The Island of Anti-Japanese Resistance, Wando Soando, Waves with Taegeukgi Flags

Made with 2,420 Eco-Friendly Buoys, Floating Year-Round on a Seawater Freshwater Lake

An eco-friendly buoy Taegeukgi sculpture has been installed on Soando Island, Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, known as a "desired island to visit" and an island of anti-Japanese resistance. (Photo by Wando-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] The eco-friendly buoy Taegukgi sculpture installed on Soando Island, famous as an anti-Japanese island and selected as Jeollanam-do’s ‘Island You Want to Visit’ in 2015, is attracting attention from tourists.

According to Wando County on the 18th, the eco-friendly buoy Taegukgi sculpture was installed to inspire patriotism among residents and tourists, expand the brand value of the island you want to visit, and create an opportunity to promote the campaign for maintaining clean seas.

The Taegukgi measures 18m in width and 12m in height, made by attaching about 2,420 eco-friendly buoys to a net (216㎡), and it was installed in the freshwater sea pond around Soan Port.

The Taegukgi image was created by hanging 1,630 white buoys for the white background, 318 red and 318 blue buoys for the Taeguk pattern, and 158 black buoys for the Geon, Gon, Gam, and Ri trigrams, one by one on the net.

No Jun-sung (41), the youth chairman of Soan-myeon, said, “On the mainland, the Taegukgi flutters in the wind, but on Soando’s sea, it is so interesting and impressive that the Taegukgi seems to ripple on the seawater, and passing by here naturally strengthens one’s patriotism.”

Soando is also famous as an island where every household flies the Taegukgi 365 days a year, and it is widely known as one of the three major sites of Korea’s anti-Japanese movement along with Bukcheong in Hamgyeong Province and Dongnae in Busan.

In the 1920s during the Japanese colonial period, out of about 6,000 residents, 800 were identified as ‘Bullyeongseonin’ (Koreans who did not obey Japanese orders), showing how fierce the anti-Japanese movement was. After liberation, the island produced 89 independence activists, including 20 who received the Order of Merit for National Foundation.

The names of the three passenger ships traveling to and from Soando also inspire patriotism. The Daehan-ho, Minguk-ho, and Manse-ho, meaning ‘Long live the Republic of Korea,’ operate 12 times a day between Wando Hwahoengpo Port and Soando, transporting passengers and vehicles.

Shin Woo-cheol, the governor of Wando County, said, “I hope the eco-friendly buoy Taegukgi will not only boost the pride of local residents but also spread the meaning of patriotism to tourists visiting Soando, the island you want to visit, and greatly contribute to the campaign to preserve Wando’s clean sea.”

The freshwater sea pond where the Taegukgi sculpture is installed is 1.2 km from Soan Port, and Taegukgi flags are also raised around the entrance road, creating a Taegukgi path where anyone can reflect on patriotism while enjoying trekking.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.