We’ve been talking a lot recently about Jeju’s stone walls, called “batdam.” This integral part of local culture is slowly disappearing, and experts argue something must be done to preserve them. Joseph Kim reports.

Due to advances in farming techniques and urbanization, Jeju’s stone walls such as the Sandam and Wondam are disappearing rapidly.

As development has accelerated recently, methods of conservation are urgently needed.

This is Haga-ri, Aewol-up, in Jeju City. Some seniors are busy rebuilding a collapsed Batdam.

It may look easy to build, but it is not as strong as the stone walls built by their ancestors.

[INTERVIEW]
Yang Chang-seon / Haga-ri
Stone walls built by our experienced forefathers remain in good condition, but those built by more recent generations might last only a few months…
"경험이 많아서 옛날 어른들 쌓은 것은 지금도 그대로 남아있고 요즘 사람들이 쌓으면 몇 개월 안가서 넘어져 버릴수가..."

Batdam, the wisdom of the Jeju elders’ is disappearing.

According to a sample survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2007, average damage rate of Jeju’s Batdam reached 11%.

[slug]
‘Batdam’ disappearing due to development

Mechanization of agriculture, road construction and a recent boom in development accelerated the rate of destruction. In the case of the Wondam, the stone walls used for catching fish, it is more serious.

The Wondam has been neglected due to the development of modernized fishery technology. There used to be around 260 Wondam along Jeju’s seashores, but we can see that they have lost their original shape.

Sandam, which is an expression of Jeju’s funeral culture and community spirit, is also disappearing.

[camera]
Kim Seung-cheol

Funeral culture has been changing and as descendents have been leaving Jeju, they tend to move the graves due to the difficulties in maintenance and management.

Rapid development serves to only accelerate the extinction of Sandam culture and it looks like we might no longer be able to see Sandam in Jeju in the near future.

[INTERVIEW]
Kim Yoo-jeong / Art critic
‘Sandam’ have been in Jeju fields for over 600 years, so it is very sad to see them disappearing. I feel like Jeju’s community spirit is also disappearing.
"600년이나 지난 세월동안 제주도 들녘을 장식했던 이 아름다운 산담들이 사라지는 것을 볼 때 정말 우리의 정체성, 우리의 공동체 정신이 어딘가로 멀리 떠나는 모습을 보면서 슬퍼할 수 밖에 없습니다."

[REPORTER]
Joseph Kim

Stonewalls are a living culture of the Jeju people who have managed to survive on this barren land.

There is more attention on the scenic views of stonewalls recently, but it loses its meaning without any solid protocol for its conservation.

Joseph Kim KCTV