KOREA FOUNDATION

Three full years have passed since I bought a one-way ticket and flew to Jeju Island, a place where I knew no one. Two weeks after I arrived, I already missed the hustle and bustle of my city of skyscrapers, subways, and department stores so much that I took the last available flight to Seoul as if I were running away. That was my first summer. As I welcome my fourth autumn on Jeju, however, I can say that I have settled into life here quite well.

Every morning, I wake up, hurriedly get ready for work, and set out for a busy day — a routine that does not seem very different from my days in Seoul. Still, I am able to see and enjoy the nature of Jeju on my lunch break and on holidays, and am overwhelmed by feelings that I never experienced in Korea’s capital city.

Jeju is more beautiful in the fall than in any other season. After a few summer months of rain, a fog that seldom lifts, 100-percent humidity, sizzling heat, and numerous typhoons, Jeju reveals its autumnal splendor at last — the bright and clear sky, the dazzling sea, shimmering silver grass, white buckwheat flowers, and the enchanting sunset. Autumn in Jeju is perfect for anything and everything. You can hit the road without a plan, go wherever and do whatever you like, and you will find yourself happy.

The most memorable autumnal scene I have witnessed on Jeju was the sunset I saw while on a winding path around Mt. Songak. One weekend, I ventured out to the mountain late in the afternoon and walked, watching the endless ocean. Right at that moment, the sun was setting.

As I stood in the sea breeze and watched this golden spectacle, I felt that “innocent low temperature that has never brushed past sweat-soaked skin” — words by Kim Seung-ok in his short story “Record of a Journey to Mujin.” It was as if I knew I could beat my stress even before it consumed me.

This fall, I will go back to Mt. Songak, my heart full of expectations for another perfect sunset.

Written by Assistant Director Kim Soo-yeon, Korean Studies Department

Autumn in Jejubuckwheat flowerspath around Mt. Songaksunset