Jeju City Explained

Jeju City (ko|제주시|Jeju-si; pronounced as /ko/) is the capital of the Jeju Province in South Korea and the largest city on Jeju Island. The city is served by Jeju International Airport (IATA code CJU).

Located on an island off the Korean Peninsula, Jeju has mild, warm weather during much of the year (September 79°October 70°November 61°December 51°) The city is a well-known resort, with prestigious hotels and public casino facilities. In 2011, 9.9 million passengers flew between the two cities of Seoul and Jeju, making the Gimpo - Jeju route the world's busiest passenger air route.^[2]

Jeju welcomes over ten million visitors every year, mainly from the South Korean mainland, Japan, and China.^{[3] [4]} The population of Jeju City is 486,604 people and 225,139 households (244,468 men and 245,136 women, May 2024).^[5] The population density is 503.18 (per square km, 2020).^[6]

History

The area of the city has played a central role in Jeju since before recorded history. The Samseonghyeol, holes from which the three ancestors of the Jeju people are said to have come, are located in downtown Jeju City.

During the Japanese rule of Korea, Jeju was renamed to Saishū.^[7]

The city has grown quite rapidly since the 1970s. Shin Jeju, or "new Jeju", was created some decades ago, up the hill from the airport and houses many government buildings. The thatched roof buildings that were common throughout the city until the 1970s are gradually disappearing.

The city was separated from Bukjeju County in 1955. However, in 2005 Jeju Province voters approved a proposal to merge the city with Bukjeju County, also merging Seogwipo with Namjeju County to create two large cities directly administered by the province. That change was put into effect in July 2006.

In 2012 Sang-Oh Kim became mayor; he was formerly the Jeju regional president of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.^[8]

Transportation

Jeju City is the principal transportation center for Jeju Province. It is home to the island's sole airport, Jeju International Airport. The Jeju-Seoul route is the world's busiest air route with more than 100 flights per day.^[2]

In addition, its port is the largest on the island, serving the great majority of passenger and cargo vessels that visit the island. It also stands at the center of the island's road network. To travel throughout the city and island, various buses are available. A bus ride from Jeju City to Seogwipo (the second largest city on the island) is typically an hour.^[9]

Economy

Due to its central position in transportation, Jeju City sees the main share of tourist traffic to the island. Many tourists arrive at the city through the port terminal or airport, stay in the tourist hotels of the Sinjeju neighborhood, and stay within the city to visit various Jeju tourist attractions. These include Dragon's Head Rock along the coast; the Samseonghyeol, three holes in the downtown area; Hallasan National Park in the interior; the country's tallest mountain, Hallasan; and world's largest botanical garden, Bunjae Artpia. The 8,500-seat Jeju Baseball Stadium is near the center of the city.

The city also sells many oranges for which Jeju is famous. Jeju City is surrounded by orange and mandarin farms.^{[10] [11]}

Jeju Air has its headquarters in Jeju City.

Geography

In its former boundaries, Jeju City was 19.3 kilometers from east to west, and 10.2 kilometers from north to south. To the north, it looks across the Korea Strait at the southern coast of South Jeolla Province. To the south, it meets Seogwipo at the top of Hallasan, the island's sole mountain.

Tourism

The Jeju Olle Trail and Jeju Olle Walking Festival passes through the city.^{[12] [13]}

The island Udo, one of Jeju's most popular tourist attractions, is located off the city's east coast.^[14] It received 2.23 million visitors in 2016. Seongsan Ilchulbong, an unusually bowl-shaped mountain, is popular for seeing the first sunrise of the year. Around that time, it hosts a sunrise festival with performances and food.^{[15] [16]}

The city has Jeju Stone Park in Jocheon. The large park focuses on Jeju's cultural use of stones, its mythology, and its shamanism.^{[17] [18]} The Jeju National Museum is located in the city proper, near the center.^[19] The Kimnyoung Maze Park is in the city.^[20] The Buddhist temple Yakcheonsa has a natural mineral spring claimed to have healing powers, and is one of the largest temples in East Asia.^[21] It participates in the Templestay program, where guests can stay at Buddhist temples and experience Buddhist culture.^[22]

Demographics

Climate

Jeju City has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with very warm summers and cool winters. In Holdridge classification, Jeju City has a warm temperate moist forest climate. Due to its location, Jeju City is one of the warmest cities in Korea. However, ocean effect snow brings winter precipitation such as snow showers with strong wind during the winter. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is much wetter in summer, with more than 180mm of rain falling in each month from June to September. The highest temperature ever recorded is 37.5C on 25 July 1942 while the lowest temperature ever recorded is -6C on 16 February 1977.

Colspan=14	Climate data for Jeju
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average sea temperature °C (°F)	14.7 (58.5)	13.6 (56.5)	13.3 (55.9)	14.6 (58.3)	16.7 (62.1)	20.6 (69.1)	24.4 (75.9)	26.1 (79.0)	24.5 (76.1)	21.8 (71.2)	18.9 (66.0)	15.9 (60.6)	18.8 (65.8)
Mean daily daylight hours	10.0	11.0	12.0	13.0	14.0	14.0	14.0	13.0	12.0	11.0	10.0	10.0	12.0
Average Ultraviolet index	3	4	6	8	9	10	11	10	8	6	4	3	6.8
Colspan=14 style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;"	Source #1: seatemperature.org [23]
Colspan=14 style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;"	Source #2: Weather Atlas [24]

Administrative divisions

Jeju is divided into 19 neighbourhoods (dong), 4 towns (eup), and 3 townships (myeon):^[25]

Town/township	(Korean)	population (2024)
Aewol-eup	애월읍	38,009
Gujwa-eup	구좌읍	15,203
Hallim-eup	한림읍	20,467
Jocheon-eup	조천읍	25,918
Chuja-myeon	추자면	1,580
Hangyeong-myeon	한경면	9,563
Udo-myeon	우도면	1,583

Neighborhood	(Korean)	population (2024)
Ara-dong	아라동	40,448
Bonggae-dong	봉개동	5,166
Dodu-dong	도두동	3,266
	건입동	8,622
Hwabuk-dong	화북동	23,101
Ido-1-dong	이도1동	7,631
Ido-2-dong	이도2동	48,579
Iho-dong	이호동	4,380
Ildo-1-dong	일도1동	2,194
Ildo-2-dong	일도2동	31,273
Nohyeong-dong	노형동	54,954
Oedo-dong	외도동	22,398
Ora-dong	오라동	16,037
Samdo-1-dong	삼도1동	12,917
Samdo-2-dong	삼도2동	7,815
Samyang-dong	삼양동	22,885
Yeon-dong	연동	42,569
Yongdam-1-dong	용담1동	6,730
Yongdam-2-dong	용담2동	13,956

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in South Korea. Jeju City is twinned with:^[26]

• Guilin, Guangxi, China
• Laizhou, Shandong, China
• Rouen, France
• Sanda, Japan
• Santa Rosa, United States
• Wakayama, Japan

Friendship cities

• Tokyo, Japan
• Beppu, Japan
• Hunchun, Jilin, China
• Kunshan, Jiangsu, China
• Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
• Shanghai, China
• Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Wellington, New Zealand
• Taipei, Taiwan

Memorandum of Understanding

• Ulm, Germany^[27]

See also

• List of cities in South Korea
• Geography of South Korea

External links

• City government website (in Korean)
• Jeju City at Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture
• News: [놀멍쉬멍 제주도 비밀코스⑥] 화북에서 삼양까지 환해장성 따라 걷기 ]. 송세진 . 여행스케치 . 2015-02-10 . ko.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Population statistics . 2024. Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
2. Web site: Top flights . Daily chart . 2012-05-14 . . 2012-05-14 . Jeju, on the South Korean island of the same name, is not one of the country's 20 biggest cities. Yet the island's allure as a domestic tourist destination resulted in 9.9m passengers flying between Seoul and Jeju (in either direction) in 2011. This makes it the busiest airline route in the world, according to Amadeus, a company that provides technology to the travel industry. .
3. Web site: Jeju Island: South Korea's volcanic holiday destination . 2014-04-17 . . 2015-04-15.
4. Web site: The Chinese are buying up South Korea's Jeju Island, and the islanders are not too pleased . 2014-09-11 . . . 2015-04-15.
5. Web site: ko:제주시홈페이지 . https://www.jejusi.go.kr/information/statistics/population.do?mode=detail&notice_id=deb5a1da99934ff3b9c1b226faf8eff4&currentPageNo=1 . 2024-06-14 . www.jejusi.go.kr . ko.
6. Web site: KOSIS. kosis.kr. 2019-03-17.
7. Tectonic history of Jeju Island . 10.14770/jgsk.2014.50.4.457 . 2014 . 50 . 4 . Yoon . Sun . Journal of the Geological Society of Korea . subscription .
8. Web site: 2012-01-29. 'The farmers' mind' is key to accomplishment. 2021-11-15. 헤드라인제주. ko.
9. Web site: 2021-03-09. How to Get Around Jeju Island with Public Transit. 2021-11-15. Trazy Blog. en-US.
10. "Contact Us." Jeju Air. Retrieved on 2010-03-05.
11. "print_jeju.html ." Jeju Air. Retrieved on 2010-03-05.
12. Web site: Route 12 . 2024-07-02 . www.jejuolle.org.
13. Web site: Jeju Olle Walking Festival (제주올레걷기축제) . 2024-06-03 . . . en.
14. Web site: The Marvelous Views of Udo Island . 2024-06-16 . www.visitjeju.net . ko.
15. Web site: Redmond . John . 2010-12-28 . Seongsan Sunrise Peak is a great place to celebrate New Year . 2024-06-25 . . en.
16. News: Yoo . Cheong-mo . December 26, 2019 . Seongsan Sunrise Festival to open on Jeju Island Monday . June 25, 2024 . . en.
17. Web site: Jeju Stone Park . 2024-07-09 . www.visitjeju.net . ko.
18. Web site: Kim . Hoo-ran . 2014-05-02 . [Weekender] A singular vision realized ]. 2024-07-09 . . en.
19. Web site: ko:국립제주박물관 (國立濟州博物館) . https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0069260 . 23 March 2023 . . . ko.
20. Web site: Kimnyoung Maze Park . 2023-12-11 . www.visitjeju.net . en.
21. Web site: 한 . 금실 . ko:약천사 - 디지털서귀포문화대전 . http://www.grandculture.net/seogwipo/index/GC04601224?category=%EC%A7%80%EB%AA%85/%EA%B8%B0%EA%B4%80%EB%AA%85&depth=2&name=%EC%95%84&page=8&search=%EC%95%BD%EC%B2%9C%EC%82%AC . 2024-06-06 . Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture.
22. Web site: Yakchunsa Temple stay program . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160326215304/http://eng.templestay.com/reservation/temple_view.asp?cid=9&idx=56 . 2016-03-26 . 2016-01-17.
23. Web site: Jeju Sea Temperature . seatemperature.org . 3 April 2017 .
24. Web site: Jeju, South Korea - Climate data . Weather Atlas . 3 April 2017 .
25. Web site: http://www.jejusi.go.kr/contents/index.php?mid=010202. https://web.archive.org/web/20130707001854/http://www.jejusi.go.kr/contents/index.php?mid=010202. dead. 2013-07-07. ko:제주시소개 - 지리정보 면적. ko. Jeju City homepage. 2008-08-15.
26. Web site: ko:일본 하다노시 . https://www.jeju.go.kr/jeju/peace/spread/exchange.htm. jeju.go.kr. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. ko. 2020-04-15.
27. Web site: Jeju, Südkorea. ulm.de. Ulm. de. 2020-04-15.