제주평화연구원

Le Clézio, the Nobel laureate of literature, has created a reverberation among European readers with his travelogue about Jeju Island, which was carried in a French magazine. Ten years later, he draws a parallel in his essay, “Jeju Revisited,” between his homeland Mauritius and Jeju Island as volcanic islands that have been victims of colonization by the world powers and the April 3 Incident, respectively. In the essay, he also ruminates on the spirit of Jeju, expressing his affection for the island. In this session, Chairperson Suh Myung-sook, who is called a “pathfinder” as chairperson of the Jeju Olle Foundation and has made the “26 trails of happiness” over 10 years after her return to the island, gave a keynote speech following the video message from the Nobel laureate. Actress Moon Sori, who joined the nationwide campaign, “The Jeju April 3 Incident: The History of the Republic of Korea,” and Prof. Song Ki-jeong who translated Clézio’s novella, “Tempest,” which was dedicated to Jeju Haenyeo, held a discussion on this theme. They exchanged their views on how to find a path toward reconciliation, coexistence and happiness in their talks about the remaining historical scars of Jeju islanders.   The following are excerpts from the final report of the Jeju Forum 2018.  

Moderator KIM Suk-Beom Director, KCTV Jeju Broadcasting co.   Video Message Jean-Marie Gustave LE CLÉZIO Nobel Laureate of Literature in 2008   Keynote Speech/Discussant SUH Myung-Sook CEO & Chairperson, Jeju Olle Foundation    

  

Discussant MOON Sori Actress, Movie Director SONG Ki-Jeong Professor, Ewha Womans University   ● LE CLÉZIO (video message) I am truly saddened to say that I cannot visit Jeju Island to see you. I cannot attend the Jeju Forum because health complications do not allow me to travel long distances. I really love Jeju Island. Jeju is a place that has its own spirit, courage and virtue. Particularly, the island is home to an amazing people, the women working at sea, haenyeo (women divers). Jeju is also known for its long and rich tradition of art and literature. There are also many gods, fairies and spirits blessing the island. No other place in Korea or in the world provides a venue more befitting peace talks than this island. It reminds me of Mauritius, a small country that is the motherland of my ancestors. Both people on Jeju Island and Mauritius who have waded through adversity have dauntless courage and willpower in common. In my view, Jeju is a very special and important place, as it can usher in peace in the future and contribute to the advancement of culture and literature. There will be another meeting on Jeju for world peace, especially for the fight against all nuclear weapons. In this respect, I hope you have many successful encounters at this year’s Jeju Forum.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Anyone who lives on Jeju Island loves the Jeju Olle Trail. It is Suh Myung-sook, chairperson of the Jeju Olle Foundation, that blazed the trail. Quitting her 23-year career as a journalist, she embarked on a solitary pilgrimage to the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) when she turned 50. On the pilgrimage, she was reminded of her home-town on Jeju. She decided to make a “more beautiful and peaceful road than the Way of St. James” and started to blaze a trail after establishing the Jeju Olle Foundation. The foundation completed opening a 425 km-long foot path that circles the island in November 2012. In addition to the regular 21 courses, the Olle Trail also opened on Udo and Chuja-do Islands, and even on foreign soils in Mongolia, Japan and Turkey.   ● SUH Myung-Sook I’m pleased to have this opportunity to talk about the Olle paths to those from overseas. You can circumambulate Jeju Island in 26 days by walking on 21 regular courses, constructed over 10 years, and five alpha courses. On Jeju, there were roads on which the ancestors used to tread, the way that haenyeo (women divers) took to get to the sea, and the way to schools. I connected and transformed these scattered roads into a flat trail anyone could use without difficulty. It is a multi-purpose road where you can see the nature of the island, meet the village people and discover the history, unique culture of Jeju, and haenyeo. In the earlier days, news media and many others expressed skepticism regarding the Olle Trail. It was very hard and painful, but I constantly recalled the Jeju proverb on life, “If you keep living, you can manage to live.” Now, Mongolians, Japanese and Vietnamese have their own Olle courses. I will continue to spread Jeju Olle to the world. In the earlier days, news media and many others expressed skepticism regarding the Olle Trail. It was very hard and painful, but I constantly recalled the Jeju proverb on life, “If you keep living, you can manage to live.” Now, Mongolians, Japanese and Vietnamese have their own Olle courses. I will continue to spread Jeju Olle to the world. ​   ● KIM Suk-Beom You all are known to have deep affection for Jeju Island. What does Jeju mean to each of you?   ● SUH Myung-Sook When it comes to Jeju, many think about Mt. Halla. But, it is all about the sea. I am always reminded of the sea, possibly because I have lived near the Seogwipo coast. Whenever I see the sea, I feel much relieved. The better part of what raised me was the wind. Hence, when it comes to Jeju, it is all about the sea and the wind.   ● MOON Sori It has not been long that I have had a special attachment to Jeju. I have walked only five Olle courses after a chance meeting with chairperson Suh, and I am just starting to fall in love with Jeju. I am from Busan. I grew up seeing the sea and feeling the wind all the time. When I was in sixth grade, my family moved to Seoul to get out of poverty. I often felt stifled in Seoul and remember a short story by Oh Yeong-su, “Gaenmaeul (The Seaside Village)” in which the female protagonist, who went mad during her stifling married life, talks to the sea. I have cried when reading that part. The sea of Busan is not what it used to be after many tall buildings were erected around Haeundae Beach. On Jeju, the buildings are mostly low-rise, with the sky remaining the old sky and land being the old land. So, it is comforting at the moment I get off the plane. Jeju is like the warm arms of my grandmother hugging me. When nestled in the bosom of Seolmundae Halmang (a mythical figure of Jeju folk tales), it feels as if I fill up the void inside myself. Now, I am developing a special attachment to Jeju.   ● SONG Ki-Jeong When it comes to Jeju, I visualize the black basalt, particularly the wall loosely built with basalt rocks. The basalt walls, the green barley fields and the blue skies are a touching scene to me.   ● KIM Suk-Beom I wonder how Prof. Song came to know Le Clézio.   ● SONG Ki-Jeong South Korea is the first country that Le Clézio visited in Northeast Asia. Since moderating his lecture, I have had a friendly relationship with him for nearly 20 years. Le Clézio loves Korea so much that he dedicated his “Tempest” to haenyeo (women divers) on Udo island in 2014 and published “Bitna–sous le ciel de Séoul (Bitna – Under the Seoul Sky)” last year. I would like to say that I contributed to the awakening of his love of Korea.   ● KIM Suk-Beom What do you think Jeju is to Le Clézio?   ● SONG Ki-Jeong Le Clézio has dual nationality as French and Mauritian. His spiritual motherland is Mauritius, which lies between Europe and Africa. He is always in touch with Mauritian culture, thinking himself as a Mauritian. His ancestors migrated from Bretagne to Mauritius during the French Revolution (in the late 18th century). Jeju Island seems to remind him of his motherlands. Mauritius and Bretagne are windy places. He seems to have felt the wind of his homeland in the strong wind of Udo Island. It seems that he thought about Mauritius, while learning about the troubled history and extreme living condition of the island. He is much interested in haenyeo, noting their virtue and courage to pioneer their lives. When he comes to Korea, he wants to visit Jeju Island. He is known to have often visited the island without telling anyone about it.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Ms. Moon, you told us that you have fallen in love with Jeju Island. What is so attractive about Jeju?   ● MOON Sori I did not come to Jeju often in the past. It is because I did not want to when I heard the stories about Jeju from the visitors to this island. All the images that I had about Jeju were nothing more than “rape flowers” and “horse riding,” so I did not feel like going. But it changed when I started a walk on the island. It might be thanks to the realization that I know nothing about Jeju. As I walked, I became aware that I did not know Jeju, and I became more interested in Jeju’s history, culture, and people. The study of Jeju history was about the history of Korea. When I met haenyeo while walking, I thought I found a role model for my own life. In the meantime, I have been asked in many interviews about which actor/actress is my role model, and I used to answer that I had no role model, as each actor/actress has his/her own personality. I can say that I have found my role model, after watching Jeju haenyeo. I wish I would become a self-reliant, independent, and communal person like haenyeo, when I grow old. I still do not know much about Jeju. I did not walk many Olle courses, either. Now, I want to know more about the inner life of Jeju, while walking more.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Are you perhaps planning to settle down on Jeju?   ● MOON Sori Many art genres allow solitary work, but the film cannot. It is a genre that requires collaboration of many people. It is almost unthinkable to do film work on this island. I am not that greedy as to monopolize Jeju. I am grateful enough for the comforts I sometimes find on this island.   ● KIM Suk-Beom As an artist who loves Jeju, what do you think Jeju should do to be loved for long?   ● MOON Sori I wish the island would stop the development modern Korea has pursued. I wish the island to do away with the “mindset seeking more grand development and more values.” When small things accumulate over time, unexpected, phenomenal effects can be the end result. I also wish the island would not be so preoccupied with the tourism revenues and the number of tourists. The island should stop quantifying its beauty and value in the development plan. Jeju Island should prepare 100-year and 200-year plans to become a land for consolation and healing. I hope that this island is loved in this way. Actors should be so. The most local has the global power. We should think about what is most local and concentrate on what we can do our best. The same is true of actors in this regard. Jeju also should give more weight to its locality. We should develop Jeju in such faith.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Prof. Song has been making strenuous efforts to globalize Korean culture, particularly literature, as well as introducing the literary works of Le Clézio to Korea. Prof. Song, what do you think is the attraction of Jeju Island? And what is the attraction of the island Le Clézio notes?   ● SONG Ki-Jeong Le Clézio is one of the most popular writers in the world. His books have been translated into many languages. Once I thought about why he is favored by many people over the world. In the modern world of materialism, his works give us insights into secular values, indifference to institutions, commwith nature and the importance of every moment as well as the vital energy to muster courage in the face of sad realities. Likewise, Jeju Island provides the contemporary people with the same realizations. In this respect, I wish the island would remain a place of consolation and healing for the people fatigued by materialism. There is nothing that gives humanity as much consolation as nature does. Whenever I see damage to Jeju, my heart hurts. I am afraid of seeing further damages. To prevent further deterioration of this island, I am engaged in the activities of Jeju Culture Supporters. It is my desperate wish that the last remaining beauty of Jeju would be preserved.   ● SUH Myung-sook I agree with Prof. Song. I remember Seogwipo of the mid-1960s. At that time, Mt. Halla was visible anywhere in Seogwipo. However, now we cannot see it, because the high-rise buildings block the view. Sometimes I had an extreme wish to blow those buildings away. With legal permission, they erect those high-rise buildings. It is deplorable that there is no law to check this kind of practice. Younger people should be wary of such reckless development lest the older generation mangle the land for the next generation. Mt. Halla and Gotjawal, the gem of Jeju Island, are being destroyed by the older generation pursuing their own interests. The younger people should step forward to put an end to this. In preserving the land of Jeju, we should help the younger people design a land where humans and nature coexist. Seogwipo is being destroyed day by day. Jo Jeong-rae, the author of Taebaeksanmaek (Taebaek Mountains) who loves Seogwipo, lashed out at the skyscrapers. It would be no use to criticize the bureaucrats only. Citizens should act, and younger people should raise their voices and admonish their parents over this. We should leave an uncontaminated land behind for the next generation. The fight for a better life starts with the protection of nature of this island.   ● KIM Suk-Beom The Jeju Olle Trail contributed much to preserving the value of the beautiful nature of Jeju. I wish more stories about Jeju culture, including haenyeo, would be known more widely. What should be known and shared by more people about Jeju culture and history?   ● SUH Myung-Sook I wish the myths of Jeju women would be shared by the public. Haenyeo is a living goddess. In addition to haenyeo which was recognized as cultural heritage, Jeju has many goddesses, such as Baekjotto, worshipped at the Songdang Bon-hyangdang Shrine, Yeongdeung halmang (goddess of wind and riches) and Seolmun halmangdae (goddess of genesis). It is a rare case to worship so many goddesses. The myth of Seolmun halmangdae symbolizing femininity that embraces nature, in particular, is very rare around the world. In the 21st century, the age of women, women should find self-esteem in Jeju myths. We need cultural works that reinterpret the Jeju myths about women against historical backgrounds. I wish younger talents would reproduce them as characters of games, novels and animations.   ● MOON Sori Actors use their whole body to act, but language basically accounts for much of acting. As a native of Busan, I am proficient in the Gyeongsang-do dialect. Also, I can speak the Jeolla-do dialect as my mother was from the province. In Korean dramas and movies, you can hear the dialects of all provinces, even of North Korean language, but it is hard to hear the Jeju language. Only once did I hear it in the film, Jiseul, which delivered it in subtitles. It indicates that there have been no film characters who speak the Jeju dialect. I wish the Jeju dialect is known better and spoken more often. I want to see poems, plays and films in the Jeju dialect to help the public familiarize itself with it. Someday, aspiring actors might practice the dialect as their special talent. Anyhow, I would like to see more cultural content rendered in the Jeju language.   ● SONG Ki-Jeong Like chairperson Suh, I am also interested in Jeju myths. Koreans do not have many myths of women. Just the Baridegi princess tale and nothing more. But I was surprised at the Jeju myths that feature many goddesses. Jeju has also the tale of goddess of genesis, hard to find anywhere else. Jeju myths have rich resources for storytelling. As the world is now interested in myths, we would have to utilize them well. Jeju is also known for its culture of shamanism. There is a reason for it. In the face of the tremendous power of nature, they had to rely on gods, thus developing the culture of shamanism. We should promote and preserve this culture.   ● SUH Myung-Sook I agree on the importance of language and myths. The use of a language is based on the pride in it. As for me, I kept on using the standard language after attending college. So I used what the Jeju people call “the noble language.” When I was young, I had no pride in using the Jeju language. While living in Seoul, I had a sense of guilt about the Jeju language. After coming to Jeju and seeing the nature of Jeju, I realized how the language was created. What could more realistically describe the mercilessly hot sunlight than the Jeju words, “warang warang.” The landscape, nature and culture of Jeju are embodied in the dialect. I wish the Jeju language would be more widely used in movies and computer games. A memorial hall for Dr. Seok Joo-myung will open next year. Dr. Seok was a world-renowned lepidopterist and an expert in Jeju studies. He visited every nook of Jeju to collect Jeju words and academically systematized them. I wish many students visit the memorial hall next year and read books about him.   ● KIM Suk-Beom What should Jeju do more to let its attractions (culture, history and tales) be known around the world?   ● MOON Sori I am now interested in the history of Jeju. We have a Jeju history that should never be forgotten. I have read a poem by Heo Yeong-seon, “To You Asking about the Apr. 3 Incident.” I felt sorry for myself because I thought that I have nothing to do with the past Apr. 3 Incident. The poem revealed the stigmatization of innocent people as commies and the National Security Law. Jeju history is a painful one but represents the tumults of modern Korean history. The anti-Japanese struggle of Jeju haenyeo was also impressive. I was surprised at their fight against the exploitation by the Japanese, which also constitutes a meaningful part in the history of Korean women’s activism. I learned from a book about the Apr. 3 Incident that Jeju has denounced the May 10 general elections, the first election to establish the Republic of Korea. The Apr. 3 Incident originated from the boycott of the general elections. We should never forget and be proud of the Apr. 3 Incident which happened in protest against the division of the nation. Jeju history dramatically represents the painful but proud history of Korea. I did not like to read history, but now it interests me more than any novel. So, I would like to advise you to study the history of Jeju.   ● SONG Ki-Jeong I came to be interested in history while studying literature. The history of Jeju is dramatic. The history of the Tamna Kingdom which once existed on this island, the occupation of the island by the Mongol Empire, and its annexation by the Joseon Kingdom read like a drama. Jeju natives around me seem to try to be away from this island but return here eventually. And they are doing something about Jeju. They have ambivalence toward the island, their birthplace, but feeling the instinctual call of the place they love the island even more for its problems. I hope that we study and understand the long history of this island against this background and in the context of the Northeast Asian region. By doing so, we can foresee the future of Jeju.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Would you please tell us three things that you think Jeju should never do?   ● SONG Ki-Jeong I do not want to see Seoul transplanted to Jeju. Those who come to Jeju do not seek the comforts of Seoul here. So, I would say Jeju should never establish undersea tunnels, cable car lines and high-rise buildings.   ● MOON Sori We should never forget the history of Jeju, its dialect and the beauty of its nature. I would do whatever little things that I can for Jeju.   ● SUH Myung-Sook I agree with the opposition to undersea tunnels, a cable car system and high-rise buildings. At the same time, I wish the historical heritages, culture and nature of Jeju to be preserved as they are. They should remain intact, without undergoing changes except for the inevitable ones for daily necessities. To protect Mt. Halla and Gotjawal is to safeguard our hearts. The best value in the 21st century is nature itself. We cannot nature even with the investment of tens of trillion won. As Le Clézio said, Jeju should be an island of peace. Every Jeju resident has an opinion about peace and a yearning for peace as they have a painful history in which one-tenth of Jeju’s population was killed. I want to see the opening of the Olle Trail for peace, when South and North Korea connect the inter-Korean railways. Korea is the only divided country in the world. I wish Jeju to become the place where the two Koreas would d eclare the end of the war. It would be a new history for the world, too. All of us are dreaming of that day.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Jeju Island is a tourist destination. Economic growth and development are necessary to improve the quality of the residents’ life. What should we do to keep a balance between growth and preservation efforts?   ● SUH Myung-Sook That is the question only the governor of the Jeju Special Self-governing Province can answer. It is not easy to control the demands of tourism. Jeju is also talking about over-tourism. It is a task for the future to figure out how to control the individual desires of residents and communities, how to treat wastes, and how to estimate the proper number of tourists. In fact, there is no answer to these questions. We would have to reach a consensus through discussions. While regulating reckless development, we should find a viable ecological tour model at the same time.   ● MOON Sori In Bhutan, they are said to limit the number of foreign tourists to 200 a year. Bhutan seems to be pursuing a value different from ours. We should first agree to settle on a value before figuring out a desirable volume of tourism for us.   ● SUH Myung-Sook As each country and region has their own environment, it is important to coordinate the opinions of citizens.   ● MOONSori We should reach a compromise while discussing values.   ● SONG Ki-Jeong I think of a measure to make it difficult to buy land on Jeju Island. Jeju natives’ development of their land as a tourism spot is different from the investment of mainlanders in the real estate of Jeju. Even in the mainland, it is hard to procure land in a village, if the buyer is not a resident there. I do not know much about the administrative affairs involving real estate, but Jeju should impose administrative restrictions on the development of real estate on this island.   ● KIM Suk-Beom Jeju women seem to have a duality of self-reliance and respect for patriarchal value.   ● SUH Myung-Sook They are economically independent and have a democratic and communal mindset. However, they are patriarchal and conservative when it comes to family. I think they have been brainwashed by the patriarchal system for a long time. They also stick to exclusivist culture, called Goendangmunhwa. It is deplorable to see them fail to sublimate the feminine energy into a social energy. I wish the future generation could do so.