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| A bird's eye view of Darangshi Oreum, a parasitic volcano that rises 382 meters above sea level, is located in the northeastern part of Jeju Island. The aerial views were captured from a drone camera. Courtesy of Choi Jae-young |
By Bae Eun-joo
Earlier this month, a group of environmentalists and activists protested against rampant development and destruction on Jeju Island and demanded the island province's Governor Won Hee-ryong answer their repeated calls to preserve the island's natural environment. The demonstration came in line with the government's plan to build a second Jeju airport in the island's eastern Seongsan area at an estimated cost of more than 5 trillion won ($4.2 billion).
As Korea's longtime favorite tourist destination is facing deforestation, environmentalists fiercely oppose forest lands being converted for reckless urban use, raising doubts over the reliability of feasibility studies, ecological evaluations and government transparency. Jeju is the only island in the world with three UNESCO designations — the international organization named Jeju a Biosphere Reserve in 2002, a World Natural Heritage in 2007 and a Global Geopark in 2010.
Jeju boasts of shield volcanic Mount Halla, primeval forests, waterfalls and geothermal springs. "Citizens to Protect Bijarim Forest Road," a civic group which has been fighting to protect Jeju, claims guarding Bijarim Forest is the first crucial step in preventing further destruction of the natural habitat.
Plans for reckless expansion and excessive construction of Bijarim Forest Road will pave the way to a second airport and should be annulled immediately, the group says. Bijarim Forest, designated as Natural Monument No. 374, contains over 2,800 nutmeg trees between 500 to 800 years old and is known to be one of the world's few forests with this single species of trees growing so densely together.
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| Seongsan Ilchulbong, also known as "Sunrise Peak," is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Jeju's most famous geographical features. Courtesy of Choi Jae-young |
Extending over 448,000 square meters, the natural nutmeg grove on Mount Halla has been providing picturesque and, at the same time, therapeutic walks for many visitors. Among the evergreens is an 813-year-old nutmeg tree with a height of 25 meters and a girth of 6 meters, named "New Millennium Nutmeg," which is oldest nutmeg tree in Korea and the oldest of all evergreen trees on Jeju Island. The tree is deemed a witness to the indomitable spirit of Jeju's ancestors in overcoming hardships. Some locals believe in the mystical powers of this noble tree and pray to it for happiness and prosperity.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's initial draft stated a second Jeju airport would be built on over 5.4 million square meters of land, with a terminal of 167,000 cubic meters in size. It will have 44 apron stops, a main runway 3,200 meters long and 380 meters wide, and six side runways. Reportedly, after the first construction phase is completed in 2035, the airport is expected to cater to over 17 million visitors a year. Following a completion of a second phase in 2055, the number is expected to surge to almost 20 million a year. Jeju Island saw over 14.4 million tourists in 2019, a whopping increase from 5 million just 10 years earlier.
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| An aerial view of a funnel-shaped crater on top of Darangshi Oreum. The crater with a circular diameter of 3,391 meters still preserves its original shape unlike other craters in cones. Courtesy of Choi Jae-young |
The local government has since converted over 99 million square meters of forest land into golf courses and resorts to make the island more attractive to visitors. Environmentalists claim tourists generate over 20,000 tons of garbage every year. The provincial government, being unprepared to dispose of the huge amount of waste, leaked untreated sewage into the ocean. With the new airport planned for the island, the inevitable environmental damage will become irreparable.
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