Humans of Jeju: Recent Episodes
Arirang Radio
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the people living in Jeju by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
In 2016, after hearing about teenagers who were forced to use insoles as sanitary pads due to financial difficulties, she founded a cooperative to promote the use of cloth sanitary pads. The cooperative, Hamanghaneun Geunal (The Day in Jeju), consists of 10 members and operates as a social enterprise with a zero-waste focus. They produce various products using organic cotton, which are introduced and sold at their offline platform, Jigubyul Store. The product name, Sorak, was inspired by the Jeju dialect word “sorak,” meaning “soft and dry.” For the past eight years, she has been donating 100 cloth sanitary pads each month to those in need. This year, she is focusing on developing upcycled products made from marine waste, such as buoys, and is actively engaging in environmental activities like giving lectures to spread the message of a zero-waste lifestyle to more people.
Earth-saving farmers running an eco-friendly, year-round healing experience farm called Garden of Tangerines Baryeong. The term "Baryeong" is a Jeju language word that means the origin of organic farming, and they put the philosophy into practice. They offer various experiential programs throughout the seasons: tangerine blossoms in spring, green tangerines in summer, and picking ripe orange tangerines in autumn. Committed to an eco-friendly lifestyle, they implement ecological cycle farming methods, such as seawater farming and cover cropping, to promote a healthy planet and safe food.
After majoring in fine arts, she has worked in various art-related fields. While freelancing in design, illustration, and video production, she experienced burnout. To change her environment, she moved to Jeju, a place she had long admired, in December 2023. After obtaining her certification as a cultural arts educator, she began working as an art instructor. She teaches art not only to children but also to seniors in various settings, including schools and welfare centers in Jeju. Additionally, she shares her daily life in Jeju through a series of web cartoons titled "Jeju Life Daily Toon" on social media.
Kim Eun-young conducts research on crops produced in her hometown of Jeju, using the old text
Park Sungwook started taking photographs in college after inheriting his father's film camera. Although he worked at a Swedish IT company in Seoul, he eventually left to pursue his own passion, moving to Jeju Island with his wife. Noticing the lack of cultural spaces in Seogwipo City compared to other areas, he established a place called "Still Negative Club." This space not only develops film and organizes cultural gatherings but also reinterprets and introduces the value of old things from a new perspective. Through the medium of film cameras, which hold timeless value, he engages in various activities.
Kang Mi-Seung started her career as a fashion and feature editor at a magazine. Despite enduring a grueling schedule of leaving work at 2-4 AM and returning by 7 AM, she suddenly felt the urge to escape and embarked on a journey to the unfamiliar lands of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. There, she met a French man, whom she eventually married, and they now live together in Jeju. Having worked as a journalist, writer, editor-in-chief, and art director, she now leverages all her experiences as a creative content creator in Jeju. To breathe life into her work, she often goes on long travels with her photographer husband. After her third art exhibition, featuring her own drawings, she plans to embark on a year-long journey.
Hong Ji-yeon is a textile artist with a focus on traditional Korean fabric wrapping called bojagi. She became interested in the historical use of bojagi and now works as a bojagi artist. She creates eco-friendly fabric products using natural dyes derived from Jeju’s materials. Hong Ji-yeon conducts classes related to natural dyeing and bojagi art, and her products are exhibited and sold through her online store, "Layer of Hug." She aims to promote sustainable wrapping methods and contribute to the protection of Jeju’s nature. In her free time, she engages in activities such as picking up trash and participating in marine clean-up efforts.
Young-sook, who bakes natural fermented bread in Jeju, and Nils, who works as a creator in various fields, live with their two daughters. Young-sook started baking in earnest after her children were born, first selling at Jeju flea markets. She gradually expanded her activities and now runs a baking studio called 'Breadpit', where she teaches various people how to make natural fermented bread.
Nils, who studied film in Germany, learned cinematography at Chung-Ang University's Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia & Film. Since then, he has worked as a cinematographer, scriptwriter, editor, and colorist in various fields including films, music videos, brand advertisements, brand photography, and art photography.
It's been seven years since Young-sook and Nils came to Jeju. They spend their time balancing life and work while closely watching and supporting their children's growth.
They publish various online content including e-books, podcasts, and newsletters. In Seoul, they both worked as office workers. After getting married, they moved to Jeju, Eun-bi's hometown. For about a year and a half, they ran a vegan restaurant called 'Cheesy Lazy', experimenting with a small business in their own style. Even while running the restaurant, they published content and released booklets as e-books. Through this, they realized they truly wanted to create content, and now they are solely operating the publishing company. They have published an e-book titled "Starting a Restaurant Small Enough Not to Fail". They also organize various gatherings such as retrospective meetings, creative mornings, and meetings for people with questions.
An Hyunmi has worked as a screenwriter for over 30 years, creating various programs and expanding her role to include documentary writing and directing. She has taught screenplay writing in the Department of Broadcasting and Visual Arts at Halla University and currently serves as an adjunct professor. In 2022, she received the Gender Equality Cultural Content Award for her work,
Lee Sia is the mother of Green and Grim and the CEO of the eco-friendly resource circulation platform company, GreenGrim. From her childhood to the present, she has lived every moment with excitement and passion. Born and raised in Jeju as the youngest of four sisters, she grew up under the influence of her mother, who has been running a flower shop for 50 years. She has always been interested in life forms such as flowers and trees. Next to her mother's flower shop is a café run by her sister, which led her to contemplate the waste issues from the many cafés that open and close. As a result, she discovered PLA, a biodegradable plastic alternative to petroleum-based plastics, and even flew to Shanghai, China, while she was pregnant, driven by the urgency that she had to pursue this mission now or never. A week after her visit, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and the world began to focus on the problems of disposable products. With her foresight, GreenGrim was founded at the perfect time and has since been transforming café culture across Jeju and Korea.
Jiseul, a founding member and a 3rd-year student, along with Joohyun, a 3rd-year student in her second year of participation, and Junghun, a 1st-year student, are practicing rights-based sharing through the Human Rights Club Ikki. Together with social worker Mr. Kim Minseok from the Dongbu Social Welfare Center as their teacher, the Human Rights Club Ikki is exploring ways to make beaches more accessible and usable for people with mobility challenges through a program supported by a company in 2024. In addition, they are working on introducing Robo Wheelchairs for the elderly in the Pyoseon area and promoting proper awareness for the mobility-challenged. Witnessing the gradual changes in their surroundings and society through these activities, Jiseul has been inspired to become an energy engineer to address the climate crisis, while Joohyun feels that her perspective on the world has broadened. The youngest member, Junghun, feels pride and self-esteem from being able to help others with his abilities. The Human Rights Club Ikki comprises around ten students from Pyoseon High School, who are striving to create a better world, starting from their local area and extending across South Korea.
Park Ji-hyo runs a vegan bakery called Vegrow in the seaside village of Seongdal-ri, Jeju City. She lives with her large dog and her husband, and also tends a community garden with ten friends. Living in Jeju, she discovered how delicious seasonal produce can be. Rather than baking the same bread every day, she creates bread with seasonal ingredients and organizes a "farm-to-table" program to connect farmers with consumers. She is incredibly diligent when facing new tasks but never misses out on enjoying the pleasures of Jeju's four seasons.
Gilsu and Seokbeom have been close friends since high school, where they were both soccer players. After grueling training sessions, they found solace in listening to music together through shared earphones. After graduating and leading separate lives, the two decided to join forces with their wives, Hyeonji and Yeoreum, to create their own paradise in Jeju. This paradise is a self-service LP cafe called Romi Music House, where visitors can select and listen to LPs themselves. On clear days, they hold a special event called "Blackout Time," where they turn off all the lights after sunset and play music. They also plan fun and fresh pop-up stores with other shops. Romi Music House is Jeju's first solo LP cafe and the first in the country to host "Blackout Time". In less than six months since its opening, it has quickly gained a reputation as a hot spot.
Born and raised in Jeju Island, Moon Hyojin spent her childhood playing the piano in a two-story house with views of Hallasan Mountain to the right and the sea to the left. Her teenage years were marked by a perception of Jeju as a confined space, but she grew into adulthood studying piano and music in Melbourne, Australia, and Seoul. Now back in her hometown, she works to document the disappearing aspects of Jeju. She is not only active as a pianist, composer, performance planner, reporter, and writer, but also transcends the boundaries of art through projects like music exhibitions, Music Bookmarks, and Sound Map.
Born and raised in Jeju Island, Moon Hyojin spent her childhood playing the piano in a two-story house with views of Hallasan Mountain to the right and the sea to the left. Her teenage years were marked by a perception of Jeju as a confined space, but she grew into adulthood studying piano and music in Melbourne, Australia, and Seoul. Now back in her hometown, she works to document the disappearing aspects of Jeju. She is not only active as a pianist, composer, performance planner, reporter, and writer, but also transcends the boundaries of art through projects like music exhibitions, Music Bookmarks, and Sound Map.
It has been eight years since she came to Jeju on a whim to help her sister. For the first year, she spent her time solely on the guesthouse, household chores, and taking care of the children, feeling depressed and lonely. Then, following her sister’s suggestion that the pretty seashells on the nearby Hadori Beach might provide a clue to her life, she began taking walks on the beach and realized the beauty that nature offered. Picking up seashells gave her hope that she could create something, and she reinvented herself as the "Sold-Out Queen" at the famous flea market held at Sehwa Port, leading to the start of her own accessory shop, "Dallang Jeju." She is also active as a member of the organizing committee for the village-led Momo Flea Market and works as a professional environmental instructor specializing in climate change in Jeju.
Studio 126 is an exhibition space that supports everything from the first solo exhibitions of emerging artists to the new ventures of mid-career artists, operated by independent curator Kwon Joo-hee. She keeps the space open almost every day except Sundays, allowing elderly residents to leisurely visit and children on their way to daycare to come in with their mothers to see the artwork. The space is free to enter. Studio 126 serves as an alternative space where art can become a part of the daily lives of local residents, providing opportunities for emerging artists and those whose careers have been interrupted. While she has spent the past five years engaging in fun and interesting projects as a curator, she aims to dedicate the next five years to fulfilling the role of a "public house."
After living for four years in Seoul, South Korea, and seven years in Paris, France, they contemplated where and how they want to live their life. They concluded that they wanted to live like Jessy's father, doing hands-on work diligently and working closely with the earth. Ji-eun, agreeing with Jessy's vision, moved with him to Jeju, where they can overlook the sea. The couple currently runs Maison Notre Terre in Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo City. Like the name of their shop, which means 'Our Earth or Soil and Land,' they enjoy working with things that come from the soil with their own hands. Maison Notre Terre is like their little world, with a cozy workshop equipped with a pottery wheel and kiln, a showroom displaying their handmade ceramic cups and art objects, a kitchen where they make natural fermented bread from scratch, and a storage and roasting space for raw coffee beans.
She has been running Café MayB on Seogwipo Lee Joong-seop Street for 15 years. In 2010, when cafes were rare in Seogwipo, this place became a haven for foreign travelers. Guests gathered one by one to plan interesting events here. Every week, they organized activities like Art Day, where everyone could draw together, Open Mic nights for anyone to sing, charity events, themed parties, seminars, workshops, and more. The contents planned by her and the guests accumulated over one or two years, and she and her guests continue to pursue interesting activities today. Her most important goal every year is to keep this place running for a long, long time.
Debuted as a composer in 1993, he has released over 200 songs. He is a musician who has worked as a composer, producer, and singer. In 2013, after settling in Gujwa-eup area, he was asked to lead the choir made up of local grandmothers. Thinking he would do it for 1-2 years, he ended up doing it for a whopping 10 years, filling the second chapter of his life as the conductor of the Hado Haenyeo Choir. Starting with "I Am a Haenyeo," he has created songs depicting the lives and struggles of haenyeo, performing with the Hado Haenyeo Choir both domestically and internationally.
She engages in creatively planning and realizing children's play culture. In Jeju, she has been creating fun playful equipment with children using plastic boxes used for storing tangerines scattered in rural areas or buoys discarded in the sea, and operating popup playgrounds. She is involved in cultural arts projects to find a balance between life and work, with a particular focus on children's play culture and spaces. As an architecture major, she is creating a culture that can be enjoyed not only by children but also by adults, based on her architectural imagination.
Operating a "Drawing Studio" in Seonheul Village in Jeju City, she introduces the world of drawing to people who have not yet ventured into drawing. Following the drawing project
Operating a "Drawing Studio" in Seonheul Village in Jeju City, she introduces the world of drawing to people who have not yet ventured into drawing. Following the drawing project
Yena and Jaeha, who have loved animals since they were young, chose the path of animal researchers to get closer to animals. Majoring in animal cognition and behavioral ecology, they each lived the life of a scientist in their own way until they met. 'You in One,' located in Ilgwa-ri, a small village in Daejeong-eup area of Seogwipo City, is a science communication space created by the two, who found more joy in sharing and discussing what they learned with people than what they gained in academia. The interior of 'You in One' is designed as a 'field station,' where scientists stay and conduct research. Dreaming of popularizing science among the public rather than just making it accessible, they engage in various activities such as exhibition planning, docent programs, BioBlitz (biodiversity surveys), meetings with scientists, ecological education, Roots and Shoots movement, science book discussions, environmental bazaars, and more.
He is a singer-songwriter and currently active as an environmental docent in Jeju Island. In March 2023, he founded the environmental travel group Green Companion. Currently, he conducts environmental commentary at places in Jeju facing the climate crisis head-on, raising awareness about environmental issues among people. Born and raised in Tongyeong City, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, he considered the environment as a gift bestowed upon birth. He majored in sociology to become a person who contributes to the Earth and is currently striving to protect the natural heritage in beautiful Jeju through creative activities.
He, who loved traveling to Jeju, explored various places in Jeju even before the Olle Trail was established. In 2010, on a hot morning, he was captivated by the sight of a grandmother working in a field next to an abandoned house, which led him to turn his attention to Jeju's abandoned houses. Starting in the winter of 2012, he began investigating Jeju's abandoned houses and initiated a project to revitalize unused spaces, founding the "Jeju Abandoned House Revitalization Social Cooperative." Since 2015, he has been working on projects to activate microeconomic activities in rural areas of Jeju and enhance the local settlement. With an unwavering interest in "the neglected, abandoned, and overlooked," he dreams of a world where small and precious things endure, and he continues to play a role as a facilitator, helping those who wish to settle in small villages in Jeju today.
He lives in Yeosuam, Aewol-eup, Jeju City with his son Si-woo, who writes poetry. About 20 years ago, he suddenly left for Russia to study film and majored in cinematography at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography the following year. His graduation film,
He loves the sea of Jeju. Imagining things that don't happen in the sea and things that he wishes would happen in the sea, he is making them a reality. Starting sea swimming for the balance between work and daily life, it changed his life and even led him to meet his lifelong companion. That's why he is faithfully engaging in marine cleanup activities, upcycling creative activities, and serving as a sea swimming guide for the sake of the sea. Currently, he creates and sells upcycled artworks at
Born and raised in Jungbang-dong of Seogwipo City on Jeju Island. He transformed the public bathhouse built in 1971, inherited from his grandparents, into a multi-cultural space called Lavarr. The space consists of a café on the 1st floor, a gallery and a concept shop on the 2nd floor, and a wine bar and rooftop on the 3rd floor. 'Lavarr' is a combination of 'lavare,' meaning to purify in Latin, and 'var,' meaning sea in Jeju language. Given that water is the primary symbol of this place, its meaning is akin to "sea of healing." Because the public bathhouse in the past was a place to cleanse the body, he reinterpreted the current space as a place to cleanse the mind. Here, where the past and present intersect, he engages in various tasks ranging from running the café and tending to the garden to planning exhibitions, performances, and branding. He hopes that someday this place will be recognized as a creative space for artists and a sanctuary for locals and tourists alike.
She, who was born and raised in Jeju, wanted to leave Jeju Island. After getting married, she started her life on the mainland as she wished, but only after leaving did she come to realize the uniqueness of Jeju. Upon returning to Jeju, she established a village travel program with local residents starting from Pyeongdae-ri Village, and now operates more than 10 village travel products.
She, who was born and raised in Jeju, wanted to leave Jeju Island. After getting married, she started her life on the mainland as she wished, but only after leaving did she come to realize the uniqueness of Jeju. Upon returning to Jeju, she established a village travel program with local residents starting from Pyeongdae-ri Village, and now operates more than 10 village travel products.
An introverted person, she chose Jeju Island as her first solo travel destination. However, despite wandering through quiet cafes and bookstores, she realized there was no space solely dedicated to spending time alone. With a vague idea of creating a special space for solo travelers someday, she quit her job that she had been with for ten years. While pondering about her future and livelihood, she recalled the regrets from her solo travel to Jeju, prompting her decision to build the perfect space she envisioned in Jeju Island. Thus,
From a young age, he was proficient with computers. Whenever he participated in computer competitions, he always clinched the first place. Although he naturally pursued computer science in college, a brief stint working on construction sites as a part-time job led him to change his life's course, inspired by the resolute demeanor of architects.
After majoring in architecture and completing graduate school, he embarked on the path of an architect, co-founding the architectural design company
Since then, while designing various spaces, he has intermittently engaged in intriguing side projects. By chance, he was captivated by an old Nonghyup rice warehouse building in Namwon-eup, Jeju Island, and opened a cafe space called
Utilizing the space, he conducts exhibitions and various events while also practicing architecture design. He values materials derived from nature and enjoys creating a traditional architecture and space. The spaces he designs infuse freedom where the elements and pathways do not overlap.
She has loved drawing since childhood. Due to family circumstances, she had to attend a beauty academy instead of an art school, but it was an opportunity that opened her eyes to makeup at an early age. Starting her assistant career at the age of 22, she is now an 18-year experienced makeup artist. She has worked on almost every makeup-related task, including fashion shows, advertisements, magazines, and music videos. When asked about proud and happy moments as a makeup artist, she mentioned doing makeup for a Jeju friend's wedding and creating makeup for a close couple's 10th-anniversary celebration. Finding joy in making someone happy solely through her talent turned out to be unexpectedly heartwarming. Living in a western village in Jeju with her husband and dog, Jembe, she often takes evening walks, drawing inspiration from the colors hidden in the sunset for her makeup. Lately, she pays closer attention to the colors of Jeju's nature and incorporates them into her makeup. In 2024, she plans to publish her own picture book, featuring drawings of her friends' faces.
A third-generation haenyeo raised in a family of haenyeo. She entered the fishing village as a rookie haenyeo after her mother had been the youngest haenyeo for 50 years, and she has been gathering marine products for three years. She is dedicated to documenting everything about haenyeo and telling stories of the sea. Affiliated with the Haenyeo Cultural Research Institute, she engages in various activities related to haenyeo. Additionally, she has participated in photographing coral reefs on Beomseom and Munseom, a long-standing project by the Green Korea. In March 2024, she plans to visit Dokdo to find records of haenyeo who migrated from Jeju. Dreaming of doing water work in Dokdo, she, along with her mother, who was also a migrated haenyeo, is scheduled to do water work in the sea around Dokdo. In her usual routine, she conducts lectures on haenyeo culture in schools throughout Jeju. She plans to expand this work and start a Haenyeo Culture Academy in the future.
A third-generation haenyeo raised in a family of haenyeo. She entered the fishing village as a rookie haenyeo after her mother had been the youngest haenyeo for 50 years, and she has been gathering marine products for three years. She is dedicated to documenting everything about haenyeo and telling stories of the sea. Affiliated with the Haenyeo Cultural Research Institute, she engages in various activities related to haenyeo. Additionally, she has participated in photographing coral reefs on Beomseom and Munseom, a long-standing project by the Green Korea. In March 2024, she plans to visit Dokdo to find records of haenyeo who migrated from Jeju. Dreaming of doing water work in Dokdo, she, along with her mother, who was also a migrated haenyeo, is scheduled to do water work in the sea around Dokdo. In her usual routine, she conducts lectures on haenyeo culture in schools throughout Jeju. She plans to expand this work and start a Haenyeo Culture Academy in the future.
Together with her husband and two cats, she has settled in Daejeong-eup area of Seogwipo City. Having worked as a designer in Seoul for 15 years, gradually expanding her expertise into illustration and graphic design, she discovered a space that used to be a stationery store 15 years ago. Inspired by this, she opened her own brand, "JooJoo Studio." This place operates as a showroom selling and exhibiting products featuring her drawings, as well as hosting art classes for people of all ages. It has become a space that realizes her dream of having her own brand. In the future, she plans to continue individual projects, exhibitions, and introduce various products as part of her brand through this space.
The artist Kim Kyung-suk, after her daughter received the diagnosis of a rare disease called 'Type 1 Diabetes' in 2014, dedicated ten years to taking care of her. Juggling the responsibilities as a mother, she faced the challenges of guiding her daughter through adolescence, especially after her daughter declared independence, expressing her intention to manage her own health upon entering college. The lost ten years of taking care of her daughter haunted her. Amidst the noise of the world due to COVID-19, she flew to Jeju, the farthest place from where she lived in Korea, starting a new journey alone of her own. Pursuing what she wanted to learn and draw freely, she has been living in Jeju for some time now, exhibiting the works she has created on the island for three years at the Halla Library and Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum. Her aspiration is to continue depicting various landscapes of Jeju through both art and writing. Her daughter, resembling her, is currently managing her own health and enjoying university life. Kim Kyung-suk strives to be a mother who encourages her daughter to pursue dreams.
He operates the
He came to Jeju Island in 2013 and initially planned to stay for one or two years, but now he's in his tenth year on the Island. The haenyeo series, which he thought would be completed within a year, showed no signs of ending, and it led him to plan a new project, meeting the elders who experienced the Jeju April 3rd Incident. Listening and working with an open heart, he meticulously records the challenging life journeys of Jeju's elders. While his academic background is in photography, the uniqueness lies in the fact that the outcome is not just photographs. He captures the stories of haenyeo, creating videos of the underwater world they describe, and planned a web page with GPS coordinates for a real-life experience of Jeju's sea. Engaged in various projects and exhibitions depicting the stories of Jeju's people, he is simultaneously contemplating his next work. At the core of these diverse projects is his warm perspective on ordinary people around us.
He came to Jeju Island in 2013 and initially planned to stay for one or two years, but now he's in his tenth year on the Island. The haenyeo series, which he thought would be completed within a year, showed no signs of ending, and it led him to plan a new project, meeting the elders who experienced the Jeju April 3rd Incident. Listening and working with an open heart, he meticulously records the challenging life journeys of Jeju's elders. While his academic background is in photography, the uniqueness lies in the fact that the outcome is not just photographs. He captures the stories of haenyeo, creating videos of the underwater world they describe, and planned a web page with GPS coordinates for a real-life experience of Jeju's sea. Engaged in various projects and exhibitions depicting the stories of Jeju's people, he is simultaneously contemplating his next work. At the core of these diverse projects is his warm perspective on ordinary people around us.
Majoring in rehabilitation studies and minoring in social welfare, she first encountered sign language through school courses. Since 2000, she has worked as a sign language interpreter. In the days before apps, she interpreted various aspects of the lives of the hearing-impaired, from simple daily tasks such as ordering black bean noodles over the phone to interpreting marriage declarations and death sentences. After seven years of working in Seoul, she moved to Jeju Island with her husband and currently works at the Seogwipo City Hall Public Relations Office, delivering all information about Jeju Island to the information-vulnerable population.
She is a social artist and seed mediator who views the world through the perspective of native seeds. After majoring in pure art and working in the field of public art after graduation, she moved to Jeju to expand her experiences. Engaging in personal gardening, she discovered the meaning and value of native seeds, leading her to establish the role of a "seed mediator" to convey the stories embedded in them. In early 2023, she opened the
He grew up witnessing his great-grandmother personally brewing alcohol and sharing it with people, fostering a culture of communal drinking. Recognizing at early age that places with alcohol can also host people and culture, he decided to continue his great-grandmother's legacy and founded
They are musicians who, while living in Jeju, enjoy everyday life and create music. In 2017, they released their first album,
In Seoul, he worked as a photographer capturing portrait with a 150-year-old camera. During a brief stay in Jeju, he fell in love with the island. Following his heart, he cleaned up his life in Seoul and even changed his profession. The brand 'ODUJEJ', embodying Jeju through his perspective, started with his initial interest in 'meodeul (Jeju language for a pile of stones)'. Subsequently, he expressed Jeju's uniqueness through objects like 'dongjaseok (a type of stone statue)' and 'heobeok (a traditional jar)', creating products in his own unique way. Continuously producing products embodying the essence of Jeju, his dream is to eventually create a 'small Jeju museum' through ODUJEJ.
She is living as the caretaker of Dullang Meditation Salon in Jeju's original downtown. She lived a busy life in Seoul as a career woman until her early 40s, but one day, she found it difficult to cope with the burnout that came her way, and this led her to study meditation. After completing a graduate program in "Meditation Counseling," she is now pursuing her doctoral studies. Through meditation, she rediscovered how to live her life, and currently, she collaborates with people all over Jeju to create various and enjoyable meditation programs.
As a child, Kim Duri fell in love with the wonders of the great outdoors and wildlife during her time in Tanzania, and dreamt of becoming an elephant trainer or a wildlife photographer. However, life took her on a different path, far removed from those dreams. But her fate led her to work at a horse riding stable, where she discovered the importance of communication and training with horses. She began adopting retired horses, spending time with them, and training them through communication. In the pursuit of raising horses in a better environment, she relocated to Jeju Island. Currently, she resides in a spacious rural area in the mid-mountainous area with her husband, two daughters, and seven horses. From the moment she wakes up until she falls asleep, she lives closely with the horses, caring for them, communicating with them, and striving to provide them with better education. In order to promote her unique training methods and the development of a more compassionate horse culture, Kim Duri established Herd and Heart. Through this platform, she shares videos and messages about the training process, seeking to raise awareness and understanding of her training approach and the value of proper horse care and communication.
His hometown is Seogwipo City, Jeju Island. After majoring in Western painting, he spent quite a long time in a period of wandering. He worked as an assistant at an Aboriginal art center in the middle of the Australian desert and taught drawing to refugee children in Thailand. Afterward, he worked for a publishing company, handling design and illustration, and occasionally writing. It has been nine years since he returned to Jeju Island. Using Jeju as his base camp, he lives and occasionally travels to other island destinations around the world. He is an artist as well as a freelance worker who works on various projects taking inspiration from his roots in Jeju and combining his artistic endeavors.
She is both a picture book author and a mother of three children. After acknowledging and accepting that her second child had developmental disabilities, she began writing and drawing. She is the author of
She started learning the piano from a piano teacher who lived in her neighborhood when she was a child. Growing up in a household that loves music and encouraged by her piano teacher, she majored in classical piano. While she enjoyed performing on stage through collaborations and competitions, what she truly loves is planning performances for musicians who aspired to stand on stage. During her college years in Seoul, she founded a performance planning company and organized stages for artist friends she had established connections with over the years. In 2020, at her husband’s request, she moved to Jeju Island and established “Doremi Company”, where she now collaborates with over 20 artists to organize various performances and art programs. She believes that art has a positive impact on the world and is currently thinking of ideas to increase opportunities for ordinary people to engage in arts.
She was born in Incheon City. Due to the nature of her father’s job as a military officer, her family moved to various places, and she spent her childhood growing up in Busan City. The reason for her inseparable connection with Hangyeong-myeon Area of Jeju Island is that it is her parents’ hometown. Her father is from Geumdeung-ri Village and her mother is from Gosan-ri Village. When she was a high school student, she came to Gosan-ri Village to take care of her grandmother, who was in her nineties. She lived in an environment where even electricity did not reach, but when she reached the senior year of high school, she returned to the mainland. After getting married, she relocated to Seoul and worked with various social organizations like NGOs. In 1999, she returned to Geumdeung-ri Village and started farming with her friends.
Geumdeung-ri Village is a small village located in the northwest of Jeju Island, situated between Hangyeong-myeon’s Panpori Village and Dumori Village. Out of its roughly 100 residents, over half are elderly. Village leader Go Chun-hee has been in charge of the village’s administration for 15 years now, working alongside the residents to bring about both significant and small changes in the village.
Kim Im-saeng has been working as a haenyeo (female diver) for 35 years in Gosan-ri village of Jeju City Hangyeong-myeon area. Despite being over seventy years old, she still enjoys diving, and she wishes to continue the life of a haenyeo in the years to come. Her talent includes singing traditional Jeju songs like ‘Seowoojesori’ and ‘leodosana’, and her hobby is cooking. In 2018, she was invited along with other haenyeos from Gosan-ri village to perform on an international stage in Canada. In 2021, she appeared on the show
After completing his medical training in Seoul, he came down to Jeju and took his first steps as a doctor. Liking Jeju, his been living on the island for 13 years now, and a year and a half ago, he opened a neighborhoond clinic where you can see the scenery of Jeju sea and the Hallasan Mountain. Consistently posting writings on the blog, defining his identity as a doctor, he compiled those writings into a book this year. Through the patients he encounters, he observes Jeju and gains insight into societal issues, crafting deep and meaningful writings. After his clinic hours, he practices kendo, rides mountain bikes, and occasionally enjoys fishing. During weekends, he tends to a small garden, and one to two days a week, he always dedicates time to writing.
Her father's last wish was to live in Jeju, so without hesitation, she sorted out her life in Seoul and moved to Jeju Island. But was her father's wish, his last gift to her? Sadly, her father couldn't join her in Jeju. Left alone in Jeju, she decided to continue living there. Then, she fell in love with dogs. Currently, she lives in Sincheon-ri, Seongsan-eup, with eight stray dogs and farms. Since 2021, she has been making dog food and treats with organically grown produce she cultivates herself. Her life's goal is to provide the best nutrition to dogs, and she hopes that all dogs in the world will be happy.
Having established his architectural office in Jeju City, Kwon Jung-woo, originally from Seogwipo City, initially had little knowledge about Jeju City’s original downtown area. However, the place where he coincidentally began his architectural journey, Jeju City’s original downtown, has become a treasure to him. The downtown, where the past and present coexist, is filled with stories that need to be preserved. As an architect, he doesn’t just focus on constructing buildings, he also conducts research on how to unearth the stories embedded in places and spaces, continuing to pass them on. A testament to his efforts is the ‘Kim Young-soo Library’, which he renovated without having to demolish it. This place won the ‘2020 South Korea Public Architecture Award’. He contemplates ways to collect Jeju’s history and convey it through architecture, and he believes that the buildings he has created and those he will create in the future show that. Ultimately, he hopes that Jeju’s architecture becomes known worldwide.
She loves both summer and stationery. She has been living on Jeju Island, where she can freely pursue her passions, for 13 years. Facing job rejections during her twenties, she spent her youth on Jeju Island and even met her husband here. As she traveled around the Island, she worked as a guesthouse staff and later ran a shop in a small container in front of Yongnuni Oreum. During her charming youth, living day by day, she later found a store in the small village of Sehwa-ri where she could fill the place with everything she loved, and opened “Summer Stationery”. Starting as a stationery store for adults and a shop filled with her favorite items, the store has been running for 8 years now. Currently, she also creates her own unique stationery for Summer Stationery and publishes a monthly pamphlet called “Monthly Summer Stationery,” filled with her handwritten notes and drawings. Dreaming of creating a joyful playground for adult customers who yearn for the excitement of summer vacation all year around, she continues to build this small stationery store with modesty and affection even today.
From a young age, she loved both cooking and languages. While she became an English teacher for practical reasons, her thirst for languages led her to study abroad in Germany. Then, she embarked on a backpacking journey to a rural village in Italy. Meeting a kind farming family there, she spent nearly 10 years there learning about food stories and the Italian language while nurturing her dream of becoming a chef. Believing in the power of the stories that food carries, she settled in Jeju Island, where she engages with local farmers and creates local food. Embracing local consumption and the concept of ‘Farm to Table’, she aspires to share fresh and healthy food with a wide range of people. Pursuing simple home-cooked meals that keeps the fresh flavors of ingredients alive, she diligently continues to collect food stories today.
Born and raised in Jeju, from a young age, he enjoyed creating and drawing things. When he entered college, he began to learn sewing techniques. Having a talent for sewing, he made bags for farmers while helping his parents with their farm work. After that, he gradually designed and showcased various workwear, starting from the outfits for farming to different kinds of workwear. He creates products with his unique sensibility and introduce them to the public through crowdfunding. Currently, through the project called ‘Rusty Homies’, he not only produces workwear like farmers’ outfits but also expanded to outdoor wear.
Kim So-yeon lives in a small and charming village called Hagari in Aewol, Jeju, with her husband, two children who are in the 5th grade and the 1st grade, and their pet dog. They moved to Jeju to provide their children with diverse experiences in the world. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, she learned that many children were unable to have proper meals, and with the goal of sharing and giving back, she founded the company <모두의 온기 From.ongi>. The company aims to connect various people, including small business owners, chefs, and farmers, creating a system where they can collaborate to help those in need. She is grateful for her children’s happy life in Jeju and wishes to share that happiness with other children who need help and attention. That is the reason behind creating <모두의 온기 From.ongi>, and it’s the reason why she continues to visit and collaborate with various Jeju local brands tirelessly.
A farmer who has been raising organic tangerine farm for seven years. Since 2021, Moon Hee-sun has been serving as the representative of the “Righteous Farmer Agricultural Association Corporation”, established by members of the Local Food Research Society to promote and revitalize Jeju’s local food. Along with 50 teams of farmers, processing companies, and chefs, the corporation has been running the “Righteous Farmers’ Market” for five years to create a sustainable consumption culture and enhance the influence of local food. The market, held twice a month, offers a diverse selection of Jeju’s local produce. From now on, she also plans to engage in various activities such as “Food Culture Planner”, which connects farmers and consumers. But currently, she works tirelessly at “Daljinbat”, a space set up in Doryeon-dong village for the Righteous Farmers’ Market.
Living with his wife on a farm in Namwon-eup, Seogwipo City, he is a tangerine farmer and the leader of the band ‘Samchunseu’. He is also a guitar instructor at a lifelong learning center. He has been scuba diving for a long time and, for the past 10 years, has been involved in retrieving deep sea trash with fellow instructors. Since last year, he has been increasing his band activities, planning and conducting a performance called “Sorry, Sea”. Along with the performance, he actively practices a campaign of “reducing plastic usage and disposing them properly”. His wish is to contribute in any small way to the beautiful seas of Jeju Island.
Since 2015, she has been living on Jeju Island working as a caricature artist. During the time when caricatures were unfamiliar in Korea, she first encountered it at SeaWorld in San Diego, USA. Falling in love with caricatures, she established the company, ‘FUN Caricature’, in Korea in 2002 and began specialized training in caricature art. Afterwards, she formed a team of caricature artists and operated live caricature drawing at famous tourist attractions such as Everland and Lotte World. After settling in Jeju, she collaborated with Jeju Provincial Government to host the ‘Caricature International Convention’ in Jeju and also planned the ‘World Artist Project’ to provide caricature education to Jeju children. Currently, she consistently participates in caricature courses and volunteer activities for the residents of Jeju.
Born and raised in Jeju Island, Kim Bong-chan majored in botany in college and started working at Yeomiji Botanical Garden in 1990. As he went through positions such as the director of Pyeonggang Botanical Garden, he consistently observed and studied plants even while walking through Hallasan Mountain and forests. Based on such experiences, he accumulated knowledge and experience about gardens while creating the country’s first habitat-based ecological garden. In 2007, he established a landscaping company called “The Garden” and recently created Veke, a nature-oriented garden in his hometown of Jeju. He has also developed other gardens, such as the Amore-Seongsu Garden. His dream is to raise awareness among people about the importance of preserving nature through ecological gardens.
For 10 years, she worked as a middle and high school teacher in Jeju and Seoul, and after giving birth, worked as an English and essay writing instructor. While volunteering as a librarian at her first child’s school, she developed an interest in school libraries. Coincidentally, while participating in community activist training at the Urban Regeneration Support Center, it led her to establish a non-profit organization called ‘Kim Young-soo Library Friends’. The group not only assist in expanding school libraries into village libraries but also develop various book programs and give lectures at schools. Her aspiration is to see more school libraries transform into village libraries and make libraries into a place where children grow into good adults.
He was born and raised in Pyeongdae-ri, Jeju City. After briefly studying at a univeristy on the mainland, he returned to his hometown and has been farming for 45 years. One day, he heard a life story of an elderly villager who was over 90 years old, and his eyes opened to the untold stories of the village. For three years, he met with 33 elderly villagers and collected stories about the village. As a result, for the past seven years, he has been working as a village tour guide, introducing Pyeongdae-ri village to people. He also helps young people settle in the village and established cooperatives with the villagers to engage in various activities. He dreams of Pyeongdae-ri becoming a wonderful village to live in, a harmonious village, and he continues to diligently gather people to strive for such goal.
The youth community project group Jitda consists of three members: Vina, Yunda, and Sol. Their real names are Park Jeong-suk, Kim Ji-su, and Jo Jun-hee. They use nicknames to emphasize mutual respect and equality. Vina represents the energy of the land in Indian mythology, Yunda means ‘opening up’, and Sol means pine tree, chosen out of a sense of lament for the disappearing pine trees. The three had connection through alternative education and came to Jeju with the intention of living a more enjoyable life. They settled in Pyeongdaeri village of Jeju City, and started farming potatoes while operating a small-scale farming platform called ‘Sonong Road’, where they utilize the harvested crops and sell a variety of food products. Currently, they plan interesting activities under the keyword ‘Ban Nong Ban X’, where half of their time is dedicated to farming while the other half focuses on pursuing their individual interests. They organize various cultural events such as humanities gatherings, harvest festivals, and ecological communities in rural villages.
The two actors are a married couple. Since 2017, the couple has built their life in Sehwa 1-ri Village of Pyoseon-myeon Area, which is wife Yura’s hometown, and have been raising their two children there. They founded the ‘CRA Cooperative Association’ and are operating the CRA Art School. Focusing on theatrical play, the couple are providing the local residents with opportunities to experience art through various projects and programs. They have staged various performances, such as ‘Playback Theater’, which is an improvisational theater form where actors shape the stories of local residents who become the audience, and have also planned children’s art programs and theater productions.
After seeing news footage of foot-and-mouth disease culling, he became interested in the environment, and connecting his interest to his work, founded
After experiencing a burnout from work in Seoul, she started pursuing a vegan lifestyle at the recommendation of a friend. While taking a break in Jeju, a place she always loved, she tried making vegan butter and loved it. As more and more friends enjoyed the vegan butter she made, they encouraged her to open a store. In June 2020, she opened a vegan butter shop called “Moonsa Oil Shop” in a peaceful rural village in Aewol. The shop operates as a factory producing vegan butter for half of the week and a space for sales and tasting for the other half.
The couple work by serializing webtoons. Go Dongdong gained attention in Europe by publishing
Rice Nice Sehwa Rice Cake and Mill is a traditional-meets-modern rice cake shop. The mill that was run by grandparents for 40 years is now a rice cake that incorporates Jeju local ingredients with their daughter and granddaughter. Borigaeyeok, made in the traditional Jeju way since 1982, is the signature menu of the store. In addition, as the granddaughter’s recipe is combined with the traditional rice cakes made by the grandmother, the age range of customers has become more diverse. Many customers visit the store to see the three generations. In the future, Kang Ee-ran hopes to widely promote products that her grandmother makes so that Jeju rice cakes become known as a Korean dessert.
In 2011, taking a break from work, she started living in Nap-eup village. She often spent time at the nearby pond, but frustrated by seeing people litter, she started picking up trash and ended up beautifying the area. She enjoyed planting and cultivating flowers, and through this, she found time to heal herself. In order to share this joy with more people, she created a community and started giving away seeds for free. After giving away free seeds to 5,000 people, she received requests to sell large quantities of seeds, which led her to start her flower farm. Currently, she operates two farms and lives as a gardener.
CEO Shim Mi-hyun makes children swimsuits using eco-friendly materials. Four years ago, she witnessed her son, who had started swimming, get injured from the seams of his swimsuit. Despite her searching, she was unable to find swimsuits that are seamless. Knowing that there were no swimsuits made with the cares from a mother’s heart, she decided to make them herself. She went through many trials and errors, but with her passionate and positive personality, she received help from people around her and created the brand she has today. The word ‘Vellong’ in Watervellong means ‘shine’ in Jeju language, and with a hope that children’s dreams will shine, she continues to make swimsuits.
Kim Do Ma is the chief executive of the Kim Tek Hwa Museum as well as the son of the artist who captured the scenery and people of Jeju on his canvas throughout his life. Following in the footsteps of his father, he too is an artist and is currently working on urban regeneration in Jungang-dong of Seogwipo City as a sculptor. Also, planning to open his first studio this year, he plans to expand the field to engage in various artistic activities, including not only sculptures, but also furniture, clothes, hats, and paintings. His grandfather is calligrapher Kim Chang Ha and his father is painter Kim Tek Hwa. Currently, through
Lulu and Lala, who left for Jeju in search of an independent way of life, met each other by chance on a day of typhoon. Realizing that the direction of life they pursue are similar, they decided to live together and became a couple. Having a rule of their own which is living a handmade life and not harming the environment, for 3 years now, the couple has been making beeswax candle which burns and disappears in a rural village of Jeju. Bringing beeswax from the apiary, the couple make candles that symbolizes Jeju in their own way. With names such as ‘Road, Star, Light, Tree, and Time’ Lala Beeswax Candle makes candles that contain the story of Jeju nature as they see and feel.
In 2018, through the Uncle Village Creation Project by Jeju Tourism Organization, Yang Gunmo established a relationship with Sehwa Village. Currently, he works as a village PD at Sehwa Village Cooperative. He is in charge of everything related to the village from planning local travel to looking over a café to talking with the village elders and so on. All on top of creating something fun for Sehwa Village, his heart for the village is sincere.
After working as a fashion brand marketer for 10 years, he moved his life in Seoul to Jeju Island and chose to become a farmer. Using his experience as a fashion brand marketer, he became a farmer who created a brand of his own. He created the brand
Ceramist who studied both Korean and Chinese traditional ceramics and is the representative of ceramic craft brand called ‘Sanhoyo’. While working in China, she unexpectedly returned to Jeju Island three years ago due to COVID-19. Currently, she is making ceramic crafts using the sea shells around the Moseulpo Harbor and dirts from all around the nation. Her representative work is the Half Moon Jar. Even though the same process is used to make the crafts, the result differs in color and texture each time depending on the unique properties of the materials, the temperature of the day, and the temperature of the kiln. Indulging in the fun, she is learning about materials and conducting various experiments to make crafts of her own.
She majored in sociology at university and her realization about how unfair the world can be inspired her to be involved in various development cooperation missions in many underdeveloped countries through KOICA. She once dreamed of a better world overseas and now she still strives to move towards her goal with her bookstore called 'Another Page' located in her hometown, Jeju island. Her bookstore conducts various programs with local residents and pursues finding better ways of living for global citizens. Although her life is full of activities, she is enjoying her busy life. Because she believes that by maintaining her daily routine, she can move towards her goal step by step.
He designs and fabricates furniture at his "Yang Woong-Geol Furniture Studio". He spent his teen years b-boying before his fateful encounter with woodcraft in the military. Although both b-boying and wood crafting gave him joy and happiness, he chose woodcraft for a better future. Woodcraft training led him to develop a passion for furniture design. So, he entered Kaywon University of Art and Design in 2010 to study furniture design. This training background enabled him to expand his boundary of woodcraft and served as a stepping stone for him to run a furniture studio. He was born and grew up on Jeju island. He once left the island for his studies and new opportunities as a furniture designer. He returned to Jeju island in 2018 and now runs a furniture studio in Jeju island.
She was captivated by a TV documentary about Jeju Haenyeo and moved to Jejudo island without a solid plan. She settled down in a town called "Jeo-Ji" and established a cultural center called "the adventures of a castaway" ("탐라표류기" in Korean). She has developed various cultural and art programs since then. While serving as a program coordinator for the center, she discovered eco-friendly plastering which uses only plastic-free materials. She got into it soon and travelled every corner of the country to take on eco-friendly plastering works. Now, she runs a social enterprise called "Paint Doctor".
He grew up watching his father who was a lifelong stonemason building stone walls. When he was young, he was not interested in an inch of his father's job. But, there was a moment when he jumped into the world of stone like fate. Although he majored in arts in college, he came to learn some skills of building stone walls in The Museum of Bonsai Art(The sprited Garden) and The Dumoak Gallery and jumped into the world of stone walls after building his stone wall house. He discovered the precious value of stone throughout his career as a stonemason and this experience inspired him to establish The Art School of Dolbitna which runs various programs. He spends his whole time building stone walls, seeking unknown master stone wall builders, and promoting the precious value of stone to the public.
He runs a woodcraft shop called Woodbien in the remote town of Gosan which is located in the west end of Jejudo island. Woodbien named from a combination of the French word for good, bien and the English word wood. He is determined to craft Long-lasting and good quality wooden products to live up to his shop name. He designs and craft every product on his own. When he has time to spare, he directs plays or plans various performances such as stage reading as a director.
She is the operator of the one and only short film cinema on Jeju Island. She works to inform people of the charm that short independent films give people in giving a lot of inspiration in a short period of time. Right now, there is an actual cinema next to the underground parking lot of a building, but before when there was no actual space, the cinema went to you wherever around Jeju Island and even delivered short films by email. From now, she hopes to create a sustainable ‘short’ enivornment by expanding the meaning of short by not only through short films but by short stories, short thoughts, and one day classes as well.
For a long time, he has been in the fashion industry. While searching for the root of the work that he loves, he felt a desire to grow ‘cotton’ which is the raw material of clothing, and currently cultivates it in the Andoek-myeon area of Jeju Island. Dreaming of making his way into the global market with clothing with his own stories, he designs and makes clothes using the materials that he grows on his own. The name of his farm is Mokhwa Oreum, which will be the name of his clothing brand as well.
Painter Lee Myeongbok majored in Western painting at Chung-Ang University College of Art. Working as a computer graphic designer at MBC and working as a painter at the same time, he left everything behind and moved to Jeju Island to solely focus on painting. In order to paint Jeju Island, he had to first study about the Island. Overcoming the barriers and enduring the struggle, in result, he was able to see the history of Jeju and discover the people within it. Doing so, he recorded the April 3rd Incident through his paintings and also the appearance of Jeju women working in the nature of Jeju.
Hong Lin, who was a chemist, one day fell in love with the scenery of islands and decided to take pictures. By chance, being assigned to a branch photo studio in Jeju, her life of roaming around was able to find a place to settle down on Jeju Island. While planning an exhibition and holding a flea market with artists at Jeoji Art Village, she met a man who draws and even got married. The couple settled in a remote village called Gosan-ri in Jeju Island and opened ‘Slow Photo Studio’. On the days when the studio is slow, she carries her camera and goes all around Jeju to take pictures. Currently, she is running two projects which are ‘ㅅ(Siot) Project’ and ‘SAI Project’.
For 10 years, she worked as an IT developer & planner. Starting her second life in Jeju, she met a turning point in her life. Succeeding with the ‘100 Won Project’ that her husband had proposed to her, she started a work introducing and selling delicious foods of Jeju. The ‘100 Won Project’, for her who has worked in office upto now, was a mission that taught her a different way of life by creating a work of her own to earn 100 won. For 4 years now, she has been introducing and selling Jeju’s seasonal foods online and is learning how food is made by meeting with farmers, fishermen, and producers.
The stationery store that Kim Mi-hye runs is located in a back alley of Jeju City original downtown and sells stationery products that have designs made from the past or have been around us for a long period of time. Kim Mi-hye, who has an introverted and calm personality, worked at a company for 10 years resigned from her work and moved down to Jeju in order to create a space of her dream. Rediscovering the pencils that she once loved, she realized that her dream space would be a stationery store. Writing on a soft note paper and listening to the crunching sound that pencil make while writing her diary, she hopes in the future to make stationery on her won.
A paper artist who goes by the name ‘Lena’. She started her career with a job teaching children. While teaching, wanting to make fun classes for children, she studied origami and fell in love with paper to learn about the world of paper art. Moving to Jeju Island with the thought, ‘Let’s do what I like in a place I like’, let’s listen to the story artist Lena shared about the path of paper art she walks after coming to Jeju.
A girl who was afraid of standing out growing up has now become a young woman who creates environmental documentary film about the reality of Jeju. In the context of development and preservation of Jeju Island, she captured scenes by questioning ‘Where are we going?” Her film titled ‘Where We Go’ has been invited to the 23rd Jeju Women’s Film Festival and will be shown in various places both domestically and abroad. Let’s listen to the story of director Kim Yuri.
Kim Dong-yeon worked in Seoul as a commercial photographer for 9 years and when he turned 30, he moved to live on Jeju Island. Deciding to move to Jeju in search for ‘the happiness he pursues’, he fell in love with the ‘Noji Culture (Outside Culture)’ of Jeju and along with local residents is creating fun projects to enjoy. Enjoying the nature of Jeju from time to time, he is living on the Island putting the nature into his pictures. Let’s listen to the photographer’s life on Jeju Island.
Kim Jihwan, who majored in art at university, worked as a newspaper reporter and moved to Jeju Island with his family 9 years ago. In Jeju, collecting sea waste and creating artwork with them has been a hobby for the artist and with those works he has held more than 20 solo exhibitions. Currently, working as an environmental artist, an educator, and an upcycler, he has continued to work with Jeju sea waste and is holding the first domestic exhibition of pyroplastics under the title ‘Anthropocene – Traces of Jeju’ in the Sanji Lighthouse Café Waves.
Hyun Il-yeon, who was born in Yanji, China, one day decided to travel Jeju Island after she became physically and mentally exhausted from her career living in many places such as Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, and Busan. Gaining courage from people who live freely, she lived working as a staff at a guesthouse in Jeju and went on a travel to Bali and India where she first got in touch with yoga. Hyun Il-yeon, who decided to practice yoga for the rest of her life, is currently living a quiet and comfortable life in Sinheung-ri village of Namwon-eup area doing yoga. Let’s listen to her story together.
After working as a nurse for 17 years, Lee Jin moved to Jeju Island and is currently running a bookstore plus café that specializes in picture books in Seogwang-ri village of Aewol area and Gwangnyeong-ri village of Andeok area with her husband. She made her debut as a picture book author with a book she created through her childhood memories of living on an island called ‘Narodo Island’, and through her bookstore she is running various programs under the keywords of ‘curing and healing’ on Jeju Island. Let’s listen to the stories of the picture bookstore that holds her dreams.
Song Yumi, who was born in Ulsan and lived in Daegu, decided to start her second phase in life on Jeju Island with her husband after his retirement. Having to major Korean painting, Song Yumi runs a natural dye workshop along with accommodation in Sagye-ri village where Sanbangsan Mountain can be seen. Let’s listen to her story of living in Jeju with a passion for natural dye.
Kang Seungcheol, a ceramist who grew up in Jeju and played with Jeju clay since he was a child, fell in love with pottery in university and has worked on Jeju pottery for 20 years now. Researching on sustainable ways to keep the Jeju traditional culture of Jeju pottery alive, he continuously makes efforts to make modern Jeju pottery. Let’s listen to ceramist Kang Seungcheol’s love for Jeju pottery.
Author and Illustrator Shin Hyun-ah, who was selected as the 2010 Bologna Illustrator of the Year, has published two books with stories about ‘Cats’. Receiving love from many readers who enjoy her picture book essay, and being a fan of BTS, recently she has gathered other picture book authors who are fans of BTS to open an exhibition about BTS. Let’s listen to the story of her life and work on Jeju Island.
Born in ‘Deoksuri’, a village that creates Korean traditional caldron, director Kang Myung-eon considers about how we can preserve and develop Seogwipo culture. Let’s listen about the intangible cultural assets of Deoksuri and Seogwipo culture that he shares.
Working day and night, Yangmi Jeong and her husband in their mid-30s, decided to do a month stay in Jeju and through it learned the joy of slowness. Starting their second life on Jeju Island, they opened a small ‘travel shop’ in the small village of Jongdal-ri in Jeju. Now, moving to Taeheung-ri village and running a travel shop full of objects containing memories of the travel that the couple experienced, they are giving travelers another story and memory to cherish. Let’s listen to the story of the travel shop that contains today’s human of Jeju’s time and experience.
Growing up in California, when Jun Lee first visited Jeju Island, he could not believe there was such a place here in Korea. Living on Jeju Island for 9 years now, he is enjoying the life on the Island by making music and playing in local gigs at various venues, concerts, and festivals. Let’s listen to Jun Lee’s life of living as a musician in Jeju nature.
From a childhood experience, CEO Jeryang Ko has lived feeling sorry for nature and the living things around us and has been interest in the ‘ecological environment’ throughout her life. Even before coming to the era of where the need for environment is a must, she went directly into the villages and pondered with the residents about how they can preserve and protect Jeju nature by becoming ‘ecological village’. Let’s listen to CEO Jeryang Ko, and hear about how we can protect the environment and what Jeju Ecotourism Association is doing to do so.
While working in the field of filming, 12 years ago director Hyeong-mook Lim came to Jeju and was able to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a nature documentary director. By chance, he came to know about the world of various creatures living in the intertidal zone of Jeju Island, and came to produce the documentary ‘The Tide Pool: Where the Ocean Begin’. Let’s listen about the Jeju’s unique world of tide pools that he introduces.
After 32 years of researching at National Forest Science Research Institute and serving as the director of Seogwipo Subtropical Forest Research Institute, Dr. Chansu Kim retired and now works as director of Hallasan Ecological Research Institute. Having spent all his life researching Jeju plantation, today he shares with us the interesting stories about the Hallasan Mountain’s characteristics, the world’s only Korean fir tree, Jeju origin flowering cherry tree, and Jeju’s representative crop buckwheat. So let’s listen together.
15 years ago Jeju Olle CEO Eunjoo Ah was working as a reporter for a weekly news magazine. Taking a break from work, she came down to Jeju to support her former senior reporter Myung-sook Seo who was creating the Jeju Olle Trail. Later on, after realizing that making the Olle Trail was building happiness for others, she decided to join Jeju Olle and created the current Jeju Olle Trails. Today, along with her story, we will listen about the recent news at home on Jeju Island about the newly created course 18-2 on Chujado Island and how foreigners can participate in Jeju Olle Trails.
15 years ago Jeju Olle CEO Eunjoo Ah was working as a reporter for a weekly news magazine. Taking a break from work, she came down to Jeju to support her former senior reporter Myung-sook Seo who was creating the Jeju Olle Trail. Later on, after realizing that making the Olle Trail was building happiness for others, she decided to join Jeju Olle and created the current Jeju Olle Trails. Today, along with her story, we will listen about the recent overseas news about how Jeju Olle built an agreement on Joint Completion Certificate System with Camino de Santiago.
Mi-ran Kwon, who lived in China during her childhood, grew up dreaming to become a reporter after watching Korean television program called ‘6 O’clock My Hometown’. Working as a reporter at a broadcasting station in Jeju for 9 years, she has been traveling around the island to tell people about Jeju Island. Let’s listen to the story of her as a reporter, the places in Jeju that she recommends, and the story of her love for surfing.
Christina, an American writer and poet who works as an English teacher in Jeju, published her first children’s book "Blueberry Man" with illustrator Nika, who is famous for her book ‘Haenyeo Rina’. Let’s hear about the true story of the book written by the writer who spent her childhood in Georgia, USA, along with the story of the next book the two writers are creating.
CEO Young-mi Kang has been working with Seolmundae Children’s Library since it was established 25 years ago. Her 6 months year old child, who first went to the library with her, is now 26 years old and Young-mi Kang has now become the director of the Seolmundae Children’s Library. Currently, she is also running a project around the villages to create Jeju Language Picture Books with life stories of Jeju seniors. Let’s listen to her ‘miracle’ story of making Jeju language picture books with Jeju seniors.
Si-young Kang, who worked as a Jeju environmental journalist for nealy 30 years, 3 years ago opened a bookstore named ‘Interview’ which features books related to Jeju’s nature, history, and culture. He was at the historical site where Jeju became the first in Korea to be designated as World Natural Heritage in 2007, and has since become a channel to inform the public about Jeju nature. Let’s hear about the history of Jeju nature that Si-young Kang tells as he expresses his ambition to write a book with stories that he has covered as a journalist.
Wanting to do something meaningful for his hometown Jeju, Purun Bike Sharing CEO Hyung-chan Kim created a bike sharing travel system in 2010 as the number of tourists increased to Jeju. However, after going through challenges and failures, Purun Bike Sharing are now operating the ‘Bike By a Hundred’ program, a program that anyone can easily learn to ride and travel on bike. Let’s hear about the charm of bicycles and the story of the growth and progress that Purun Bike Sharing has gone through.
One day, Si Ya Hong, a painter who is friends with art, came down to Jeju after having a dream that was like a prophecy. Becoming friends with the nature and observing the inner world, she lives on Jeju Island creating her own world of painting called ‘Mind Croquis’. Let’s listen about her art and her life on Jeju Island.
Designer Sang-hee Lee has had a special interest in clothes since she was a kid, and is now a modelist who designs and makes costumes for stage performances. Recently, she has created the stage costumes for Jeju operas ‘Lee Jung-seop’ and ‘Uncle Soon-i’ with her hands. Let’s listen and feel the strength and sincerity of Jeju woman through her life story as a designer.
Husband Hyun-dong Lee and wife Doo-ri Lee, who were working as musical actors, one day felt their health mentally and physically has gotten worse. So, the couple stopped their work and came to live on Jeju Island for a month. But one month has now become 6 years living on the Island. The couple is currently operating a mental care program platform called ‘Care Space’ and is also active in taking care of abandoned dogs to participate in respecting other living beings. Let’s listen to the wonderful Jeju life that they live in.
10 years ago, turning down on studying abroad in Germany, Kidae Kim moved to Jeju Island which he feels as his second hometown. The world of art that he is focusing on is a sustainable way of turning sea waste into a work of art. Let’s listen to his story of his continuous art work inspired by the nature and cultural history of Jeju Island.
The CEO of Moru Tea Farm, Maengchan Kim, one day remembered the wide fields he saw as a child and dreaming of becoming a farmer. From then on, he has been cultivating tea on Jeju Island for 17 years. Let’s listen to the story of the tea farmer who grows sustainable tea with eco-friendly farming methods and has fell in love with the charm of tea.
Kang Na-kyung, who is engaged in various activities as a cultural planner in Jeju, is currently operating an unmanned exhibition space called ‘Seetangraum’ in Namseong Village in the old downtown of Jeju City. Collaborating with contemporary artists in Jeju Island, and also from around the nation and abroad, she hopes ‘Seetangraum’ can become a hub for artists and promotes interesting exhibitions in Jeju.
Born in Jeju, where there are many myths and legends that stimulate imagination, Kim Jin-cheol debuted in 2006 by winning the Jeju New Artist Award for the fairy tale category. Since then, he has won the ‘Tomorrow’s Korea Writer Award’ and recently published a fairy tale with the Suwolbong, the global geopark, as the setting titled ‘Time Travel of Nangi and Tani’. Let’s listen about the charm of fairy tales and the imagination of children that the author shares.
One day on a trip to Jeju Island, Lee Sang-eun all of a sudden signed a contract to rent an empty space which she turned into a restaurant with her own unique concept. In Arangjoeul Street of Seogwipo, she has run the restaurant for 6 years serving home meals from around 30 countries. Let’s listen to her story about food that takes you on a travel around the world.
One day, the husband receives a tragic news. After being diagnosed with cancer, and spending the difficult days, the couple decides to move to Jeju for healing and stability. Walking the oreum in front of their house every day, the couple found the important things in life one by one in Jeju. Let’s listen to the story of the happy couple living in Jeju, which they say is their second hometown.
Born and raised in Seoul, visual artist Lee Sanghong has been working as artist for more than 15 years. His connection to Jeju Island started in 2017 through an exhibition program called ‘Artists and Yeogwan’ held in the old downtown of Jeju City. After that, he spent spring and fall in the old downtown of Jeju City, planning and imagining interesting projects, and prepared an art space ‘Bini Art Space’ in 2022. Let’s listen about his life in Jeju and about the space and time of the artist.
Poet Kang Jihye, who debuted as a poet in 2013, lived like a typical city person before moving to Jeju in 2017. Adapting to the life in Jeju where she has to do many things on her own such as living as a poet, running an accommodation, doing cultural planning, and raising a child, she was able to feel as if she became a protagonist of her own life. Let’s listen to her story about ‘poetry’ and her life on Jeju Island.
After graduating from Chinese politics, MoBe decides to change his path in career to become a photographer. He worked as a commercial photographer in China, and 6 years ago moved to Jeju Island, where he is now running Studio MoBe. Let’s listen to his story about life in Jeju and his photography philosophy.
The colors of nature Kim Myungeun had encountered in nature, such as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and Iguassu Fall in Paraguay, had great impact on her in becoming a ‘color collector’. In Jeju, she collects and records the colors of sea, plants, and the nature and with it even creates lifestyle products so that we can feel Jeju in our daily life. She also suggests a new way of traveling Jeju through ‘colors’. Let’s listen to her story about the colors of Jeju nature.
CEO Yoo Ahram, who likes to walk and climb mountains, created the ‘Zero Point Trail’ as a new way of climbing Hallasan Mountain, the highest mountain in South Korea. The trekking course that starts from the zero sea level has created a challenge of hope for people with its meaning such as ‘New start’ and ‘Back to the beginning’. Let’s listen to Yoo Ahram’s story of life in Jeju and his aspiration to create ‘Zero Point Trail’ not only in Korea but also abroad.
Starting with a humanities and social sciences bookstore in Seoul, Eun Jong-bok has been an owner of a bookstore for 29 years. Facing difficult time living in Seoul, he moved his home to Jeju and is continuing his village bookstore called ‘Jeju Pulmujil’ along the beautiful stone wall streets of Sehwa. Let’s listen to his story of living in Jeju with books and about his village bookstore ‘Jeju Pulmujil’.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
3 years ago head director Seo Moran came to Jeju Island to learn about Jeju traditional food. Seeing and making ‘Jeju traditional food’ than learning about it in words, made her fall in love with the charm of ‘Jeju traditional food’ that led her to join the Vejigeun Research Center. Now, she is spending her daily life in Jeju Island, sharing the stories about Jeju traditional food in a space called ‘Pulgore’. Let’s listen to the story of the Jeju traditional food that she fell in love with.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
Shin Seung-hoon, well-known by his nickname ‘Shin Daejang’, is a Jeju travel planning expert and has been working to promote the life within Jeju Island through Jeju Village Broadcasting Station, Jeju Blog Reporter, Seogwipo SNS Supporters, and other medias. Currently, at the Seogwipo Cultural City Center, he works as a urban culture planner carrying out various projects related to ‘Noji Culture Ceated by 105 Villages’. Let’s listen about the life within Jeju that he tells, and travel course and restaurants he recommends.
In Jeju, the number of pet owners is rapidly increasing. Although there are more than 90,000 households raising pets in Jeju Island, about 7,000 are abandoned each year. Hoping that the word ‘abandoned animal’ will disappear, leader Ko In-suk says that volunteer work is rather ‘healing’ for her. Let’s listen to the story of the leader, who engages in various activities ranging from volunteer work, flea market, and overseas adoption.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
Staring with a minor role in the movie ‘Secret Sunshine’, and appearing in a total of 50 films such as ‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’, ‘Poetry’, ‘Ode to My Father’, and etc. The actor has been working on the stages of movies, dramas, and plays for 20 years. He established the ‘CRA Art School’ in Gasiri village and has worked with actors and local residents to make ‘self-stories’ into art. Let’s listen to the actor, who says he has yet to meet his representative work, and about his life on Jeju Island.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
The husband who is burnout from work, declares one day to his wife, “Let’s move down to Jeju.”
Thinking this could be a turning point of their lives, the couple runs an accommodation and a café in a quiet village called ‘Gasiri’ to fill in their lives one by one. Also, last year the two each published a book about Jeju. Let’s listen about the charming Jeju that the couple is living in.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
Lee Hyunae, who first came to Jeju Island after passing the recruitment for announcer of broadcasting station in Jeju in 2008, one day, found in her heart her dream of wanting to become a voice actor. With courage and determination, she challenged herself to enter the world of voice actors. Eventually becoming a voice actress, she now lives by giving strength and comfort to many people through her voice. Let’s hear about her story.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
Jeon Jangwon, who was working in Hong Kong 10 years ago, came to Jeju Island one day on a vacation. Falling in love with the charm of Jeju, he eventually settled down here and became a free-diving instructor. Currently, he is the leader of a group that conducts underwater cleaning up activity called the ‘Ploving Korea’. Let’s listen to his stories about the seas of Jeju Island and the issues of marine waste that Jeju is facing.
Every Thursday, reporter Jae delivers real life stories of fascinating people who live in Jeju in various ways. Meet the ‘people living in Jeju’ by listening to their actual voices along with the stories of their exciting life in Jeju.
Lucy Sson (Son Bit-na), who majored in oriental painting, with her husband lived in Australia and moved to Jeju Island. Now, she lives on the island with her husband, their child, and their cat named ‘Dorongi’ as if they are traveling in Jeju and paints Jeju folk painting while informing the warm and simple Jeju folk painting to more people. Let’s listen to her story of painting Jeju folk painting and living on Jeju Island.
Lee Yoo-jin, who sees the world through color, is working to find the ‘color’ that suits for people and space. Lee Yoo-jin, who says that her life has become solid since discovering her own color, wishes that more people can discover their own color to live a more colorful life. Let’s listen to her ‘color’ stories together.
Janinto and Yejin, who live on Jeju Island making New Age/crossover music, are sharing the beautiful scenery of Jeju through music and film with many people on YouTube and Facebook by name ‘JANINTO’. Let’s listen to how and why they came to Jeju and their story about making film and music on Jeju Island.
After learning the meaning of ‘ecological sensibility’ while working in the field of environment in Seoul, he was drawn to the ecological sensibity that is given by ‘sound’ and came down to Jeju Island with a sound recorder. Currently, running a one-person startup company called ‘Sleeping Lion’, he communicates with the people through the ‘sound of Jeju nature’
Six members in their 70s and 80s who were born and raised in Daejeong-eup gathered to explore the historical sites of Daejeong-eup. Visiting sites such as Marado, Gapado, Songaksan, Jeju Chusa Hall, Daejeonghyanggyo, and Altteureu Airfield, the six members wrote poetry with the help of their own member and a poet, Kang Chang-yu and even held an exhibition. Let’s listen to the story of the passionate outdoor culture expedition team.
When Jeju Island was ruled in three districts (1410-1914), the village was the capital of Jungeuihyeon district and today the old folk houses still remain. In order to preserve and inherit the ‘traditional food’ passed down from the past, the women of the village (50s~70s) have gathered. Let’s hear the stories of their activities that work to keep traditional foods alive.
In 2021, couple Park Young-jin and Baek Eun-hee worked as a ‘Stream Expedition Team’ as a part of Seogwipo Culture City activity that discovers and experiences Jeju nature and daily life inside the outdoor culture. Let’s listen about the activities of the Jeju Stream Expedition Team since 4 years ago and the secret stories of Jeju streams.
Inside a tangerine orchard, Lee Geum-young runs a bookstore filled with warm food stories. After living as an instructor of entrance exam academy in Seoul, her values go through changes bringing her to Jeju Island by fate. Let’s listen to the story of Lee Geum-young’s 6th year living on Jeju Island and why she likes ‘Jeju people, especially the locals’ above all.
Ok Jeong-sik, who has been working in hotels for over 10 years, by chance took part in the ‘Overseas Photography Expedition’ when he needed a change in his life. With that opportunity, he officially went into the field of photography which was his hobby. Since then, he has been working on still photography for drama and movie shooting famous celebrities. Coming to Jeju Island, a place he wanted to live someday, he ran a ‘Photo Studio’ in a small village in the East. Let’s listen to the story of photographer Ok Jeong-sik who says, ‘Do work that you want to do’.
The veteran firefighter, who became a firefighter at the age of 24 and has been working for 18 years, has worked in putting out fire, going out into emergencies, and working in the 119 General Situation Room. Currently, she is conducting ‘safety experience education’ by meeting local residents and tourists at the Jeju Safety Experience Center. She was born in a very small village in the west of Jeju called Gosan and there spent her school days with the ‘radio’ being the only culture in her life. Let’s hear about the veteran firefighter’s job and her love for K-pop.
Born in Jeju Island, Ko Young-rim majored in French Language and Literature and left to study in Franch in 1984. After 12 years, she returned to Korea and returned to her hometown Jeju Island after 27 years. In 2011, she created the Jeju French Film Festival and this year marks its 12th year of the festival. Let’s listen to her affectionate stories of ‘Jeju, French movies, culture, old downtown’ that she has walked along with in her life.
Choi Jiwoo and her family moved their home to Jeju when her husband, who fell in love with Jeju Island on his first visit, suggested the idea. Jiwoo who majored in art along with her husband who majored in sports physiology are running a wellness stay, café, as well as meditation center below Hallasan Mountain. Managing the space with the concept of ‘circulation’ of nature and the body, let’s listen to the story of how she is finding a way to live a healthier life to live happily and peacefully on Jeju Island.
Ko Kangmin has been working as a fitness trainer and bodybuilder for over 20 years. One day, by a friend’s recommendation, he participated in the Baek Nanah Singing Contest and won the grand prize. Later, he performed on the stage of singing competitions such as ‘I Can See Your Voice’, ‘National Trot Music Contest’, and more. Recalling the childhood dream of becoming a singer, he now dreams of standing on stage singing his own music. Let’s listen to the story of Ko Kangmin’s life.
Even wanting to go to the bathroom by car, Park Ji-hyeon who hates to walk, felt fate to live in Jeju while climbing Halla Mountain during her travel in Jeju. As she declared ‘I have to live in Jeju’, she cleared up the life in Seoul and moved to Jeju which has now been 7 years. After moving to Jeju, while walking the Olle Trail she comes to face herself within her and putting aside the dream of becoming a novelist, she starts a life as a sketcher. As she became widely known on social media under the nickname ‘Jeju Judith’, she started working to promote Jeju through writing and drawing in the US Hawaii monthly magazine called and is the president of Global Urban Sketch Jeju (USKJEJU). Let’s listen to her story of how she wants to inform the world of Jeju’s beatuy through her drawing and writing.
Kim Ja-bin, who writes ‘Gourmet Travel Journal’ for Jeju local newspaper since 2019, six years ago gave up her job that she had worked for 16 years, moved to Jeju Island, and opened a café with beautiful view at Hwasun-ri, Andeok-myeon of Seogwipo City. After running the café for two years and falling for the island, she moves her café to Sagye-ri but closes down due to COVID-19 and goes through some hard times. Let’s listen to her story and how she is living in the present with a positive mind and with a strength from the charm of Jeju Island during this difficult times.
In her mid-20s, Lee Sarang, traveled Jeju Island and even though it was tough backpacking around the island it still remained as a special memory, and she hoped to live in Jeju once in her life. She moved to Jeju with a light heart and has been living on Jeju Island for 5 years. She independently published her book ‘Saebyeol Diary’ which is the record of the self-proclaimed ‘Trash Fairy’ picking up trash while climbing Saebyeol Oreum. Let’s listen to how the mountain lover, Sarang, lives on Jeju Island.
Currently 75-year-old, haenyeo Ko Ok-hee was born in Udo Island and learned to work underwater from her mother, who was also a haenyeo, at the age of 12. Since then, she has been working in the sea all her life and continues to work as a haenyeo to this day. Her youngest daughter, poet Kim Shin-sook, has written the story of her mother in her book ‘Twelve-Year-Old Haenyeo’ as the first of the grandmother series. Let’s listen to the story of Ko Ok-hee who has been working in the sea for over 60 years. Also, she tells us what her dream is, if you are curious, listen to it right now!
Poet Kim Shinsuk, who was born in Seogwipo, met her husband, a poet, and fulfilled her dream of becoming a ‘poet’. Loving books and loving to write, she has been doing various activities related to books since she was a child. Her first children’s poetry book ‘Twelve-year-old Haenyeo’ is the first series in her grandmother series. The story of her mother when she was a haenyeo as a child is written in poetry. Let's listen to the story of her haenyeo mother and her life in Jeju.
Like fate, Jo Hwanjin took up the job of building 'Jeju Stone Wall'. Since 2008, he has been organizing education, research, and activities related to Jeju stone wall which is the natural culture of Jeju. Building stone walls, he has learned more about his hometown Jeju and the lives of the people of Jeju. Currently, he is active in promoting Jeju stone walls around the world while interacting with stone masons from United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, and so on. Let’s listen to the story of 'Jeju Stone Wall' artisan who believes building stone wall, the cultural heritage of Jeju, is his vocation.
Chloe, who works as an English teacher, became interest about the ‘environment’ in 2015 when find dust was becoming a serious issue in South Korea. Having concerns about the future, she decides to educate people about the value of environment and currently runs environmental brand ‘Love Your Soul’ and sustainable environment English education center ‘Sunflower School’. Let’s listen to Chloe’s life in Jeju Island as she spreads the importance of environment to others through her campaign.
In her early forties and 18 years in her marriage… Kim Hyoeun lived as a mother, wife, and daughter-in-law with various jobs. Then, one day she came across ‘calligraphy’. Healing her pain and difficult situations through calligraphy, she now lives doing various activities in Jeju as calligraphy artist Kim Hyoeun. Let’s listen to the story of her writing and drawing of calligraphy that resembles Jeju.
‘Jeju-UCLG Global Youth Creativity Residency’, where young people from home and abroad collaborate with mentors specializing in global culture and arts to draw creative results, was held from August 2nd to 6th. With the theme of ‘Islands in Flow’, young participants from home and abroad stayed within the nature of Jeju Island to find inspiration by the beautiful nature and experience creative immersion. For ‘Humans of Jeju’, we met and talked with three young artist (USA, China, and Korea) who participated in the Gapado Island Residency. Let's listen to what it was like to meet Jeju Island and Gapado Island together.
To the extent to be called fusion sculptor, Lee Sohyun works in various art fields to keep pace with the current era. She fell in love with Jeju Island and become a Jeju resident 5 years ago. Interested in light pollution, she works as a ‘Jeju Night Sky Keeper’ and records the night sky of Jeju Island. We may someday see the ‘Jeju Starlight Map, Starlight Forecast’ that she offers. Let’s listen to her stories as she is working in ‘2021 World Heritage Festival’ opening this October and working to ‘Recreate the Night of Changdeokgung Palace’.
On a travel in Panama, the artist saw and felt the seriousness of waste problem at sea. He decides to live in Jeju Island, the island that he loves, and there he started the ‘Jeju Clean Boys Club’, a club that picks up trash by the sea every morning. The club has finished their 1st and 2nd season activity, and is preparing for the 3rd season as well as an exhibition on sea waste in September. Let’s listen to the artist’s story of love for picking up trash and his love for the Jeju sea.
Working as an adversiting copy writer for 10 years in Seoul, one day, Han Minkyung decided to move to Jeju hoping to live a more enjoyable life. 9th year as manager of Jeju guesthouse, she has built small programs to enjoy with travelers and is enjoying life in Jeju Island forming a family that includes two women, two dogs, and one cat. ‘Life is so fun’ as she would say. Let’s listen about the charm of living in Jeju.
Kim Yejin, who enjoys sharing thoughts and communicating with others, one day learns about indie books and comes up with the idea of ‘mobile bookstore’. At the age of 29, she takes up the challenge of becoming Korea’s one and only mobile bookstore. Finally, ‘Bookdamas’ was born. After traveling around the nation, 5 months ago she came to Jeju Island to live one year on the island. Let’s listen to Kim Yejin’s story and her ‘mobile bookstore’ moving around beautiful Jeju Island.
From promoting South Korea’s famous Busan International Film Festival and Bucheon International Film Festival to promoting Broadway musical and Cirque du Soleil in New York, for 10 years culture planner Cha Eunsil has built a career on the field of culture and arts. In Pyoson, Seogwipo City of Jeju Island, she has opened a Jeju forest culture space, ‘Hwanijung’, to connect the locals and culture and arts through various programs. Let’s listen to her life story in making Jeju, the island of culture and arts.
For centuries Jeju has been an artistic inspiration for many artists. Humans of Jeju prepared special stories of those artists who loved Jeju and left great works of art that goes down in history.
In the second episode, reporter Jae will introduce two artists: Photographer Kim Young-gap and Entrepreneur Sir ‘Gidang’ Kang Goo-bum
Photographer Kim Young-gap fell in love with the untouched nature of Jeju Island. He settled in Jeju and spent his life capturing the beauty of Jeju Island. Even though, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, he tranformed an abandoned elementary school to ‘Kim Young Gap Gallery Dumoak’ while fighting his illness. Sir ‘Gidang’ Kang Goo-bum left to Japan and became a successful businessman from nothing. Never forgetting about his hometown, he came back to make impact on the development of Jeju Island. Let’s listen to their stories.
For centuries Jeju has been an artistic inspiration for many artists. Humans of Jeju prepared special stories of those artists who loved Jeju and left great works of art that goes down in history.
In the first episode, reporter Jae will introduce two artists: painter Lee Jung-seop and calligraphist Hyeon Jung-hwa.
During the hardships of Korean War, artist Lee Jung-seop and his family spent the happiest time with the family in Jeju Island. The artist’s happiness living with his family can be seen through his paintings. Calligraphist Hyeon Jung-hwa was born in Jeju Island and went abroad to Japan to learn calligraphy. Coming back to his hometown, he continues to build upon his career until he passes away. Let’s look into the life of two artists who represent Jeju Island.
Yun Hangyeol, who is a photographer and an exhibition manager of ‘Art Lab. Sanyang’, fell in love with the world that she saw through her camera lens and has for 20 years visited places around Jeju Island with her camera. There is no village in Jeju that her camera has not captured and in 2016 she encountered ‘Jeju Gut Culture’. Let’s listen to the story of photographer Yun Hangyeol and how she discovered ‘Art of Comfort’ through Jeju gut ritual.
19th year working as a food specialist, Kim Youngbin's work involves menu consulting and food styling. Her interest in sustainable food and local food has brought her to Jeju Island. Currently, she goes back and forth from Jeju to Seoul to research and tell people about Jeju local food and Korean food culture. Let’s listen, to learn about the Jeju local food and the places that she recommends.
As a single mother, Chae Jiae's life in the mainland was not easy and she decides to come back to her hometown Jeju Island. Today, we listen to her story about following her mother footsteps in becoming Jeju Haenyeo.
10 years ago, the two who came to Gangjeong Village, Jeju, after hearing about the news of the construction of naval base, learned that they shared same interest which was 'the environment, the sea, and dolphins'. Establishing the environmental organization 'Hot Pink Dolphins', the organization has successfully returned Jeju dolphins trapped in aquariums for 10 years back to the sea. Please, look forward to the exciting stories of their activities.
Jung Jinha, who left the company and traveled the world, meets Gavin in Ireland. The two became lovers, and when Jinha returned to Korea, she decides to live in Jeju. Currently, she works as a manager at the Cultural Space Accommodation in Jungmun, Seogwipo city, and enjoys living in Jeju every day. Shall we listen to their love story and about their life in Jeju?
Park Seonjeong intended to live in Jeju for only one year, but is already on her 8th year. What has kept her on the island for so long are the 'Jeju Oreums'. Through the records of oreums that she kept, she published a bestseller oreum guidebook called 'Oreum Oreum'. Listen to the stories of her love for oreums.
Today, we tell the story of mother and her youngest daughter living together and squabbling over everything in town of Wimiri in Namwon area of Seowipo city. The daughter, who had been working as a designer in Seoul, returned to her hometown of Jeju to live with her mother who lives alone after her father had passed away. While living with her mother, the daughter kept a diary of observing her mother and published it as a book called 'Today's Mother'. Look forward to the stories they share.
From editor of magazine to being a Korean teacher of overseas volunteer group ‘KOICA’ for 2 years in Uzbekistan, her next destination was ‘Jeju’. Having great interest in ‘local district’, in 2020, she launched the ‘SARM’ magazine to tell the stories of various people in Jeju. Listen to her Jeju stories as she enjoys sharing the answers to life that others have emerged through their worries.
After working in educational consulting in Seoul, author Oh Seungju returns to his hometown ‘Jeju’. He teaches children the process of wisely confronting various problems in life through ‘books’. Look forward to listening to the ‘picture book’ and the special place in Jeju that he recommends.
After leaving the company she worked for and while living 3 years in Thailand, she was moved by the environmentalist she met. Beginning the second chapter of her life, she encounters ‘nature’ of Jeju. Realizing the pain that our plant goes through and the value of preserving Jeju nature, she became an active environmentalist. Do you want to hear about the preciousness of the Jeju’s environment and the earth?
Today, we meet a married couple who met for the first time on the pilgrimage route in Spain, and hear why they selected 'Jeju' as their home and what they value in life while living in Jeju. Also, the story of Moon Kyungrok, who discovered wisdom in life through his failures, and Park Jinhee, who wants to share the energy that she receives from Jeju nature, will make you look back on your own life.