[One Day Walk] Olle Trail Course 19 Reflecting the Pain of Jeju's History

Jeju Olle Trail Course 19 showcases the most beautiful aspects of Jeju?sea, oreum (volcanic cones), gotjawal (dense forests), villages, and fields?without a moment of boredom. It also allows visitors to witness the sites of Jeju's anti-Japanese independence movement and the painful history of the Jeju 4.3 Incident.

Course 19 is 19.4 km long and takes about 7 hours to complete. Starting from Jocheon Manse Hill in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, this course encompasses Jeju's anti-Japanese history. Jocheon Manse Hill is the site where the Jocheon Manse Movement, one of Jeju's three major anti-Japanese independence movements, took place. The movement spread not only to nearby areas such as Hamdeok, Sinchon, and Sinheung but also to places like Seogwipo, instilling a strong sense of national identity among the people of Jeju.

Descending from Jocheon Manse Hill, you will encounter the Jeju Anti-Japanese Memorial Hall. The memorial hall fully embodies the Jeju people's will for independence and is curated to help visitors understand the footsteps of Jeju's independence efforts in one place. After experiencing the history of Jeju's anti-Japanese movement, the trail continues along the coastline for about 10 km.

Walking along the coast, you will pass Sinheung-ri White Sand Beach and Hamdeok Beach. Hamdeok Beach is one of the most popular beaches among tourists, with many nearby restaurants and attractions. After passing Hamdeok Beach and reaching the entrance of Seoubong, you can see one of Jeju's top sunset spots. Passing through here at sunset offers a view of the Jeju sea embroidered in scarlet hues.

Seoubong also reveals painful history. On the eastern slope of this area, there are 21 cave-shaped military sites artificially constructed by the Japanese army around 1945 during the Japanese colonial period. These defensive structures were built by forcibly mobilizing Jeju residents to prepare for Allied forces' coastal landings. Toward the end of World War II, as Japan was on the defensive, these facilities were intended to protect the Japanese mainland from American attacks.

Jeju Olle Trail Course 19. (Photo by Jeju Olle official website)

Descending from Seoubong, you will arrive at the Neobeunsungi 4.3 Memorial Hall. Bukchon-ri, where the memorial hall is located, is the setting of Hyun Ki-young’s novel "Sunyi Samchong" and was the village that suffered the greatest damage during the 4.3 Uprising. On January 17, 1949, soldiers burned most of the houses, and residents were dragged to various places around the village and massacred. The memorial hall conveys the history of this village.

After experiencing Jeju’s painful history, the trail leads away from the coast and into the forest. Passing through pine forests, you head toward Beolleojin Hill, where you can feel Jeju’s nature. Beolleojin Hill is named because it is the place where two villages split or where the middle is open.

Afterward, the course heads toward the final destination, Kimnyeong Seopo Port. Here stands the Jedori Release Memorial Tower. Jedori, a southern bottlenose dolphin, was captured in the Jeju sea in May 2009 and illegally used in shows until being released back into the sea in July 2013. The tower commemorating this event is installed near the end point of Course 19, at Kimnyeong Port.

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