We have a lot of preconceived ideas about island people. For example we think that if people grow up next to the ocean they should be good swimmers of if the population is more than 70% women then we should have an easy time finding a wife. Myth buster - they are old widows. The young people went to the mainland to get an education and work.
I'm not sure about all islands, but the natives in Ulleungdo avoided the coast for fear of invasion. That is probably why they can't swim as well as people in Seoul who are required to learn swimming in school.
The richest farmland in Ulleungdo is at the center of the ancient volcano. Not only does this area provide the richest farmland it also provides an underground land. I have never tasted such fine water in my life. Since I came back to Seoul I have been looking for bottled Ulleungdo water and haven't found any. The closest I got was some Jeju water.
The sad part of the story is that Ulleungdo will not be kept a secret for long. I remember visiting Jeju island twenty years ago and enjoying small fishing villages and cute native houses. There was a distinctive culture of Jeju island and I wish it was never disturbed, but over the past twenty years it has become overgrown.
This is what Jeju looks like today. A lot of the land has been bought up by foreign investors. For years Ulleungdo has not had such a problem because it takes hours by boat to get there from the mainland and if the weather is bad you just can't get there. The people of Ulleungdo began construction of a new airport and cruise ship port scheduled to open in 2025. While this is an opportunity for more people to visit Ulleungdo it is also a danger to the native species and culture of the island.
The airport I saw under construction is to have only one runway and will limit the amount of flights each day.I don't think it will be the end of Ulleungdo but will definitely modernize this nostalgic island. For many the completed airport may be the only opportunity to visit the island that more than 10,000 people call home.
