In Wando

By Kim Jin-heon I used one autumnal day in October to travel to Yaksan Island in Wando County, South Jeolla Province, to enjoy nature. The travel by car ferry from Nokdong seaport in Goheung, situated to the east of Wando, takes an hour and a half. On the journey there through the sea was a myriad of islands, which were surrounded with a lot of cage farms and seaweed growing farms.

As soon as I arrived and got off, I took a 50-minute ride on a public bus free of charge to the Wando County Office where the bus terminal is located. Though it was a holiday, most passengers were either older adults or elementary and middle school students. When elderly men or ladies got on, the bus driver used humor and wit to encourage the students to give up their seats to the seniors.



While young people automatically rose up to give seats to the elderly in the past, things are different nowadays. But the young people did so with jovial smiles, and the older passengers thanked the driver for his careful consideration and courage. When I reached the destination, I looked around the downtown area and then walked to a nearby port.

There I found an informational booklet about Wando. Wando County, located in the southwest of South Jeolla Province, is composed of hundreds of islands. Most of these islands in the southwestern region of Korea are known for their historic and natural attractions.

For example, Cheongsan Island is known for its nickname, the Slow City. Bogil Island is known for Yoon Seon-do’s poems and its garden, Seyeonjeong. Geumil Island is famous for its sand beach and Soando for the place that is sacred to the anti-Japanese movement.

The town of Wando's subtropical arboretum is well-known. I had visited most of these places before. Jangdo is especially well known for Cheonghaejin and Jang Bo-go (787-841), the "king of the sea.

" In those days, pirates from the Tang Dynasty and Japan commanded the sea near Mokpo and Wando. They kidnapped citizens who lived on the islands and sold them to merchants. But Jang Bo-go established a naval base at Jang Island and defeated them — even the Tang Dynasty — to gain control of the area.

The Kuryushu current runs from Shanghai in China to Wando via Mokpo. The Wando area was a key point in maritime transportation as well as a strategic location between China and Japan. Furthermore, its coasts of rias with mudflats and germanium-rich nutrients helped fishermen to cultivate fish and seaweed more effectively.

The hundreds of islands in this area protect the farms from typhoons and high waves. The weather is mild through all four seasons. There is abundant seafood and the beautiful natural environment in the Wando area attracts tourists who visit year-round.

Especially, since the Wando Bridge was opened in 2012 to connect Wando to Haenam County, it is easier for tourists to travel there. The writer is a retired English teacher who published a book, titled "Flower Is Flower.".