Slow City

Jeungdo, a renowned ecological tourism destination in Jeollanam-do province’s Sinan region, is the 7th largest of the 1,004 islands in the region. Designated in 2007 as a Slow City, it boasts totally unpolluted land and water and expansive mudflats. Its attractions include Taepyeong Salt Farm, Korea’s largest single salt farm, and the Salt Museum, located by the farm’s entrance, where visitors can learn in detail about the manufacturing process of salt. The observatory at the back of Taepyeong Salt Farm provides panoramic views of the vast seashore and a picturesque village. Around the salt farm stand around 60 weathered salt storage buildings, giving an atmospheric feel.

Jeungdo was designated as a Slow City thanks to this time-honored salt farm with its rich history. Sinan is also famous for its treasure. A fleet of ships carrying treasure is known to have sunk in the past. They were uncovered from the seas near Jeungdo in the 1970’s.

Jeungdo began to produce salt around 1950. Jeungdo's sea salt has a high mineral content and exceptional taste. It is harvested by hand in the traditional way, which is the same method used by the upscale French sea salt brand, Guerande. Seawater is dried in shallow pools using only the sun and the wind. Jeungdo’s Sea salt can be purchased both in bulk and in small individual packages. Unlike processed table salt, it is rich in minerals and beneficial for your health. Recently, a new product has been released; sea salt flavored with dried seaweed. 

Taepyeong Salt Farm, built in 1953, is Korea’s largest single salt farm, and it is listed as one of the nation’s modern cultural heritages. Every year, 15,000 tons of top quality sea salt is harvested from the vast salt pans, which cover 4.62 million square meters. This land was reclaimed by draining the sea between Jeungdo and the neighboring Daechodo Island.

The sight of workers hand-harvesting salt from the vast expanse of 67 salt pans is certainly a must-see. Aside the salt farm, there are approximately 60 salt storage buildings, which cover a distance of 3 kilometers. Also, homes, bathrooms, and offices originally built for farmhands are still in existence, so visitors can see how a quintessential fishing village looked in the old days.

Along the path to the dock, you will find the Salt Museum operated by Taepyeong Salt Farm. Countless exhibits related to salt are on display here at the museum. Photos and dioramas explain the manufacturing processes and provide interesting information on the different types of salt used across the world. The museum is located in one of the old salt storage buildings. It was completely renovated to create a contemporary yet authentic atmosphere, with some of the wall space decorated with traditional-style ink paintings.

In Taepyeong Salt Farm, at the back of the museum, visitors can try turning the water wheels that pump seawater onto the fields or carrying hand-harvested salt to storage buildings. The salt harvesting program must be booked in advance - and at least 3 days prior to the visit - by phone or through the website. It costs 7,000 won for those 19 years and over and 6,000 won for those under 19. This program is available from mid-March to mid-October, which is the salt harvest season. Each participant can take home 1 kilogram of harvested salt as a souvenir.

The salt harvesting program first starts with a tour around the Salt Museum, and then participants move on to the salt fields by foot to learn how to hand-harvest salt. Next, they are led to the salt storage buildings, followed by a trip to the wetlands in the salt fields and the salt product exhibition hall, where purchases can also be made. The tour is led in Korean, but non-Korean speakers will still be able to observe the process of making salt.

The Jjangttungeo Bridge was Korea’s very first sea bridge built with wood. It stretches over the open water covering a distance of 470 meters. Standing on the bridge, visitors can enjoy both oceanic life during the daytime and the wonderful sunsets at dusk.

Thanks to the area’s remote location and unpolluted environment, the sky at night is full of stars. Jjangttungeo is actually the name of a fish, the blue spotted mud hopper, which can only be found in the unpolluted seas, visitors can spot many of them in the waters around the Jjangttungeo bridge. Seawater surges onto the bridge when the tide rises, but the mudflats are fully revealed at low tide. At the end of the bridge is a small park, which is also worth a visit.   

On Ujeon Beach the perfect white sand stretches for 4 kilometers in length and is 100 meters in width. A thick forest of old pine trees borders the beach. It is the ideal place for what Korean’s call “forest bathing,” which means taking a walk in the forest and taking deep breaths of the forest’s clean pine-scented air.

The beach is open for a month from July 20 to August 20, and this is the only time of year visitors can take a dip in the waters. The beach is equipped with restrooms and shower facilities. The annual Sinan Germanium Mudflats Festival also takes place at this time, drawing crowds with exciting programs such as the mudflats tidal flats eco system inspection, mud massages, and mudflats sledding.

Follow the path to El Dorado Resort from the Jeungdo Dock, and you will come across the filming location of the TV drama “Thank You.” Actually,it is on the small island of Hwado,which can be reached by the narrow bank path that connects it to Jeungdo at low tide. This is the location of the house where the two main characters (played by Gong Hyo Jin and Jang Hyeok) lived. The house is currently used as a lodge and a restaurant.

El Dorado Resort, which takes full advantage of its great surroundings, consists of 5 seaside villas named Longbeach Villa, Oceancliff Villa, Sunset Villa, Beachfront Villa and Sky Villa. All guestrooms offer incredible ocean views. Reservations are necessary, and discounts are available for those registered as online members. Extra charges are added to the room rates during high seasons.

Guests staying at the resort can have breakfast and use the seawater sauna and spa free of charge. A wide range of activities are also available at the resort, including yachting, jet skiing, banana boat riding and other ocean sports, as well as the mudflat ecological excursions.

The Sinan Island Mudflats Festival, held every August, takes place around Ujeon Beach. Major programs and events include the marathon race and the futsal (a type of soccer) match on the mudflats, the ocean swim, mud therapy experience, the Taepyeong Salt Farm experience, clam gathering, and goby fishing. In addition, a variety of exciting performances are staged throughout the period of the festival. 

This is an annual seaside festival held at the Dadohae National Park in the Sinan region every August. It was started in 1998 to raise public awareness of the importance preserving the mudflats’ ecosystem, and to promote the region’s cosmetics products, which are made from mud collected from these mudflats. From the costume parade to the mudflats massages, to the seawater sauna and the hot salt bath, many events and performances are organized to amuse festival-goers. Sales booths will be set up selling the Sinan region’s specialties and authentic foods cooked with local produce. The festival takes place on Ujeon Beach, one of the most popular attractions of Jeungdo.

Jeungdo is acclaimed for its wide selection of fresh gourmet seafood, which includes sea bass and gamseongdom (or black porgy). Many restaurants serve hoe (sliced raw fish or sashimi, as it’s more generally known) and maeuntang (spicy stew made with fish, vegetables and ground red chili), which are the two seafood dishes most enjoyed by Koreans. Some also offer namdo jeongsik (a full course meal accompanied by steamed rice, kimchi and a variety of side dishes), as well as dishes made with nakji (a type of octopus with slim tentacles) that are caught from the Jeungdo mudflats.

Keep in mind that most Jeungdo residents are Christians, and thus many restaurants and shops are closed on Sundays. Prepare your own meals or search in advance for restaurants that will be open if you plan to visit Jeungdo on Sunday. 

By Train
*Take the train to Mokpo from Yongsan Station. The KTX (express train) runs 7 times a day and takes 3 hours and 30 minutes. The Saemaeul (first class) train runs twice a day and takes 4 hours and 50 minutes. The Mugunghwa (second class) train runs 6 times a day and takes 5 hours and 10-30 minutes. -> From Mokpo station, take the No.1 bus to the Mokpo Intercity Bus Terminal or take a taxi -> From the Mokpo Bus Terminal, take the bus to Jido. The bus runs every 30 minutes between 6:30am and 7:00pm, and takes 1 hour. -> From the Jido Bus Terminal, take the shuttle bus to Saokdo’s Jisingae Dock. The bus runs frequently, in accordance with the boat schedule. It costs 1,500 won and takes 15 minutes. Or take a taxi, which takes 7-8 minutes and costs 8,000 won. -> Take the boat at the dock. -> Get off at Jeungdo Dock.

*Or take the train to Gwangju from Yongsan Station. The train runs 20 times a day between 5:20am and 2:45pm. The KTX (express) takes 3 hours and costs 35,900 won, the Saemaeul (first class) train 4 hours and 31,700 won, and the Mugunghwa train (second class) 4 hours 25 minutes and 21,400 won. -> From Gwangju station, take a bus or a taxi to Gwangju Bus Terminal. -> From the Gwangju Terminal, take the bus to Jido. The bus runs between 5:45am and 6:40am, and takes 2 hours. The bus fare is 7,900 won. -> From the Jido Bus Terminal follow the instructions above.
 

By Bus
*Take the bus to Jido from Seoul’s Central City Express Bus Terminal. The deluxe bus leaves at 8:30am and costs 28,700 won. The regular bus leaves at 4:20pm and costs 19,300 won. Both buses take 4 hours and 30 minutes. -> From Jido Bus Terminal, follow the instructions above.
 
*Or take the bus to Gwangju from the Dongseoul Terminal or the Central City Express Bus Terminal. -> From Gwangju Bus Terminal take a bus to Jido and follow the instructions above.
 
*Or take the bus to Mokpo from the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal or the Central City Express Bus Terminal. -> From Mokpo, take a bus to Jido, which takes 1 hour and 10 minutes. -> From Jido Bus Terminal, follow the instructions above.
 
*A direct bus to Saokdo Dock runs from the Gwangju and Mokpo bus terminals 4-5 times a day. It departs from Gwangju Terminal at 8:20am, 12:20pm; and 1:30pm, and from Mokpo at 6:20am, 9:25am, 1:00pm, and 4:30pm. For convenience’s sake, we recommend that you take this direct bus. 

Boat Schedule from Saokdo to Jeungdo

Departure Times: 6:40am, 8:30am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm, 10:00pm
Return Fare: 3,600 won

When visiting Jeungdo, exploring the island on bicycle or on foot is a better option than taking a car. The Jeungdo Office has stationed 300 bicycles across the island, which visitors can use for free.

They can be found outside major tourist destinations, including the Salt Museum and Jjangttungeo Bridge, as well as the Jeungdo Office. If you are unable to travel by bicycle, you can take the village bus that circulates around the entire island or book a taxi for a tour.