KOREA FOUNDATION

One day after a heavy snowfall at the end of last year, I ventured out to Jeju 1100 Altitude to appreciate winter on the snow-covered island. Entry to the highland road had been restricted during the snowstorm, but as the snow stopped and conditions improved, it reopened. Jeju 1100 Altitude refers to the highest point on Jeju 1100 Road, reaching 1,100 meters above sea level. This road linking Jeju City and Jungmun in Seogwipo is open to both hikers and drivers, and it naturally attracts many tourists.

I caught a bus in the new downtown area of Seogwipo, and after a 15-minute ride, got off in Jungmun where I transferred to the No. 240 bus. The only bus that includes Jeju 1100 Road on its route, No. 240 only runs once every hour. After a roughly 40-minute ride, during which I enjoyed the snow-covered scenery outside the window, I arrived at the road’s rest area. While it had not been very chilly at lower altitudes, it was windy and bitingly cold at 1,100 meters high. My hands were so freezing that I could not take pictures, and I had to buy a pair of gloves. Still, there were more people than I had expected, and many of them had come in their own cars, making the rest area rather crowded.

Since a few days had passed since the snowfall, the scenery was not completely white, but it was enough to see the beautiful Mt. Halla covered in snow. People busily took photos, and some children rode sleds they had brought. I was able to walk the trail along Jeju 1100 Altitude Wetland, a place designated as a Ramsar Site, and see the snow-covered wetland with my own eyes.

That was how I relished the snowflakes of Mt. Halla on a day in my first winter in Jeju. I can’t wait to further explore the charms of this island in the coming days.

Ko Dae-hyeon, Global Networking Department

Wintering in Jeju1100 AltitudeRamsar wetlands