VISIT JEJU

Located in Jungsangan, Pyoseonmyeon, there is Seongeup Folk Village with 600 years of history. As a place with actual local residents, it has its own uniqueness compared to other folk villages. This place used to be called Jeongui Village and was the center of the administration of Jeongui Hyeon in the past. Here, you can still see how Jeju used to look back in the days. With all of this, this location was designated as a national cultural property, important folklore material No. 188, in 1984.

Before entering the Seongeup Folk Village, the town wall called “Jeongui Hyeonseong” greets you first. This wall was used to prevent Japanese invaders in the past, and the view of the village from here is warm and quiet. Surrounded by the wall, the village is full of traditional thatched houses with hidden treasures of intangible and tangible cultural assets and national monuments. There are various participating activities, including natural dyeing, trying Hanbok, and archery, as well as traditional craft shops and foods.

In Seongeup Folk Village, there is “Jeongui Hyanggyo,” the Tangible Cultural Asset No. 5 of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. In the Joseon Dynasty era, Jeju had three administrative sections, which were Jeju-mok, Daejeunghyeon, and Jeongui hyeon, with Hyanggyo established in each town. “Hyanggyo” was a national educational facility and a place for rites. In “Jeongui Hynaggyo,” Jeonpae, the ancestral table representing the king, has been stored.

The “Ga-ok (traditional house)” in Seongeup Village with its unique architectural style was registered as a national folklore cultural asset. It is a historic piece of work our ancestors created while adapting to the environment.

A lot of Goetaeks (old houses), which served many purposes, are well preserved, including Go Pyeong-o's Historic House (where town officers used to stay), Go Chang-hwan's Historic House (inn), Han Bong-il House, and the Blacksmith's House, etc. Stroll down Seongeup Folk Village with a long history and find the cultural assets hidden around the place.

If you head towards north from Seungeup Village, you will arrive at Geunminhyeon. As a government office where Jeongui Hyeon Gam worked, it used to function as today’s city hall. Around Geunminhyeon area, a zelkova tree and a colony of hackberry trees are proudly standing in their position. The zelkova tree and the colony of hackberry trees there are the guardian trees which have been protecting the village for a long time, as well as the National Monument No. 161.

The zelkova tree is called “Gulmuginang” in Jeju language, and it has been preserved as the guardian tree of the village that protects the village. It’s 30 m high and is estimated to be 1,000 years old. The hackberry tree is called “Poknang” in Jeju dialect, and hackberry trees here are about 600 years old. According to the old theory of divination based on topography, the hackberry tree inspirited the part of the village where the energy is weak.

At the south gate of Seongeup Folk Village, there is a cafe “Chogashiwol” with a traditional antique mood. From the inside of the cafe, where the old stone house is preserved intact, you can see the wide green grass, calming you down.

“Chogashiwol” serves hand-made fruit tea and drinks made from eco-friendly farm products and Jeju style desserts. Their signature menu is “Memilbyeoltteok,” the oil-fried rice cake made out of buckwheat. The “Kireumddeok,” which is called “Jireumddeok” in Jeju, is a traditional Jeju food that is never missed at any holiday feast. Make the dough with glutinous rice flour and buckwheat flour and put it into a star shape mold. Then, fry it with oil nicely and sprinkle the sugar on top, there you have the sweet and chewy, Jeju style Jireumddeok.

They have a variety of aromatic teas, including the rich hand-made jujube tea, Omijacha, green tangerine tea, and ginger tea. The generous owner of the cafe sometimes offers organic tangerine chips. If you’re done with looking around the village, visit this place to take a rest and enjoy Jeju’s rich flavors.

▶ Address: 9-2, Seongeupjeonguihyeon-ro 22beon-gil, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

Located inside of Seongeup Folk Village, “Yetnal Patjuk” serves patjuk (red bean porridge), as its name suggests.

They have a variety of menus for you to choose from, including Sae-al patjuk, red bean kalguksu, Shirak kukbap, and pumpkin porridge. In particular, Shirak kukbap is another most famous dish along with patjuk.

If you order Sae-al patjuk, you will get a big ceramic bowl of patjuk with a lot of sae-al (a kind of small ddeok). You can feel the sweetness and nice scent of red beans in their patjuk, and the sae-al is chewy and moreish. Another delicacy of this place is Sikhye and Sujeonggwa. Enjoy sweet Sikhye or Sujeonggwa in the garden and feel the quiet atmosphere of the village.

▶ Address: 130, Seongeumminsok-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

Jeju is a volcanic island, and rice has been rare due to its tough environment. So, Jeju’s foregoer made alcohol using glutinous millet, which they could get easily. We found a brewery that follows the traditional brewing method: “Jeju Sul Ikneun Jip.” Jeju’s Intangible Cultural Asset No. 11, Kim Heesuk and her apprentices demonstrate their craftsmanship in four generations.

As you step into the brewery, flowers on the stone wall and plants welcome you first. Preserving the state of an old house of Jeju, this place has been Kim Heesuk’s residence and is now turned into a brewery. “Jeju Sul Ikneun Jip” serves “Omegi Malgeunsul,” a herbal alcohol, and “Gosorisul,” a traditional distilled alcohol. Gosori is a term in Jeju referring to Sojugori, the pottery used to make distilled soju out of brewage.

The distilled soju, Gosorisul is made by distilling Omegisul, fermented alcohol made of traditional yeast and Omegiddeok, to a gosori in drops. These traditional liquors made through this process have smooth taste and cause less hangover because they don’t have any artificial flavors or additives.

▶ Address: 4726, Jungsangandong-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

A pottery studio located in Pyoseonmyeon Seong-eup-ri, “Seongji Doye” is run by the potter, Na Myeongkwon, who has been providing a traditional pottery class for 25 years. It has a pottery class in which you can draw patterns or drawings on a first baked dough and make your own cup, jug, or plate.

You can draw on the clay dough that has scoria and make shapes on a spinning wheel. Finished dough gets to be put into the kiln in turn. Through this process, you can make your one and only pottery.

The instructor has many years of experience, so it’ll be nice to enjoy the class with kids too. Although you are not all thumbs, you can still make a great piece of pottery. A piece of pottery you made in Jeju will always be a good reminder, bringing all the good memories from the trip.

▶ Address: 85, Seongeubiri-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do