Republic of Korea
Jeju
Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes comprise a rare, large shield volcano built over a hot spot on a stationary continental crust plate.
The site includes a system of lava tube caves that is considered the most impressive and significant in the world, with speleothems and multi-coloured carbonate decorations among its outstanding features. Furthermore, the Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone is a dramatic landscape element and an area of study of Surtseyan-type volcanic eruptions.
Community Perspective: Jeju Island is Korea’s tropical paradise and is well worth visiting overall. Most people visit on a day tour, but rent a car if you can so you have more time for the lava tubes and Seongsan Ilchulbong.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (ID: 1264)
- Country
- Republic of Korea
- Status
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Inscribed 2007
Site history
History of Jeju
- WHS Type
- Natural
- Criteria
- vii
- viii
Links
- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- jeju.go.kr — Visitor info for Hallasan National Park
- ijto.or.kr — Jeju Tourism
- english.cha.go.kr — Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea
News Article
- June 24, 2019 koreaherald.com — Major tourist spots on Jeju Island to raise entrance fees starting July
- Aug. 23, 2017 koreabizwire.com — Jeju Island Operates Free Shuttles for Foreign Tourists
- July 11, 2011 jejuweekly.com — Jeju sees positive changes 4 years after its Unesco World Heritage inscription
- June 17, 2009 english.chosun.com — New Lava Tube Found in Jeju
Community Information
- Community Category
- Natural landscape: Volcanic
Travel Information
One million visitors or more
Undergoing Restoration or Repair
…
Recent Connections
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Memory of the World
Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives (202… -
Tunnels
Tunnel Fortifications of Imperial Japan… -
Forced labour during WWII
this facility was built by mobilizing a…
Connections of Jeju
- Individual People
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Hendrick Hamel
Hamel and his crew were shipwrecked on Jeju-do in August 1653 and left the following year in June. "There is a high mountain, full with trees and further there are mainly bare mountains without any trees and many valleys where they cultivate rice." The Journal of Hendrick Hamel
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- Geography
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Volcanic Cone
Ilchulbong Volcanic Cone -
Crater Lakes
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Territorial Highest points
Mount Hallasan (part of Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes) -
East China Sea
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Dependent territories
Jeju Special Autonomous Province or Cheju Island is the only special autonomous province of South Korea -
Pacific Ocean
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Notable lakes
"Yongcheondonggul Lava Tube was discovered recently, and it has a large lake with different salt concentrations along the depth, future detailed scientific investigations on the fauna may reveal some interesting results on its fauna and ecology. The ceiling above the lake also displays a majestic view of carbonate speleothems." - Nomination File
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- Trivia
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Role of Women
Haenyeo can often be seen diving at the cove at the foot of Seongsan Ilchulbong and the nearby Udo Island. "Haenyo are skilled (Female) divers who are known to be able to hold their breath for more than two minutes and dive to depths of 20 meters" ... Since it was the women who worked from morning till night every day, women held a special place in Jeju's society." - Official Site of Korean Tourism -
One million visitors or more
1,427,941 in 2022 // Ilchulbong Volcanic Cone recieved 1.2 million. -
Built or owned by Japanese
"On the east side of the Ilchulbong, along the Sumapo coastal cliff, 23 caves have been discovered and were used as former Japanese military camp sites." - Nomination File
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- History
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Insurrections
Jeju Uprising and Massacre in 1948 - Most estimates are around 30,000 civilians killed, and 70% of villages on Jeju Island destroyed. Significant remains of massacre victims have been found on Hallasan Mountain. - wiki -
Drifting Across the Sea: A Record of Ming China
(Departure from Jeju Island) 3rd day, Intercalary First Month, 1488. [February 15th] At Sea. This day was cloudy and sometimes rainy. The wind was from the east and slightly favorable. "Chol-lyo and Tung-nye tried to stop me from going, saying, "We old men were born and grew up by the sea lanes. When it is changeable on Mt. Halla, now cloudy, now rainy, the wind is sure to shift, and it will be impossible to sail boats."
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- Ecology
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Dunes
Yongcheondonggul Lava Tube "On the surface of the tube and around its vicinity, seasonal northwesterly winds have blown towards the inland, depositing sand dunes ranging from one to seven meters in height.- Nomination File -
Lava tubes
"The Geomunoreum lava tube system, which is regarded as the finest such cave system in the world, has an outstanding visual impact even for those experienced with such phenomena." (OUV) -
Columnar Jointing
Examples in the Hallasan Natural Reserve (AB review - " The diverse volcanic landscape includes a 1.6 ha lake-filled crater, 550 m in diameter and 108 m deep, a younger (circa 25,000 years in age) intruded trachyte dome, and a series of columnar jointed basalts forming prominent cliffs" (the Best examples on the island are at Jistagae Rock but this is not within the inscribed area) -
Rainforests
Temperate Rainforest (Hallasan NP) -
Dripstone
All five Lava tube caves include stalactites (a type of dripstone). Yongcheon Cave "Originating from of overlying carbonate sand dunes, including stalactites, stalagmites, pillars, cave corals, cave pearls, curtains, flowstone, and rimstone pools." - AB Document -
Natural Arches and Bridges
"Several natural lava bridges. "Microtopographical structures, such as about seventy lava pillars, large chambers, lava stalagmites, lava bridges and lava ledges are beautifully preserved." - Nomination File -
Notable examples of multiple speciation in one site
"A. koreana thrives in vast areas, and shows great genetic variation in the color of cones, and thus Jeju Island serves as a valuable source of research regarding the speciation of the conifer species. A. koreana is registered as a 'Red Listed' endangered plant species (LR/nt; ver 2.3, 1994) at the IUCN." - Nomination File -
Bird Migrations
Seasonal Bird Migration "Many migratory birds come to Jeju Island because this island is in the courses of the migration of the birds." - Nomination File -
Anchialine Habitats
Yongcheon Lava Tube Lake "The lake appears to be a unique feature that has not been reported in other lava tubes around the world although there are a number of lakes known in lava tubes. There is some evidence that this lake is anchialine (freshwater lies on top of more saline water) and the presence of aquatic invertebrates (copepods) demands that this lake be more closely studied, and carefully conserved, as such anchialine communities have proved to be of very considerable significance elsewhere around the world." - Nomination File -
Salamanders
Jeju Salamander (Hynobius quelpartensis) - nomination file -
Significant Karst Features
Outstanding example of volcanokarst, a special style of pseudokarst(AB ev) -
Tombolos
Seongsan Ilchulbong
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- World Heritage Process
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Minor modifications after inscription
2018: new components being added to the property: Upper Geomunoreum Lava Tube System (two components with a total of 46.6 ha) -
Extension Supported
"IUCN also recommends that the State Party be requested to: Consider the potential for extension of the nominated property to include other significant lava tube systems and volcanic features on Jeju. - Advisory Body Evaluation (2007)
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- Religion and Belief
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Sacred Mountains
"Shamanism and the traditional belief system played an important role in the daily life of Jeju people and show a strong relationship with the natural environment. Cultural resources in Mt. Hallasan include altars and shrines such as Sancheondan, providing traces of religious activities native to Jeju Island. Mt. Hallasan is also known for folk tales, such as Hojongdan and Gwangyangdang, showing that Mt. Hallasan served as a spiritual pillar for Jeju residents." - Nomination File -
Legends and Folk Myths
There is a crater lake on Hallasan called Baengnokdam, literally "white deer lake." There is a legend attributing the name of the lake to otherworldly men who descend from heaven to play with white deer." - wiki
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- Human Activity
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Armouries
Seongsan Ilchulbong Crater "A portion of the coastal area on the southern slope was used as a military supply storage area during Japanese occupation. At that time, a natural sea cave was slightly modified into a sea-cliff defense post." - Nomination File -
Forced labour during WWII
this facility was built by mobilizing a large number of local residents, especially mine workers from Jeonnam Province, rather than Jeju Island residents. Among them, the I-shaped cave fort was built as a hangar for storing small ships that the Japanese military used to launch suicide bombing attacks on the Allied fleet." Korean Heritage Service (National Registered Cultural Heritage - 2006)
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- Constructions
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Tunnels
Tunnel Fortifications of Imperial Japan Along the Coast of Ilchulbong Peak, Jeju (National Registered Cultural Heritage - 2006) -
Purpose Built Visitor Centre
"A new visitor centre has been built at Mt Hallasan, which on completion in 2008 will provide 1,500 m2 of floor space for exhibitions, conferences and management offices. Construction of new visitor centres at Manjang cave and Ilchulbong will begin in 2008. There are also plans to construct a special Jeju World Natural Heritage Centre." - AB Evaluation
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- WHS on Other Lists
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UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (women divers)See www.unesco.org
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Global Geoparks
2010 -
Located in a TCC Territory
Jeju -
Memory of the World
Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives (2025) -
UNESCO Triple Crown
Biosphere Reserve in 2002, World Natural Heritage in 2007, and Global Geopark in 2010.See www.iea2024.com
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World Biosphere Reserves
Includes Jeju Island (2002)See www.unesco.org
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Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
Jeju Batdam Agricultural SystemSee www.fao.org
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New 7 Wonders of Nature
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Ramsar Wetlands
1100 Altitude Wetland (Hallasan National Park), 2009
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- Timeline
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Cretaceous
Volcanic activity on Jeju began approximately in the Cretaceous and lasted until the early Tertiary period. (Wiki)
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- Science and Technology
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Recently discovered
Yongcheondonggul is one of five lava tubes included in the nomination. "Discovered on May 11, 2005, Yongcheondonggul Lava Tube, was registered, No. 466. in 2006, as a Natural Monument." - Nomination File
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- Visiting conditions
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Undergoing Restoration or Repair
Manjanggul Lava Tube is closed until (at least) August 2025
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News
- koreaherald.com 06/24/2019
- Major tourist spots on Jeju Island…
- koreabizwire.com 08/23/2017
- Jeju Island Operates Free Shuttles…
- jejuweekly.com 07/11/2011
- Jeju sees positive changes 4 years…
Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.Community Reviews
Show full reviews
The unique volcanic formations and ecosystems on Jeju Island have ensured the place a spot on the list of UNESCO WHS. For those with less expertise in geology or biology, this translates into “beautiful landscape with a lot of hiking opportunities”. The enlistment includes three different sites: Mount Hallasan, the Lava Tunnels and the tuff cone Seonsang Ilchulbong. My time on the island did only allow me to visit two of them which means that I skipped the Lava Tunnels. Those who love hiking and the joy of (almost) unspoilt nature while not missing the infrastructure of the civilized world will enjoy this place as I did in 2015.
In South Korea, hiking paths are often installed in a way that they are separated from their surrounding landscape, either by a low physical barrier like a fence or dense vegetation. This allows hikers to enjoy nature while making sure that they stay on the path and do not destroy the environment. In case of Seonsang Ilchulbong, where a unique ecosystem of plants and animals has established itself, it means that there is one viewing platform from which you can look into the crater – no less, but no more. Some therefore may be disappointed that they climb up (20 minutes) all the way for a short, yet stunning view. The hiking paths on Mount Hallasan are similar. Here however, the hike up is already an attraction with all the different vegetations and climatic regions. Also, on the uppermost stretches, …
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WHS#2
In April 2012, My family and I joined a cruise from Shanghai to Tokyo. Our first stop was Jeju, where we took a half-day tour of the island. Unfortunately, the cruise being full of mostly elderly people or families with children, like myself at the time, the tour didn't include a visit to the lava caves. At the time, having not been the family travel researcher, I didn't know what to expect of the tour, so I simply enjoyed the cultural village excursion, where we saw some nice lava statues and tried horse bones. Now with all these statues, we must've been near a volcano, and indeed, the last stop of the day was Seongsan Ilchulbong.
The volcanic cone towered high above the sea, like a huge castle. Steep grey cliffs occasionally ended in black sand beaches, but I wasn't here to swim. My dad and I, along with my childhood friend and her dad who had joined the cruise with us, decided to climb to the peak. The path, rather easy with well-defined steps, was really crowded with tourists, which caused us to take nearly an hour to get to the top. When we did, we were treated to the view of the crater, which at the time, I couldn't even believe was a crater. It was just this vast flat grassland in a wide bowl below our feet, and it reminded me of a golf course by the sea. At the time, I just couldn't …
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In June 2017 I spent a couple of days visiting Jeju, where I stayed at Hotel RegentMarine, which is located in Jeju City on the waterfront between Black Pork Street and Raw Fish Street (those are the actual names in translation). On my first day, I visited Jeju City, where I had lunch on Black Pork Street at Restaurant Dombedon, probably the world's only Michelin-starred pork barbecue restaurant. For dinner, I ate on Raw Fish Street, where my abalone was likely harvested by a Haenyeo, free-diving women who can descend for up to three minutes and reach depths of nearly 65 feet. For my second day, I arranged for a car and driver (Kimi9461 (at) hanmail.net) and visited the Manjanggul lava tube and Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone, components of the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes UNESCO WHS. I also visited two museums, Jeju Haenyeo Museum (which tells the story of the Haenyeo, who plunge to the sea floor to catch crustaceans, mollusks and octopi) and Jeju Loveland (an outdoor, sexually-explicit sculpture park). Mr. Kim also arranged for us to be quickly seated, avoiding the typical hourlong wait, for lunch of abalone porridge at Myeongjin Jeonbok Abalone Restaurant, probably the most well-known and popular on Jeju. Across from the restaurant, I was able to watch many Haenyeo dive to catch crustaceans and other sea creatures (the attached photo is of a Haenyeo, who were far more interesting than the WHS).
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I visited this WHS in April 2017. I visited all 3 locations over 4 days, namely the Manjanggul Lava Tube from the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, Mt Hallasan and Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone. All entrances have free admission in April.
The only lava tube open to tourists is the Manjanggul Lava Tube which is 7.4km long, 18m wide and 23m high. Only 1 km is accessible but it is more than enough to grasp the OUV of this unique lava tube. The vast majority of lava tubes are formed by a basaltic lava flow which contains less viscosity. When the lava flow from the volcanic crater stops, it forms an empty space shaped like a tube. Thenm the lava flows continuously into this tube, the ground melts down in the high temperature and deepens gradually.
A number of impressive lava formations can be observed while walking underground for 1km: lava flowstones, lava rafts, lava shelves, lava stalactites and stalagmites, lava flowlines, quartzite fragments and last but certainly not least, the world's largest known 7.6m high lava column (picture, top right). The small information centre has a number of information boards and lava fragments as well as the original UNESCO certificate (picture, top left).
The second location I visited was Mt Hallasan. This is where a rental car comes in handy as I managed to drive through the never-ending maze of green tea plantations (not the ones at O'Sulloc; picture, bottom left) beneath Mt Hallasan. The mountain peak is also visible …
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Heavily promoted as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world, Jeju Island, an oval volcanic island in the East China Sea, is a different country of South Korea with its different landscape, climate, architecture or even the taste of kimchi. Jeju is not a new discovered destination for me; my Korean friend often posted their honeymoon photos on Jeju on their webpage, Jeju is popular for Korean honeymooner, and during my last trip to Seoul, I saw many advertisements of its new seven wonder campaigns, even a large booth in Seoul Station for clicking the vote, so when I decided to visit Korea again, part of my annual Asian trip this year, I requested to visit Jeju as my prime destination to discover this island.
The best way to see Jeju is to rent a car, after landed at Jeju Airport, my first place to visit was the famous Manjanggul Cave; the lava tube cave is indeed a great site, very interesting, unique and definitely the best site of Jeju. While I really enjoyed the place, I also really concerned with the protection of the cave, currently tourists can freely touch and walk inside which finally someday will damage the cave and its unique lava surface. My next destination was the famous sunrise peak or Seongsan Ilchulbong which is actually an eroded volcano next to the sea; I was surprised to discover that the peak is surrounded by a very big town and large car …
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Another day, another island on our RTW cruise – but this visit to Jeju was more critical than most as it offered the promise of a completely new WHS after a long period of “revisits” since Rapa Nui on the other side of the Pacific! With just 9 hours ashore we somewhat reluctantly decided to use a standard tour which promised to take in 2 of the 3 elements of the inscribed site, together some more of Jeju’s delights!
The big worry was whether the tour would give us enough time at our priority sites and after visits to a crater, a folk village and a resort it was after lunch before we reached the Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone, otherwise known as “Sunrise Peak” (Our lunch by the way was served in the visually stunning “Glass House” by Tadeo Ando – well above the normal quality of restaurant used for tourist groups around the World but it was a pity we couldn’t also take in his “Genius Loci” or the interior of Botta’s “Agora” at the same Phoenix Island location!). We were then presented with an option – either go to see the Haenyeo diving ladies whose “show” commenced at 1.30 or climb to the top of the crater – in either case we would leave in 1 hour and it was now 1.05!!
Well there was no alternative of course but to try for both - and it was well worth doing so too. Seongsan Ilchulbong is often described …
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Jejudo, which means Jeju Island, is the biggest island of Korea and its most touristic area for Korean people dreaming of beautiful beaches and nice sea. The WHS there mainly consists of the Hallasan mount, an extinct volcano culminating at almost 2000 meters and the lava tubes inside which you can walk and enjoy the natural sculptures made by lava and water.
The Volcano is a great national park in which people hike and climb to the top. Four different ways allow to get to the top and are more or less easy to use. Whatever the one you take, you will have several hours of hard walk to get to the top and same thing to get down. However, you will enjoy the beautiful landscape of the park with its fauna and flora and its different places between forests, solid lava, water falls and cliffs. Lava tubes are really amazing and offer a natural testimony of the work made by lava first and erosion then.
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A memorable part of visiting Jeju was meeting so many friendly visitors, mostly local, on ther ferry from Mokpo to Cgheju-do. But I did visit some of Jeju's volcanic attractions.
one day I took a bus from Jeju-do up to Seongpapak on the side of Mount Hallasan and from there gained some views of the summit, as well as visiting the WHS museum there.
on another day I took a different bus heading to Seongsan Ilchubong and got off near the Manjanggul lava tubes and went for a 2km hike down through a tube, a black tunnel big enough to run a train through. Along the way were some beautifully illuminated lava formations. The 1 km open for visits is only a fraction of what is there.
Returning to the bus stop I caught another bus to Seongsan Ilchubong, clearly a place of pilgimage for the hundreds of people gathered there to climb to the summit.
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An incredible island with volcanic lava tubes, the beautiful Hala mountain, and a distinct culture from that of mainland Korea. Also the ilchul-bong is a must see crater located on the eastern edge of the island. This paradise is full of delicious seafood, friendly people, fascinating "stone grandfather" statues, Haenyo Women Divers, and numerous waterfalls. Visitors planning a trip should really consider their timing, because for Koreans there are definitely high and low seasons in regards to tourism, and the island can become quite busy. Moreover, foreign visitors can rent cars or smaller vehicles on Jeju, which is less restrictive than mainland South Korea. Setting up your hotel should also be considered carefully, Jeju City or Seogwipo. I chose the later, but it really depends on your travel priorities.
Besides the 3 inscribed areas (Hallasan, Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, and Seongsan Ilchulbong), there is talk of expanding the property to Yongmeori coast, additional caves and oreum, and potentially even some of the smaller volcanic islands off the coast of Jeju-do. I would certainly welcome an extension. Nevertheless, a trip to Jeju is a highlight for many who visit Korea.
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Jeju island is the equivalent of a tropical paradise, especially for regional tourists. The Hawaii of South Korea, with its sunny climate and even real palm trees. On the flight that I took from Busan to Jeju were at least 100 elder women, excited as children going on a school trip.
Arriving at Jeju airport, however, the island is covered in fog and rain.
The next day it is still raining. I decide to join a bus tour, to get an easy (and dry) glimpse of the island. The tour takes 8 hours, and circles the eastern part of the island - the volcano crater, lava caves, and the open-air museum are included. I'm joined by about 10 Koreans and a German girl. We (the westerners) haven't got a real clue where we are going, so a surprise tour it is (the guide only speaks Korean).
First, we stop at the "Mystery Road", an optical illusion. Really strange, but funny.
The Sangumburi crater is stop number two. This should be an impressive sight, a large green volcanic crater. Now only fog, just the edge of the crater can be seen.
So we go on. Most of the Korean passengers are fast asleep now. The next stop is the Song-Eup Folk Village, an open-air museum where we are lured into a tent where a sales presentation of health products is held (tea, pills). The Koreans are wide awake now and buy in large quantities.
After …
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