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Seaweed surprise rolls in at Jeju’s Iho Beach

Published: 18 Apr. 2025, 17:33

Local clean-up crews from Jeju City collect large amounts of seaweed washed ashore at Iho Beach in Jeju on April 16. [YONHAP]

Iho Beach in Jeju City, one of Jeju Island’s most popular beaches, is grappling with an unusual invasion of seaweed.

Massive heaps of seaweed washed ashore on Wednesday and again on Thursday. The seaweed, which had been floating in the shallow waters, was pushed onto the beach by strong waves.

As the seaweed began to rot, it emitted a foul odor and attracted pests. In response, more than 20 public workers and environmental stewards affiliated with Jeju City mobilized at 8 a.m. Thursday, armed with hundreds of garbage bags to collect the decomposing vegetation.

An estimated 20 tons of seaweed had washed up the previous day alone. Trucks with a 1-ton capacity made over 30 trips to transport the waste to a disposal site on Wednesday and similar conditions were reported on Thursday. Although a tractor was deployed to handle the volume, much of the cleanup was still done manually, with workers stuffing the seaweed into sacks by hand.

“I’ve been working here for three years, but I’ve never seen seaweed wash up in such massive quantities,” said Park Jae-beom, head of the beach cleanup crew. “Even as we clear it, more keeps coming.”

Local clean-up crews from Jeju City collect large amounts of seaweed washed ashore at Iho Beach in Jeju on April 16. [YONHAP]

Some experts believe that the seaweed was dislodged from rocks due to the rough seas that have persisted since the weekend.

Local authorities have launched an investigation. The Jeju Ocean and Fisheries Research Institute is conducting an on-site study to determine the exact cause and volume of the seaweed influx. The institute anticipates that additional seaweed may continue to wash ashore at Iho Beach in the coming days.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]