Jeju Island

Jeju island is an island in the Korean strait, south of the Korean Peninsula, “known for three abundances: wind, stones, and women” (3). Jeju's residences are primarily village stone houses with thatched roofs located on pathways lined by stone walls. In the middle of the island is a mountain, Mount Halla, and the belief among the islanders is that their home was formed by a goddess, Grandmother Seolmundae, who gathered dirt from her fields to build the mountains, hills, and volcanoes of the island. In the present day, Jeju island has fields with horses nibbling grass, pine trees, and hotels and inns in Bukchon. In Hamdeok, the thatch roofed structures have been replaced with stucco boxes and tiled or corrugated tin roofs. “Much of the island’s charm has diminished” (258). Modern Jeju has many museums: the Museum of Greek Mythology, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, the African Museum...