How have generations of residents sustained the village on Gwansa Island?

The island’s ancestors established a way of life by building homes, creating paths and finding ways to survive despite scarce resources and distance from the mainland. Residents share responsibility for keeping their home alive.

What challenges does Gwansa Island face as younger generations move to major cities?

Kym raises the question of what will happen to rural and island communities whose existence depends on a small and aging population as younger generations increasingly move to major cities.

What did Karel Kym’s videos of Gwansa Island reveal about documenting the community?

Kym used short social-media videos to introduce the island to others, but found that a camera could capture its landscapes without fully conveying the generations of work and sacrifice that made life there possible.

It takes a village: What a remote Korean island taught me about community

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Summary

Karel Kym visited Gwansa Island off Korea’s southwestern coast during Chuseok and reflected on how generations of residents have sustained its remote village. With about 30 residents and no grocery or convenience stores, the island depends on collective effort amid geographic isolation and scarce resources. Kym says the community’s persistence also raises questions about the future of rural and island communities as younger people move to major cities. She sees the village as a place where a small community helps protect Korea’s cultural heritage.

Key Facts

Gwansa Island has a population of approximately 30 residents.
Kym documented parts of the island in short videos on social media, but said a camera could not fully convey the generations of work and sacrifice behind life there.
The ancestors of current residents built homes and paths and found ways to survive in an environment where resources were scarce and the mainland was far away.
Karel Kym is a master’s student in International Peace and Security at Korea University and a recipient of the Global Korea Scholarship.
Kym is from Quebec City and founded Québec2Korea, a project exploring and sharing people-to-people connections between Quebec and Korea.

By Karel Kym

Published Oct 26, 2026 12:20 pm KST

Gwansa Island sits near Jindo, North Jeolla Province. Courtesy of the writer

There’s an undeniable contrast between Korea’s national development and the quieter achievement of sustaining a remote village.

During Chuseok, I had the opportunity to visit Gwansa Island, a tiny island off the southwestern coast. With a population of approximately 30 residents, the island is far removed from the fast-paced lifestyle that so often defines modern Korea.

There are no grocery stores and no convenience stores. Instead, there is the sea, the mountains, a handful of homes and a community whose history stretches back generations.

What struck me most was not how little the island had, but how much its people had built.

As someone from Quebec, Canada, I have often been fascinated by Korea’s extraordinary development — the famed "Miracle on the Han River." Technology and economic transformation turned Korea into a global powerhouse.

However, on Gwansa Island, I discovered another side of the Korean miracle that is quieter, less visible and just as remarkable.

There is an old saying: “It takes a village to raise a child.” But what happens when the village itself needs to be raised, protected and kept alive?

The village did not simply appear. It was built, maintained and passed down from one generation to another.

I documented parts of it through short videos on social media, hoping to introduce this lesser-known side of Korea to others. I quickly realized that a camera could capture the island’s landscapes but not fully convey the generations of work and sacrifice that made life there possible.

It is the miracle of people who — despite geographic isolation and limited resources — have managed to sustain a community through generations of collective effort. The ancestors of today’s residents had to establish their own way of life by building homes, creating paths and finding ways to survive in an environment where almost nothing came easily.

Since resources are scarce and the mainland is far away, neighbors are more than simply people living next door. They are part of the same story, sharing the responsibility of keeping their home alive.

Gwansa Island also raises an important question about the future of rural and island communities in Korea. As younger generations increasingly move to major cities, what will happen to places whose existence depends on a small and aging population?

Gwansa Island reminded me that a village’s true wealth can also be found in the determination of those who refuse to let it disappear.

It takes a village to raise a child. But sometimes, it takes generations of people to raise a village.

On a small remote island in Korea, I was reminded that a tiny but strong community can protect a nation’s cultural heritage.

Karel Kym is a master’s student in International Peace and Security at Korea University and a recipient of the Global Korea Scholarship. Originally from Quebec City, she is also the founder of Québec2Korea, a project dedicated to exploring and sharing the people-to-people connections between Quebec and Korea.

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