RAS to host Hallyeo waterway tour
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Tourists hike up a walkway on Oedo Island. The scenic spot is only a half-hour ferry ride from Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province. / Korea Times file
By John Redmond
The Korean Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society will offer a tour of the southern tip of the peninsula this weekend.
Early on Saturday, the group led by Sue J. Bae will board a bus to Geoje Island. After the five-and-a-half-hour bus ride, participants will travel by boat through the spectacular Hallyeo Sudo (waterway), which offers views of many beautiful small islands including the famous rock formations known as Haegeumgang.
The journey through the waterway will take about two hours. The group will then spend approximately an hour on Oedo Island, which is home to about 1,000 species of subtropical plants.
Participants can enjoy landmarks on Geoje Island such as Sadeung Castle and remnants of a U.N. Forces prisoner of war camp that held tens of thousands of prisoners during the Korean War (1950-1953). The camp has been transformed into a museum, displaying numerous exhibits and weapons used during the war.
The bus will then travel along the coastal road and pass through the Camellia Woods and Hakdong Beach before returning to Tongyeong, where guests will spend the night.
After breakfast on Sunday, the group will visit Hansan Island, where Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s turtle boats resisted a Japanese fleet during the late 16th century.
Later in the day, it will set out on an excursion around Mireuk Island before starting the trip back to Seoul, including a stop at Chungnyeolsa, a shrine where Admiral Yi’s sword is on display along with other weapons and gifts he received from the emperor of China.
The tour bus will leave at 7:30 a.m. Saturday from the Yongsan Post Office (Subway Line No. 4, Sinyongsan Station, Exit 1) and return Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
The cost is 248,000 won for members and 297,000 won for non-members, which includes transportation (bus and boat), entrance fees, accommodation (one night) and three meals (dinner on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday). For more information, visit www.raskb.com.