Chuja Island ― Island of Harmony Between Ocean and People

By Oleg Kiriyanov

Contributing writer

As soon as Chuja Island becomes visible, the internal broadcasting of the ferry running along the Mokpo-Chuja Island-Jeju Island route says: ``Welcome to Chuja Island ― a paradise for fishing.'' Definitely this small island is famous among many Koreans as one of the best places for fishing. The guidebook says, ``Choose any part of Chuja Island seashore and you will be sure to catch a fish.'' The warm and cold currents that meet there create the perfect environment for fishing.

To be exact, Chuja is not an island but an archipelago consisting of 42 small islets and rocks. Four of them ― Sang-Chuja Island, Ha-Chuja Island, Chupo Island and Hoenggan Island ― have people permanently living there and the rest are uninhibited.

Chuja Island is situated between the famous resort island of Jeju and the mainland. Though it is closer to Jeju Island (just 53 kilometers to the north and only an hour by ferry) in geographical terms and belongs to Jeju-district, Chuja Island is closer to the mainland's South Jolla Province in terms of tradition, culture, language, and way of life.

The archipelago is quite small. Its total size is just 7 square kilometers so the presence of the ocean can be felt everywhere. The population of all the inhibited islands is little more than 3,000 ― about 1,000 households.

Like almost any region in Korea, Chuja has its own historical monuments ― two shrines. One of them is devoted to general Choi Young and the other to a famous Korean educator known only by his family name, Park. These two people lived on Chuja Island for a long period hundreds of years ago.

On the top of the hill near the Sang-Chuja Island port is one more interesting man-made place ― a 24-meter high lighthouse, the light of which can be seen up to 38 kilometers away. This lighthouse was built just a few years ago, so its interior and exterior are very modern. Almost all tourists arriving here pay a visit to the lighthouse.

However, to be honest, the historical monuments and other man-made attractions are not among the strongest points of Chuja Island from a tourism point of view. It is the nature that makes you admire this place. Go to any high hill on the island and you will be able to enjoy fantastic views of surrounding ocean, rocks, and small islands, etc. It is greatly rewarding to go to an uninhabited islet and see its unique beauty, untouched by humans. One local sailor said: ``I was born here, went to Chuja Island school, served for the army and returned back. I have never stopped being surprised at the beauty of the island. It is different every day and you will never get used to Chuja Island's great views.''

As already mentioned, you will never forget that you are in the middle of the ocean. It feels like the ocean long ago generously allowed this small archipelago to exist. And you will never mistake who is ``the boss'' here ― the ocean is. When the ocean becomes angry and expresses its bad feelings in strong storms and winds, the people there have no other choice but to wait for better times. At such periods, Chuja Island becomes totally isolated from the outer world ― the ferries cannot approach the island and there are no other ways to reach the mainland or Jeju.

But it seems that the people of Chuja Island are accustomed to this way of life, living in perfect harmony with the ocean. Despite the less than easy conditions of life on the small island, the local people are very friendly and have a good sense of humor. And the ocean pays them back for such loyal behavior ― by the different kinds of fishes, mollusks and other ``gifts of the sea'' made available to them.

They say that the local anchovy are tastiest in Korea. Other objects of local pride are the mollusks and dried yellow croakers, which are promoted by the local government at a national level. In general, 80 percent of the local people are engaged in jobs related to the fishing industry. In fact, maritime products are probably the only kind of natural resource the island has.

When talking about the people of the island, the famous women-divers or ``haenyeos'' should be mentioned. Usually Jeju is regarded as the island of women-divers, but Chuja has about twenty of them, quite a large number for such a small island.

The sign on the Chujado local government office says: ``New challengers for our generation.'' Indeed the island has its own challenges and has to work hard not to become just another one of the hundreds of small islands in Korea unknown by most Koreans. The local people say that despite efforts, the population of Chuja Island keeps decreasing.

Twenty years ago it was about 7,000, but nowadays it is only slightly more than 3,000. Nearly all the young people want to go to the mainland and leave Chuja as soon as they grow up. The same problem is reflected in the women-divers' business. The youngest of them is about 55 years old. This means that within 20 years there may not be a single woman-diver remaining here.

The island also struggles hard to overcome the image of the island being only worth visiting for fishing. The local government is doing its best to turn the island into a popular tourist destination for all kind of tourists, not just fishermen.

In July Chuja Island will hold its own festival and invite tourists from Korea and other countries. Jeju provincial government also designated the year 2008 as ``Visit Chuja Island Year.'' Visitors coming to Chuja Island this year will pay only 10,000 won for a ferry ticket from Jeju city. Usually it costs more than double this, but the Jeju government has agreed to cover the rest. And local people say that such policies work ― the number of tourists this year doubled compared to last year.

For those who have never seen life on a small Korean island, the visit to Chuja Island will present a good opportunity to see people who manage to exist in harmony with the surrounding ocean.