Jeju-do

Jeju Special Autonomous Province, or Jeju Province (Jeju-do) for short, is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on, and coterminous with, the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is Jeju City.

Names

In Korean, do is the phonetic trancription of two distinct Chinese characters meaning, respectively, "island" (島) and "province" (道). Thus, Jejudo or Jeju-do can refer to either the island or the government administrative unit. The table below also includes the name of Jeju City, the provincial capital.

English Name	Korean Name	Hangul
Jeju Island	Jeju-do	제주도
Jeju Province	Jeju-do	제주도
Jeju City	Jeju-si	제주시

Historically, the island has been called by many different names including:

Doi (도이, 島夷)
Dongyeongju (동영주, 東瀛州)
Juho (주호, 州胡)
Tammora (탐모라, 耽牟羅)
Seomna (섭라, 涉羅)
Tangna (탁라, 竣羅)
Tamna (탐라, 耽羅)

Before the year 2000, when the Seoul government changed the official Romanization of Hangul, Jeju-do was spelled "Cheju-do". Almost all written references to the island before 2000 use that spelling.

Natural history

Jeju Island – formerly known to Europeans as Quelpart – is a volcanic island, dominated by Halla-san: a volcano 1,950 metres high and the highest mountain in South Korea.

The island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago, during the time period from the Tertiary to the beginning of the Quaternary period, and consists chiefly of basalt and lava. It has a subtropical climate, warmer than the rest of Korea, with four distinct seasons. Half of the summer is rainy, and the winter is fairly dry.

Founding Myth and History

According to the founding myth of Samsonghyol, Jeju was uninhabited until three divine men emerged from the ground at Moheunghyul, now located on the northern foot of Mt. Halla. The first was named Koh, the second Yang, and the third Boo.

Jeju-do was an independent country called Tamna (耽羅) until it became a protectorate of Silla in 662. In 938, after the fall of Silla, Tamna became a protectorate of Goryeo. In 1105 Tamna lost its autonomy and became a province of Goryeo. It was King Euijong of Goryeo who changed the island's name from Tamna to Jeju.

In 1271, Jeju became the base of the Sambyeolcho Rebellion against the Mongols. After Sambyeolcho was defeated in 1273, the Mongols placed Jeju under direct rule, and it became Goryeo territory again in 1367.

When Korea was colonized by Japan in 1910, Jeju became known as Saishu, which is the Japanese reading of the hanja for Jeju. After the defeat of the Japanese, Jeju became an official part of the new Republic of Korea. Jeju was then a part of Jeolla until 1946, when it became a province of its own. On July 1, 2006, Jeju was made into the first and only special autonomous province of South Korea.

In a series of events over several years, known as the Jeju massacre, tens of thousands of people were killed. The cause is still disputed.

Historically, the people of Jeju Island have been the victim of discrimination owing to its location and isolation. The history of Jeju has been largely omitted from South Korean history books and textbooks.

Society and culture

Because of the relative isolation of the island, the people of Jeju Island have developed a culture that is distinct from that of mainland Korea. Jeju is home to thousands of local legends. Perhaps the most distinct cultural artifact is the ubiquitous harubang ("stone grandfather") carved from a block of lava.

Another distinct aspect of Jeju-do is the matriarchal family structures, found especially in Udo and Mara, but also present in the rest of the province. The best-known example of this is the haenyo (해녀, literally "sea women"), who are often the heads of family. They earn their living from diving to great depths without scuba gear in order to harvest abalone, conch, and a myriad of other marine products.

Administrative divisions

Jeju Province was divided into two cities ("Si" or "Shi"), Jeju and Seogwipo, and two counties ("Gun"), Bukjeju (북제주; North Jeju) and Namjeju (남제주; South Jeju) respectively. The two cities were further divided into thirty-one neighbourhoods ("Dong"), while the two counties were divided into seven towns ("Eup") and five districts ("Myeon"). The seven towns and five districts were in turn divided into 551 villages ("Ri").

In 2005, Jeju residents approved, by referendum, a proposal to merge Bukjeju County into Jeju City, and Namjeju County into Seogwipo City. Effective on July 1, 2006, the province was also renamed to Jeju Special Autonomous Province (제주특별자치도) with two nominal subdivisions, Jeju and Seogwipo city. In addition to changes in name, the province has been given extensive administrative power that has been reserved for the central government. This is part of plans to create the Jeju Free International City.

Cities

Jeju City (제주시; 濟州市)
Seogwipo (서귀포시; 西歸浦市)

Symbols

Provincial flower: Rhododendron (Rhododendron Weyrichii / Max (Chamkkot))
Provincial tree: Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora siebold / Noknamu'')
Provincial bird: Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos quelpartensis)

Economy

The projected size of the 2006 budget will be $1.11 billion (1.11 trillion won), an increase of 10% over the year before of $1.005 billion (1.005 trillion won). The total size of the economy in 2006 is projected to be $8.48 billion, or 8.48 trillion won, with a GDP per capita of approximately $15,000. Jeju is also headquarter of DaumLycos which operates Lycos.com and Daum.net which are leading internet portals in US and Korea.

Sister provinces

Jeju's international sister provinces are also islands: Hainan Province (People's Republic of China), Hawaii (U.S.), Sakhalin (Russia), and Bali (Indonesia).

Power supply

The demand for electric power on Jeju is significantly greater than the supply. Power from mainland plants makes up the difference. The island's power-grid is connected to the mainland by the HVDC Haenam-Cheju. However, the majority of the island's electric power needs are met by generators located on the island. As of 2001, there were four power plants on Jeju, with more under planning and construction. The most notable of these are the gas-fired generators of Jeju Thermal Power Plant, located in Jeju City. The present-day generators of this plant were constructed from 1982 onwards, replacing earlier structures that dated from 1968. As elsewhere in Korea, the power supply is overseen by the Korea Electric Power Corporation, or KEPCO.

Notes and references

External links

Jeju | Islands of South Korea | Provinces of South Korea

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