Local’s Locations in Jeju — People Who Came to Jeju
How do people who are building new lives on Jeju interpret the island? For the Local’s Locations project, photographer Park Shinwoo met people who have moved to Jeju and asked them questions.
Interviewer & Video Park Shinwoo
Interviewer Lee Jeongseon
Videography Jang Seungho
The Local’s Locations Jeju interview videos can be watched on the YouTube channel ‘local’s locations.’
EP.1 Beside the Café (Kim Nahui · Yang Chanyeol)
Opening a café in a small fishing village on Jeju (Kim Nahui) It took us a total of one year and two months to find a space. We had just three conditions. Since we were buying, the price couldn’t go above a certain amount; we couldn’t overextend ourselves. We also wanted a parking lot and a bus stop close by. And finally, since the neighbors had probably lived here a long time, we didn’t want to cause them any trouble, so it didn’t have to be this particular village, but we wanted a place where the houses weren’t crammed right up against one another. Only one place met all three conditions, and it was here.
A favorite place on Jeju (Yang Chanyeol) It would have been eight years ago. The place I liked most back then was called Haebyeongdae-gil (Marine Corps Road). I’m not sure that’s still its name. I think it ran along the lower slope of Songaksan. The reason I loved that road is that it was so hard. It’s what I remember most. I walked it carrying a 7-kilogram pack, and the whole path was pebbles and round stones, so it was really tough. When things get hard now, I think of it. I think, I want to go back there. Because it’s so hard that nobody else comes. Nobody walks that road. (Kim Nahui) I like going up Abu Oreum (a volcanic cone). If I go straight after work, it’s a popular spot these days, but if the timing is right, there are moments when I’m the only one who climbs up and the only one who comes down. I really like those moments. And when it’s crowded, I like that too, in its own way.
What you truly need to live on Jeju (Kim Nahui) First of all, my husband. I think if you have one person like that in your life, you can get through it. Someone who accepts my thoughts as they are, and to whom I can say what I think as it is. We do still fight, of course, but he’s the person I’ve talked with the most in my life, so I’d like to have him by my side. And there’s Dongbogi, the cat you saw earlier. Because of him, I can live on Jeju. I come out every day, in snow or rain, to feed him.
A café run by a married couple who love and study coffee and desserts. The dessert menu changes with the seasons.
EP.2 Baengnok Elementary School (Park Ilsang)
Where I’d want to go with friends visiting from Seoul Kids in Seoul can’t really go to the sea. They can’t even see it. But Jeju has a wide-open sea, and I think the sea is the only place where you can have fun with friends. I think the sea is my friend’s favorite place too. We went into the water together, looked at the fish, and swam, and we had a great time. That place was the sea.
My favorite forest on Jeju Eoseungsaengak. I like shady places where trees cover the sky instead of open sky, and I like places where you can hear lots of birds. When there are lots of trees, the air is good, you can hear insects and birdsong, and you might even see a roe deer. That’s nice too. When I’m stressed, climbing an oreum (a volcanic cone) seems to clear my mind.
What worries me most these days Because of COVID, people order in delivery at home, so there’s more trash, and a lot of it gets dumped in the sea. Some people throw their masks on the ground, you know? Because of them, birds can’t fly, tangled up in the straps. I hope people recycle properly and don’t throw trash on the ground. Once I stepped on someone’s chewed gum without noticing, and I was really angry then.
Introducing Jeju to a foreign friend Jeju is a very beautiful island where I live. When you come to Jeju, there are four places you can see first and go to together: the mountain, the oreum (volcanic cone), the seashore, and the forest. Our Jeju has four places that good, so it’s a truly fantastic, heavenly place.
EP3. Bamsuji Maendeurami (Lee Uiseon)
Why open a bookstore on Udo (Lee Uiseon) The most important reason was this: we honestly had no confidence that we could run any kind of shop. We didn’t even plan to. We never imagined we’d end up doing it. So we thought a bookstore might be the kind of place that would draw the fewest customers. And we thought, ‘A bookstore is the place we’d always want to go to.’ Living on Udo, a bookstore was the place we always wished we had, so we decided to open one ourselves.
What you truly need when living on Jeju (Lee Uiseon) Having lived here, I think there are things you have to let go of. We live on Udo, in particular, so there’s a lot of waiting. Packages, for example. Things that usually arrive in a day, you learn to wait for. You think, ‘If it takes three days or four, it’ll get here eventually.’ That kind of ease, that state of mind, is something I think we had forgotten.
How to travel Udo well (Choi Yeongjae) I hope you’ll stay a night. There’s a small island called Uido, I think in the Sinan area, and I went there once because I was so curious about it. I remember that trip very vividly. There’s simply no one there. It’s hushed. It felt as if I’d been vacuum-packed. Yet I felt peace there. It was a little unfamiliar, but so wonderful that I could hear my own breathing. I found that same feeling on Udo once the ferries leave and evening comes. Riding a scooter around the island in two hours is fine, but I hope you’ll come again and stay at least one night. Walk or ride, and when you spot the bookstore, come in, browse a few books, say hello. Then next time you come, you stop by the bookstore again. That’s all. Please, stay the night.
The only bookstore on Udo, ‘perhaps the farthest in all of Korea,’ it doubles as a small café.
EP.4 Yeoreum Mungusa (Summer Stationery) (Lee Jieon)
What brought me to Jeju In 2010, the Olle trail craze was at its peak. I had been studying for the civil service exam, and after it ended I came here to travel. The first guesthouse I stayed at was in Sehwa, and someone there asked if I’d like to work as staff. I thought, “This is my chance,” and told my mom, “I’m not coming home!” At first I stayed a month, then two. It was June 2010, which is really the best season. It wasn’t hot, and it was wonderful. I met my now-husband there, and as we started dating I was even less inclined to go back. Between the romance and how much I loved Jeju, one thing led to another, and somehow I’ve been living here for ten years.
My favorite scene in Sehwa I’d say the Sehwa five-day market. It’s held right in front of the sea, and how many five-day markets are held right by the sea? At the entrance there’s a snack bar, and the owner is kind of the market’s mascot. I love it there too. Whenever I go, I run into at least one neighbor. Once, after a morning workout, I said, “It’s market day,” and headed over, only to find I had no cash. We said, “Don’t you think we’ll bump into someone we know? Let’s borrow from whoever we meet.” Sure enough, we ran into an acquaintance, borrowed some cash, and bought hotteok (sweet filled pancakes) and noodles… It’s a place where people meet, and that scene feels very Sehwa to me.
Why I opened Yeoreum Mungusa This space was an agrochemical shop for thirty years, and it became available to rent just at the right moment, so I took it first. I didn’t know what I’d do with it. I’m not much of a cook, so I thought I’d sell the small goods I love. I’ve always loved going to stationery shops. But when a grown adult walks into one, the owner sometimes gives you a look, like, “What’s with this one?” I wanted to take my time and dig through everything. So I decided to make a stationery shop where adults, too, can browse for a long, long time without feeling self-conscious.
To the neighborhood kids who don’t visit the shop much these days Hey, neighborhood kids. Why haven’t you been coming lately? Is the new Daiso really that great? Is it because school’s out because of COVID? Auntie’s 10,000 social media followers are waiting for funny stories about you, but you’re not coming, so my follower count is dropping. Do you know how hard I worked for those 10,000 followers? You made me thrive and now you’ve stopped visiting, so Auntie is in decline. I’ll have beer candy ready for you. I know you’re watching on Instagram. Please come. I’m bored.
A stationery shop that still carries its old agrochemical shop sign. Students and adults alike can drop in and browse without hesitation.
