mayor Park Woo-ryang told local reporters.

While there are concerns about damage to the islands’ pristine nature, locals were optimistic.

“We need more people coming to the islands for our communities to continue to exist,” Choi said. “We need better transportation and facilities, and hopefully a boost in tourism can be our silver bullet.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]