Cheju: Korea’s Honeymoon Island : Newlyweds arrive by the hundreds of thousands to ‘the place way over there.’

About 60 miles south of Pusan, in the channel separating the Korean peninsula from Japan, there lies a place where honeymoons literally never end.

It is the island of Cheju, a 30-mile-long, 16-mile-wide semi-tropical paradise with a rich history, unique customs and more than enough honeymooning Korean couples in residence on any given day to fill the Los Angeles Forum.

Ask any Korean adults to name an island, and Cheju will likely be the one. Chances are that not only did they honeymoon there, but so, too, did their parents. And for their parents’ generation, raised in more traditional times, that one visit to Cheju probably was the only occasion in their lives that they held hands in public, and it was the last time they ate their meals together as husband and wife.

Today, Korean women no longer have to exit the room after serving meals to their husbands. And hand-holding, while not common, raises few eyebrows. Indeed, almost all of the old Korean marital customs have been modified over the past two decades as that nation has rushed relentlessly toward Western-style development.

One tradition that has not changed appreciably, however, is the ritual trek to Cheju, the smallest of South Korea’s nine provinces. Each year, newly married couples come by the hundreds of thousands, some traveling by ferry from Pusan, most taking the hourlong flight from Seoul to Cheju City, the island’s largest city and the provincial capital. Brides and bridegrooms are in evidence everywhere on the island, the women resplendent in their colorful, traditional wedding costumes, the men attired in conservative business suits.

Korean honeymoon vacations are seldom more than a week in duration and are often limited to a weekend, so much of the couple’s short stay is spent traveling around to the island’s many scenic spots to be photographed. In fact, on arrival the first thing most couples do is hire a personal photographer who doubles as a driver.

Because the island was created through volcanic activity, it has no shortage of appropriate picture-taking venues, including jagged outcroppings, beautiful beaches, snowcapped mountains, tumbling clear waterfalls, black-lava shelves and volcanic cones.

A cynic might argue that all of this beauty is wasted on couples who only have eyes for each other. Certainly, as travelers from outside Korea are just now beginning to discover, you don’t have to be a honeymooner to enjoy Cheju’s charm and physical beauty. In many ways the presence of newlyweds simply adds an extra dimension of interest to the exotic flavor of a locale whose name literally means “the place way over there.”

My own journey to Cheju Island had nothing to do with marriage vows and everything to do with escaping the cold and heavy rains that I had encountered while on a November visit to Seoul. A Korean friend, Y. S. Lee, sensed after a third day of early winter downpours that I desperately needed a change of scenery.

“Go to Cheju-do,” he advised. “It is warm and sunny. It will remind you of Hawaii.” Being reminded of Hawaii seemed like a very good idea, so I took Lee’s advice.

As is true of most places that are described as being “like” somewhere else, egg-shaped Cheju, or Cheju-do ( do means island), bears some superficial resemblance to Hawaii. Approached from the air, there is no mistaking the island’s volcanic origins. As the craggy coastline comes into view you can see the outlines of ancient lava flows and your eye is inevitably drawn inland, and upward, to the 5,850-foot-high cone of Mt. Halla-san, Korea’s tallest peak. The fields below are lush and green, with neat patches of cultivation visible.

But Cheju’s climate is more extreme than that of a true South Seas isle. In winter, temperatures along the populated coast can occasionally fall into single digits and, due to its altitude, Mt. Halla-san is typically covered with snow during December, January and February.

During all months of the year, the volcanic cone, which last erupted in 1007, is obscured from island-level view about 90% of the time by clouds. So keep your eyes peeled as the flight to Cheju International Airport, on the island’s north shore, may well offer your only clear glimpse of its most salient feature.

Once you’ve arrived at Cheju International, any doubt that you’re in a place very much its own disappears immediately. The first thing you’re likely to encounter is a primitive, dwarf-like lava carving, with bulging eyes, a huge nose and elongated ears, called a tolharubang , or “stone grandfather.” Reproductions of these ancient artifacts, unique to Cheju, are seen everywhere on the island and have become its abiding symbol.

The fact that no one really knows for sure what these homely looking guys were originally meant to symbolize--fertility is a popular choice among honeymooners; Cheju residents prefer to think of them as their own private protective guardians--doesn’t seem to matter to most people. Perhaps I’ve been raised on too many Stephen King novels and Steven Speilberg films, but I tend to leave such vaguely defined totems and gods behind when I return home, for fear that their true purpose is to inflict bodily pain, cause car trouble or trigger an IRS audit.

At any rate, it is best to put the Hawaii analogy aside completely and open up to the undeniable uniqueness of the place.

Certainly, from a cultural perspective, Cheju differs not only from Hawaii but also from the rest of Korea, and indeed, from any other place on the Pacific Rim.

Mainland Koreans will tell you that the island is known for three riches, or abundances: wind, rocks and women. It takes a first-time visitor little time to see why: The winds are warm but strong, the rocks volcanic and the women empowered.

Women have long held sway over Cheju. For centuries the menfolk have ventured far from shore, often for weeks or months at a time, in search of fish. The risks were great and many never returned. This created what can best be described as a gender gap on the island. And it was a wide one: It is estimated that at various times in history, women outnumbered men on Cheju by a margin of 2 to 1.

Today, the split among the island’s half-million inhabitants is closer to 55% female, 45% male. Nevertheless, you still find many men tending to the home, while the women till the fields, manage shops or make a living as haenyos , divers after seaweed and shellfish who often reach depths of 40 to 60 feet and stay down for three or four minutes.

The divers, numbering about 20,000, must be some of the hardiest workers in the world. You can catch glimpses of them most easily along Cheju’s south coast in the early morning, as they begin a long day of diving for edible seaweed, shellfish, octopus and sea cucumbers.

One especially popular diving spot is just east of one of Asia’s most spectacular waterfalls, Chongbang, which drops unimpeded 70 feet directly into the sea. Within sight of the falls, you can sit on the rocks and watch these women, clad in black wet suits and tethered to floats, dive repeatedly for hours, appearing and disappearing like loons on an up-country Maine or New Hampshire lake.

The delicacies they bring to the surface are available right on the spot. I wandered down to watch them late one morning and soon found myself joining a honeymoon couple for some of the freshest seafood imaginable--sliced, diced and carved up on shiny tin plates by dry-land associates of the divers.

What makes Cheju particularly attractive to the North American traveler is the remarkable diversity to be found in such a small area. Within the span of a few hours a visitor can be transported from a bracing climb up Mt. Halla-san to summertime 90-degree temperatures on one of the island’s many beaches.

Mt. Halla-san National Park was established in 1970, but the peak itself has been regarded since ancient times as one of Korea’s three sacred peaks (the others being Chiri-san and Odae-san, both on the mainland).

The climb is rugged yet manageable by most reasonably fit travelers. Any tendency to lag behind, in my case at least, was ended when a white-haired Japanese lady, who was passing at a fair clip, asked me to guess how old she was. Before I had a chance to respond she sang out, “Seventy!” and zoomed on up.

In truth, it is probably wiser to move slowly up and down Mt. Halla-san, not so much for reasons of health but because the rock formations and flora along the trails are lovely.

This is true no matter the time of year. In spring, the slopes are alive with brightly flowering azaleas; in summer, there are mountain wild flowers; autumn, the changing of the leaves, and in winter, the frosts create a surreal environment.

Mt. Halla-san’s only real drawback, previously mentioned, is that it is often shrouded in clouds, making clear vistas from summit to sea a rarity.

Less than two miles southwest from the summit, yet reachable by automobile or bus, is an area called Yongshil. The landscape here is truly strange, featuring huge boulders, craggy outcroppings and weird volcanic formations. Yongshil is well worth visiting and is yet another popular spot with honeymoon couples, whose jostling for photographic position is nearly as weird (and entertaining) as the scenery itself.

Also worth visiting is Songup Village to the east of Mt. Halla-san. Established in the 15th Century and once the island’s capital, it is now a designated “folklore preservation zone,” which means, among other things, that the inhabitants still live in traditional stone homes with thatched roofs and high surrounding walls.

An interesting contrast to Songup is the west coastal village of Hallim, which has become world famous for its Irish-style woolens. This cultural transplant is the work of Father Patrick McGlinchey, an Irish missionary who in the early 1960s imported weaving equipment and 500 sheep from New Zealand and Japan and established a thriving woolens business.

Not far south from Hallim are the Hypopchaegul Caves, which are worth a visit if you’ve not seen a lava tube cave, and a lovely, sandy beach at Hypochae.

The beaches of Cheju are varied--some feature fine sand, while others are more rock-strewn--and those on the west and south coasts tend to be less crowded. The water lacks the clarity found in the Caribbean or surrounding a Pacific atoll, but scuba diving and snorkeling are available.

In fact, thanks to much recent development, just about every imaginable diversion is now available on Cheju, from golf on the championship course at Chungmun Beach to glass-bottomed boat rides out across the island’s offshore reefs. Cheju, like so many other scenic islands around the world, is being “developed” to attract additional tourists from Japan and elsewhere.

While some of the development is of questionable value, one artificial attraction well worth visiting is the newly opened Cheju Botanical Gardens, Asia’s largest, located near Sogwip’o on the south coast. Its focal point is a stunning, star-shaped glass and aluminum structure that radiates out almost 200 feet from a central observation tower. Under this huge roof are six distinct spaces, each with its own climate, from tropical rain forest to extreme desert. The facility is ingeniously designed and the plantings are extensive and well-documented (in English, Korean and Japanese).

Upon entering I was greeted by a Mr. Lee Nae Jeung. He was the director of the Gardens and took great pride in personally showing off his prized plantings, all done under his watchful eye.

And where, I finally asked, did the good director get some of the best ideas for his garden design?

“Just before we began this project I visited Niagara Falls, which, like Cheju, is famous for the honeymoon,” he said proudly.

A small world, as they say. Certainly after four days on Cheju I felt very pleased to have been directed by my friend in Seoul to such a distinct and beautiful place and would recommend it to anyone, honeymooning or not, seeking warmth and welcome in an exotic locale.

GUIDEBOOK

Romantic Cheju Island

Getting there: Cheju can be reached directly by air from a number of Asian cities, including Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, and Taipei in Taiwan. Korean Air offers more than 200 flights a week from six cities on the mainland, including Seoul and Pusan. Round-trip fare from Seoul is about $100.

There is also daily overnight service by car ferry from Pusan to Cheju. Fares range from about $16 for third-class one way to $33 first-class, $45 first-class with berth and about $110 deluxe stateroom. The voyage takes 12-13 hours and can be quite rough.

Where to stay: There are many hotels in Cheju City, but the south side of the island, including Sogwip’o City and the Chungmung Beach area, is your best bet if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle. Recommended are the moderately priced Dae Sin Tourist Hotel (Sogwip’o; from U.S. telephones, 011-82-64-33-2121; about $32 single, $47 double), as well as the more expensive Chungmung Beach Hyatt (Sogwip’o; 011-82-64-33-1234; about $192 single or double) and the Cheju Prince (Sogwip’o; 011-64-32-9911; $80 single or double, $102 suite). In Cheju City, the Cheju KAL offers a casino, swimming pools and indoor golf for about $43 single, $80 double and $168 to more than $500 for a suite; 011-82-64-53-6151. Accommodations are plentiful but it’s wise to book ahead.

For the more adventuresome and budget-conscious, consider staying at a yogwan , or Korean inn. These can be quite pleasant and are very inexpensive; $10-$25 a night. Inquire about availability at the airport information desk.

Where to eat: There is a great variety of cuisine, from the very local (barbecue specialties and fresh seafood dishes) to European, Japanese and North American. It would be a shame to miss out on at least a couple rounds of kimchi , a fiery, mostly cabbage dish, or fail to try the fresh (and sometimes only recently moving) seafood.

Seasons: There is no “best” time to visit Cheju, although the island is most crowded in July and August. I visited in mid-November and found it warm along the coast and brisk in the mountains. Many say winter, when snow caps Mt. Halla-san, is best; others prefer the spring.

For more information: Contact the Korean National Tourism Corp., 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 350, Los Angeles 90010, (213) 382-3435.