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Stay longer, learn more: Jeju governor encourages visitors to vibe with island's environmental efforts

Published: 09 Jun. 2025, 15:53 Updated: 09 Jun. 2025, 18:47

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun talks during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at International Convention Center Jeju on June 5. [PARK SANG-MOON]

While some see Jeju Island as a short vacation spot, Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hun wants people to stay longer, learn during the process and resonate with the island's environmental efforts.

Jeju Island is a destination loved by many, whether it's people living in Korea looking for a summer retreat or travelers who want to enjoy a relaxed side of Korea.

However, the island has much more, with local officials aiming to transform the location into an environmentally friendly hub.

Jeju Island was chosen by the United Nations Environment Programme and Korea's Ministry of Environment to host this year's World Environment Day on June 5, promoting efforts to eliminate plastic waste.

The island aims to be "zero plastic" by 2040, meaning it will have zero environmental impact from plastic waste. It will cut plastic waste by 50 percent compared to 66,171 tons (146 million pounds) in 2020. It also aims to recycle all the plastic waste on the island, rather than burning or burying it. Becoming carbon neutral by 2035 through various renewable energy sources is another goal.

"Jeju Island's environmental policies used to be centered on preserving the environment, but we have recently been shifting toward sustainability," said Gov. Oh. "In February, we newly outlined our 2040 sustainability strategy based on UN SDGs because protecting the environment is not enough, and we must create a virtuous cycle between environmental protection and growth."

The island also wishes to become a place people come to learn, promoting the concept of learncation, a portmanteau of learn and vacation.

Since last year, the island partnered with 15 universities such as Chung-Ang, Kyung Hee and Sungkyunkwan University to host their students for credit exchange programs over the summer and winter breaks. The program is expanding abroad, inviting students from universities such as the University of Utah and Princeton University.

The Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Oh on June 5 to discuss the island's environmental policies and future plans.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.


What are some key environmental issues of Jeju Island?

Among our sustainability strategies, the most crucial is transitioning to renewable energy. That's why we set our goals to become carbon neutral by 2035. We also set a goal to become plastic waste-free by 2040, which is related to today's World Environment Day event.

These goals can't be achieved by the local government's efforts alone, but also require help from people on the island. That's why we are considering ways to increase engagement with residents, such as our disposable cup deposit system or having restaurants use multiple-use containers for deliveries. We'll also be introducing a plogging application soon. If you see our plogging calendar, we have plogging events scheduled for almost every day. We think it's a good sign that residents and even tourists are engaging with our green initiatives.

Jeju Island was selected as a specialized zone for distributed energy, and President Lee Jae-myung's environmental policies focus on renewable energy. Are there areas you see gaining momentum under the Lee administration?

Yes, Jeju Island was designated as a specialized zone for distributed energy. Currently, the focus is on projects that address challenges faced when implementing renewable energy, particularly around introducing V2G [vehicle-to-grid] systems. But what’s even more important is establishing a system that can effectively operate such projects.

We think creating new business models regarding distributed energy is a topic that will inevitably gain momentum under the Lee Jae-myung administration. We've seen our carbon neutrality policies align with those of the Democratic Party, and many of our initiatives have been reflected in the president's pledges, so I believe our efforts will naturally gain traction.

Creating learncation programs is another area Jeju Island is focusing on. What goals does the island aim to achieve through learncation?

The key is to lengthen the period of stay. One example of learncation is summer and winter schools, which ensure a month's stay. And this creates tremendous value.

As we get more people staying long-term, this also helps reduce the environmental burden. Rather than many people coming to Jeju Island for short visits, fewer people staying longer means less transportation use. This creates fewer carbon emissions. Also, since each person gets to stay on the island longer and spends more during their stay, the value of their stay naturally increases.

What aspects of the island do you think can contribute to creating unique learncation programs?

When we first started creating learncation programs, Jeju National University offered a course about Olle trail walking, and around 1,000 students tried to sign up for the course.

As we move forward, we hope learncation programs can become an opportunity to develop local talent and foster growth in our industries. For example, AI is a big topic these days. What if AI-related talent came to Jeju to work on joint research projects for learncation? Hanwha Systems is currently building a space center at Hawon Techno Campus in Seogwipo, which is set to be completed by October. What if students in space industry majors could come to Jeju, get to see the space center and collaborate with researchers on joint projects for about a month? That is the direction we are looking into.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]