VISIT JEJU

Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market is full of vitality. Everything from the merchants active in their stalls, to the buyers and window shoppers who make up the bulk of the foot traffic… the sights, sounds and scents of the market bring everyone together. If you do visit this daily market, be sure to bring your appetite! There’s gimbap, tteokbokki, kimchi pancakes — all the traditional favorites. They’re easy to take with you and enjoy along the water … there are benches placed strategically outside the market for this.

If you complete your tour of the Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market, just across the street is the Lee Joong-seop Art Museum and Culture Street. This 300-meter-long path is full of galleries, cafes, restaurants… It’s small and cozy and welcoming. From up the hill it’s possible to get a view of the south coast — a picturesque photo spot. In the museum dedicated to this beloved Korean artist, you can actually see a work Lee Joong-seop painted of this very view: It’s titled “A Scene of Seopseom Islet”.

The name Soldongsan evokes images of bright, verdant pine-covered hills… though at this spot there actually aren’t any pine trees. This culture street starts near Lee Joong-seop Street and the Seogwipo National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, and ends at the Jaguri Coast. This place was once called the “Myeongdong of Seogwipo” (Myeongdong is a famous shopping area in the heart of Seoul). Soldongsan is a great place to enjoy the island’s southern city and its nature, art and literature.

From Saeseom Islet and Soldongsan Culture Street through to Seogwipo Port on foot; from here is the must-see Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. This spectacular attraction is at the end of a covered walkway, where the waterfall pours from atop a 22-meter-tall cliff.

You can see Seopseom and Munseom Islets at a glance here. It’s also known as a place that’s a utopia for artists as there’s an “artists’ walkway” with places for art displays and exhibitions. As an open-air museum of sorts, this is a great place for children to experience art freely in the outdoors, where they can be boisterous and engaged in art. The view, too, is something that is guaranteed to open your mind and heart to aesthetic beauty. 

From Cheonjiyeon Waterfall down to the city’s seaport, it’s a short, pleasant walk. A major landmark — Seogwipo’s iconic Saeyeon Bridge — guides you to the harbor. It connects Jeju with the small islet called Saeseom. This is by all accounts a very romantic spot — both in the day and in the evening twilight. The 1.1-kilometer-long walkway is modern and yet has all the design features of a traditional marine vessel, right down to the sail and round staircases. Locals and visitors alike gravitate to the bridge and islet’s walking trail in summer, as the ocean breeze and night view are cool in every way. It’s a must-see destination if you’re lucky enough to spend a few days in Seogwipo.