The beauty of the uncharted world beneath the surface of the Earth was revealed to the public for the first time at the World Heritage Festival, which took place from September 4 to 20.
Mike Laidman will take you to parts of Jeju Island’s (만장굴) Manjanggul Lava Tube that have been explored for the first time in 10,000 years.


A party of explorers, equipped with lights and ropes, descends into the depths of a dark cave.
Only a single beam of sunlight penetrates the darkness.
Journeying deep into the cave, their adventure is taking them to a whole new world.
The ancient signs of lava flows and even lava bridges gradually appear.
Some of the walls inside the cave have been scraped and scratched, showcasing different rock surfaces from a roughly 10,000-year history.
Some previously closed areas of Jeju’s famous Manjanggul Lava Tube were earlier opened to the public for the first time.


The Manjanggul Lava Tube snakes under Jeju for 7.4 kilometers.
Usually, only one kilometer of the cave is open to the public.


The beauty of the underground world of the whole Manjanggul Lava Tube was opened during the World Heritage Festival, which wrapped up on Sunday.
The lava tunnel has high scientific and educational value as it remains almost as it was when it was first created.

INTERVIEW
Ki Jin-seok / Researcher, Jeju World Natural Heritage Center
Manjanggul Lava Tube was included in the natural monument list along with Gimnyeong Lava Tube. Manjanggul lava tubes were recognized due to their scale and research value. Stalactites as well as pristine helical-like stalks have been well preserved.
<인터뷰 : 기진석 / 세계자연유산본부 학예연구사>
가장 먼저 천연기념물이 된 동굴이거든요. 김녕굴과 함께. 규모도 규모지만 거기 안에 있는 동굴 종유라던지 동굴 밧줄 구조, 생성당시의 모습을 그대로 보존하고 있어 학술적으로도 아주 중요한 동굴입니다.


Though it is now finished, the World Heritage Festival gave intrepid explorers an excellent chance to get a good look at this 10,000-year old lava tube designated as a national natural monument and one of UNESCO's World Natural Heritage sites.

Mike Laidman, KCTV