Jeju-do is the only special self-governing province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is the city of Jeju.
According to legend, three demi-gods emerged from Samsung-hyeol which is said to have been on the northern slopes of Mt. Halla and became the progenitors of the Jeju people who founded the Kingdom of Tamna. It has also been claimed that three brothers including Ko-hu who were the 15th descendants of KoUlla, one of the Progenitors of the Jeju people, were received by the court of Silla at which time the name Tamna was officially recognized, while the official government posts of Seong-ju, Wang-ja and Do-nae were conferred by the count upon the three. While this was the golden period of Silla, the exact data is as yet unknown.
Jeju Island is a volcanic island, dominated by Halla-san (Halla Mountain): a volcano 1,950 metres high and the highest mountain in South Korea.
The island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago, during the time period from the Tertiary to the beginning of the Quaternary period, and consists chiefly of basalt and lava. It has a subtropical climate, warmer than the rest of Korea, with four distinct seasons. Half of the summer is rainy, and the winter is fairly dry. There is a crater lake which is the only natural lake in South Korea.
Jeju was an independent country called Tamna, until it became a protectorate of Silla in 662. In 938, after the fall of Silla, Tamna became a protectorate of Goryeo. In 1105 Tamna lost its autonomy and became a province of Goryeo. It was King Euijong of Goryeo who changed the island's name from Tamna to Jeju.
In 1271, Jeju became the base of the Sambyeolcho Rebellion against the Mongols. After Sambyeolcho was defeated in 1273, Mongols put Jeju under direct rule, and it became Goryeo territory again in 1367.
When Korea was colonized by Japan in 1910, Jeju became known as Saishu, which is the Japanese reading of the Hanja for Jeju. After the defeat of the Japanese, Jeju became an official part of the new Republic of Korea. In an incident known as the Cheju April 3rd Massacre, 20,000 Jeju Islanders were killed.
Jeju was then a part of Jeolla until 1946, when it became a province of its own. It should be noted that the population of Jeju started an uprising against the Korean government between 1946 to 1948, and approximately 30,000 of the island's population were killed during the uprising. The uprising began in a bid to gain independence from mainland Korea, but the Korean government eventually managed to quell the uprising.
Jeju island has been discriminated against due to its location and isolation. The history of Jeju has been completely censored in Korean history books and textbooks.
Alphabetical Listings of Hotels in Jeju-Do
RECOMMENDED HOTELS WITH DISCOUNT
ALL RATES DISPLAYED ARE NETT INCLUSIVE OF TAXES AND SERVICE CHARGE
