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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Dragon Rock, Yongduam, Jeju – Day 11 in South Korea

After we finished a bowl of al-tang for lunch, we hailed a cab to take us to Yongduam rock which was pretty close to the airport. En route, the taxi driver made a small talk with me. Aside from asking the basic stuff like where we came from and how long we were staying in Korea, he also gave some tips on how we can explore Jeju more and enjoy our stay to the fullest. It’s so amazing to feel you are surrounded with very nice and friendly people. I have felt this way ever since our first day in this wonderful country. The distance to our destination was very short though and we have soon arrived at Yongduam.

jeju travel
Yongduam Rock

Yongduam Rock, situated in the northern part of Jeju City, is widely known as the "Dragon Rock." Why, you say? It is because the rocks here look like a dragon's head, thus the name of Yongduam ('Yong' means dragon in Korean.) There are some fascinating legends on how these rocks surfaced in Jeju.

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The more famous story about this popular rock is that a jade ball was stolen by a dragon from the god of Mt. Hallasan. The god became very angry and has killed the dragon. Its body then fell to the sea. Another legend has it that that a lion that went to Mt. Hallasan searching for the dragon king. The two animals fought with each other, ended up with the dragon falling to the sea and died. It was said that the head is the dragon king's head. But I believe the “dragon’s head” was formed due to the volcanic eruptions that occurred million years ago in the city.

yongduam rock

There were different viewing sites for Yongduam. Any way you look at it, these rocks are very striking and a fascinating sight to see.

jeju blog

We were also able to see harubangs and a statue of a mermaid that symbolizes the haenyos, sinking into the deep waters of Jeju without any aid of oxygen tank. When we arrived at Yongduam though, there were no haenyos in action. Too bad.

jeju harubang

mermaid korea

The stores near the shoreline were also pretty interesting. There were some souvenir shops that sell harubang figurines and chocolate made in Jeju.


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souvenir jeju

Since Yongduam Rock is quite near to the airport, you can visit here even when you just arrived at Jeju or before leaving the city. The trip to airport from here would take 5-10 minutes and cab fare is less than  3000 Won so I’d recommend this attraction especially for those people who are on a hurry or have a tight schedule.


jeju blogger

What did you think of the legend of Yongduam? People may have different beliefs regarding this but for me, what’s important is that we were able to learn Jeju’s culture from this tourist spot :)


Day 1: Gangwon-do
Chuncheon and Nami Island

Day 2: Gangwon-do
Mt.Seorak (Seoraksan)

Day 3: Gyeonggi-do
Yongin and Food Tour

Day 4: Gyeonggi-do
Suwon: Hwaseong Fortress, Korean Folk Village

Day 5: Gyeonggi-do
Everland

Day 6: Gyeongju
Food Tour

Day 7: Gyeongju
Seokguram Grotto

Bulguksa Temple

Cheomseongdae and Anapji Pond

Day 8: Busan
Railway Train in Korea

Day 9: Busan
Igidae Coast

Busan Fireworks Festival

Day 10: Busan
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Flying with Jeju Air

Day 11: Jeju (E)
Food Tour- Altang

Dragon Rock

Jusangjeolli Cliff

Teddy Bear Museum

The Seaes Resort

Day 12: Jeju (W)
Sunrise Peak

Seopjikoji

Trick Art

Folk Village

Sangamburi Crater, Mt.Halla

Manjanggul Cave, Maze Park

Jjimjilbang

Day 13: Seoul
Flying with T'way Airlines

Couchsurfing in Korea

Day 14: Seoul
Palaces and Bukchon Village

Day 15&16: Seoul
Myeongdong and Ewha University

N Seoul Tower

Booking Flights
via T'way Airlines

Travel Report for South Korea
16 days travel itinerary and tips

1 comment:

  1. This is so useful! Thank you so much! Now I know that you can do two days with the itinerary you made. And also I know the routes you took and places you went. So thankful for your blog! I will try to do the same when I'm done with my visit to Jeju Island!

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