And now for our second installment in a series of reports on how development is changing coastal communities. Here’s Mike Laidman with a story on Woljeong-ri, which has gone from a sleepy island village to a developed tourism hotspot in just a few short years.
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Woljeong-ri, Gujwa-eup

The coast of Woljeong-ri, in Gujwa-eup, Jeju City is representative of the island’s nature. Here, white sand, black stones, and a crystal-clear sea all mingle.
It is because of this beauty that Woljeong is popular year-round, even on weekdays.

[INTERVIEW]
Choi Yeong-ran/ Pyeongtaek
We came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the ocean, and to see it now with its beautiful emerald color makes it look even more exotic.
< 최영란 / 경기도 평택시 >
결혼 기념일이어서 왔어요. 오랜만에 바다를 보는데 특별히 에메랄드빛이어서 이국적인 느낌이 들고 참 좋다는 생각이 드네요.

But just a short five years ago, the Woljeong-ri coast was totally different from how it is now.

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Boom begins in 2012

It was a typical rural village, centered on agriculture and fishing. Only a few houses were to be found along the coastal road. However, when 2012 hit, tourists started to take note of its beauty.

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140+ registered guesthouses

Since then, businesses have been opening left and right, all along the Woljeong-ri coast.
Now, the area is full of cafes, pensions, and restaurants.
There are more than 140 guesthouses registered on online portals, and most of the businesses are run by people from the mainland.

[INTERVIEW]
Song Gyeong-mae/ Woljeong-ri resident
All those businesses are run by people from other regions. There are very few people who actually own their own house along the coast road. All of them are mainlanders.
< 송경매 / 구좌읍 월정리 >
여기 다 외지사람이 육지에서 와서 땅 사서 장사하는 거예요. 해안도로에는 자기 집 가진 사람이 몇 명 없어요. 다 외지사람이에요.

This surge in popularity triggered a land price spike in Woljeong-ri. Just four years ago, 3.3 square meters of land cost around 300,000 won. But now, some reports have that same size pegged at a huge 10 million won.

[INTERVIEW]
Kang Doo-an/ Chair, Woljeong-ri assn. of senior citizens
Land prices have skyrocketed. What was 100,000 won is now five, or even ten, million won.
< 강두안 / 구좌읍 월정리 노인회장 >
(땅 값이) 많이 올랐죠. 10만 원 짜리가 지금 500만 원, 1천만 원 가고 있어요.

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Dozens of businesses open in Pyeongdae-ri in last 2 years

Pyeongdae-ri is about ten minutes away from Woljeong-ri by car. Like Woljeong-ri, there are many cafes and guesthouses along its coastal road. In the last two years, more than 30 new tourism-related businesses have popped up. But this story is not limited to only Pyeongdae-ri. Handong-ri, Hangwon-ri, and Sehwa-ri are also seeing the same changes.

[INTERVIEW]
Kim Yang-yun/ Village leader, Pyeongdae-ri
There’s no property left in Woljeong, so people who want to open businesses in this area are looking to Haengwon, Handong, Pyeongdae, and Sehwa.
[INTERVIEW]
< 김양윤 / 구좌읍 평대리장 >
지금은 월정이 포화상태가 되니까 해안도로 쪽에 경치도 있는 곳을 찾다보니까 행원, 한동, 평대, 세화쪽으로 집중되는거죠.

But this sudden change in Jeju’s coastal areas hasn’t been all positive.

[camera]
Kim Yong-min

Some locals have built walls around their private property to block out the road. But some of these areas had long been used as paths, causing conflicts. As most mainlanders have come here not to live but to run businesses or invest, there has been a lack of communication with the Jeju villagers.

[INTERVIEW]
Kim Yang-yun/ Village leader, Pyeongdae-ri
Even though most mainlanders are here to run businesses, they should try to become a part of the community by working alongside locals. I feel that this may be hard to realize.
[INTERVIEW]
< 김양윤 / 구좌읍 평대리장 >
아무리 자기 이윤을 위해서 오셨지만 지역주민과 같이
어울리다보면 그게 하나의 공동체가 이어져 가는거죠.
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그런 부분이 없어져 가는 게 아쉽다는 거죠.

[reporter]
Mike Laidman

As the subject of intense development and investment, Jeju is gaining not only nationwide attention but also attention from outside. But being in the spotlight is changing Jeju’s traditionally beautiful coast roads into scenes that would have been unimaginable only a few short years ago.

Mike Laidman, KCTV