South Korea - #038

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Jeju province encompasses the South Korean island of Jeju in the Korea Strait. It's known for its beach resorts and volcanic landscape of craters and cavelike lava tubes. 

Seongsan IIchulbong Sunrise Park rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago.  It was left with a huge crater at the top with 99 sharps rocks surrounding the crater  and it resembles "a crown"!

The Seongsan Sunrise Peak is a crater with views from the overlook at the top edge of the crater, and a paved stairway/walkway up to the crater's edge. A ticket is required to hike up the hundreds of steps to the overlook on the ridge of the crater, but if you are up to it, the view from the top is wonderful. The crater is accessible from a causeway connected to the main island, but is itself surrounded by water everywhere except along the causeway, which adds to the view of the clear water below. 

The town is below featuring a long walkway to the top of the hill in the background.  The whole landscape if mostly nice green grass as far as you can see to the top.  Only the ambitious people would climb to the top and witness the beauty of the surrounding city of Jeju below.

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak [UNESCO World Heritage] as you can see on the barrels - "New 7 Wonders of Nature".

Seongeup Folk Village is a small town and the Seongeup Folk Village shows the unique culture of Jeju Island: the black lava rock walls, the straight but curvy alleys to block the wind, and the stone grandfather statues (Harubang), which have become a prime feature of the landscape. The local black-haired pigs and tongsi (pigsty / restroom) are especially well-known characteristics of Jeju folk culture. The Jeju black pork is said to be very nutritious - featured at one restaurant was a statue of a black pig!

There were many places to shop - everything from oranges to live fish in their tanks.

Seongeup Folk Village

Located at the foot of Halla Mountain on Jeju Island, Seongeup Folk Village is a small town that holds a vast amount of culture.

Cultural properties in the folk village have been handed down from generation to generation and include treasures such as residential houses, Confucian shrines and schools, ancient government offices, stone statues, large millstones (pulled by horses or ox), fortress ruins, and stone monuments. 

Among the cultural gems of the folk village are intangible cultural assets such as folk plays, native foods, local folk craftsmanship, and local dialect. Even the trees are an important part of the area’s heritage. 

Several zelkova and nettle trees that are hundreds of years old stand at the center of the village, preserving the dignified atmosphere of a bygone era.