This is the story of how I mapped the islands off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. The story began on July 24th (two months ago). I thought long and hard about what mark I should leave on cartography, what was within my capabilities? And the task that seemed feasible to me was to map the islands of South Korea. TTheir number is limited, and the territory between them is much smaller than on the mainland. So, I realized it was a realistic task. All that remained was to find a way to start. I needed not the smallest, but not the largest island either, something that would be a great start. And so I selected the islands of the 영흥면: 영흥도, 선재도, 측도, 부도 and about a dozen more less significant ones.

I did all the work using an ID editor. My skills at the beginning were extremely mediocre, but I learned a lot along the way.

선재도 Island

Unfortunately, when I started working on the islands, I didn’t realize I’d have to write a report in the future. So I didn’t think to save an image of how the area was mapped before my intervention. Regardless, I got the job done surprisingly quickly.

To the west of 선재도 lies 측도 Island. It’s popularly known as one of the Moses Islands. The western coast of the Korean Peninsula is quite shallow, so the appearance of the area is significantly affected by the tides. Twice a day, when the tide goes out, a hiking trail opens to 측도 Island. Locals like to challenge themselves to walk the trail to the island and back before the tide comes in.

Historically, all the islands discussed today were sparsely populated. People lived here as early as the Iron Age, before the emergence of the first Korean proto-states. But there was never any significant activity here. The population engaged in fishing, shellfish collection, and trade with the mainland. This has generally continued almost to the present day. Major changes occurred only in 2000, when the 선재대교 Bridge was built to the island of 선재도. A year later, the 영흥대교 Bridge was built between 선재도 and 영흥도. This gave the islands a pedestrian connection to the mainland, significantly increasing the local population.

The fishing village in the south of the island has transformed into a small settlement that welcomes visiting travelers with fishermen’s cafes. Here, you can also sign up for shellfish collection and a fish-cutting workshop.

In the south, the island’s territory has been significantly expanded, filling the sea with land. Now there’s active construction and a large number of boarding houses. Mostly older men who enjoy fishing come to the island. But some boarding houses are also convenient for young families with children.

영흥도 Island

영흥도 island is on a whole other scale. It’s home to three fairly large villages, two schools, its own water treatment facility, several beaches, dozens of popular fishing spots, the same number of campsites, 12 Christian churches, and one Buddhist temple. And, most importantly, it’s home to one of South Korea’s largest coal-fired power plants. But more on that later.

The southeast of the island is the only port and the center of public life. Almost all the available shops, educational centers, and other amenities are located here. Buses from the mainland also arrive here.

If you travel a little west from the port, you’ll immediately reach the island’s administrative center. It houses the mayor’s office, library, and community hall. Nearby, an old, rusty ship stands on the pier—a reminder of the civil war. When North Korea invaded the South, with the support of China and the USSR, they were able to conquer almost the entire Korean peninsula in a relatively short time, reaching as far as Busan. Only the timely arrival of UN forces, largely comprised of the US Army, saved South Korea. They changed the course of the war with their landing at Incheon, attacking the enemy from the west bank and reaching Seoul in a couple of days. Many know this story. But few know that the landing would not have been so successful if, two or three days earlier, South Korean guerrilla groups had not cleared the islands from which the North would have been able to spot the approaching armies. On a nearby hill there is a monument dedicated to these events, and the ship on the pier is a patrol boat of the «Chamsuri» class: 퇴역함 참수리 263호, such as those that guarded the Korean border after the end of the war.

In the northeast of the island is Simnipo Beach. It’s a great place to relax, stay in one of the many guesthouses, take the kids to a theme park, and see the famous and rare Hornbeam tree, a plant in the Betulaceae family, found primarily in Korea and Japan. In this place, right next to the beach, a whole grove of these trees has been preserved, creating an incredible landscape against the backdrop of the sea.

A little to the west of this spot, you’ll find another interesting natural feature: grouper Rock. I believe it was named so because of its visual resemblance. Now, a steady stream of tourist fishermen flock here in hopes of catching that very same grouper.

And yet, the most important and challenging thing to map on this island is the coal-fired power plant. The main problem is that it’s a military facility, and its plans aren’t publicly available, meaning I could only rely on satellite imagery and a personal visit.

Almost the entire island’s population works for the coal plant. It supplies about 20% of the capital region’s electricity and, incidentally, is also the source of 50% of the carbon dioxide emissions for neighboring cities. A large landfill used to be located nearby, but it was eventually closed due to public pressure. Environmentalists regularly demand that the Korean government close down or at least do something about this facility, but as far as I know, the government plans to expand it. To the east of the coal plant is a power park and an electric town for staff. The entire area southeast of the power plant is planned for an even larger public park, the purpose of which will be to reassure the public of the plant’s environmental safety.

In conclusion, I’d like to tell you a legend that originated in ancient times on this island. It’s called “Unlucky 김장사”:

Unlucky 김장사

In ancient times, people often went to war and killed their neighbors. The strong killed the weak, and this was perfectly normal. But the inhabitants of the 영흥도 island weren’t content with this fate. The sea certainly protected them from most external threats, but how could they combat the power within? So the islanders devised a way to nip evil in the bud: they began killing all children who were born strong and capable of becoming warriors. In this way, the islanders wanted to protect themselves from a future tyrant. But when a healthy and robust boy was born into one of the families, his parents took pity on him and decided not to kill him, but simply cut off his arms. The boy survived, but was not grateful to his parents for such a life. He couldn’t understand why his parents condemned him to a life of torment without arms. Once he was fully grown, he left his native island and headed north. Rumor has it that he became a ferryman, ferrying travelers between the islands. It was from him that the people of the mainland heard this story. The inhabitants of one island wanted to defeat the evil born of power, but they couldn’t think of anything better than to use both power and evil to achieve their goal.

부도 Island

The last thing I’d like to mention is 부도 Island. It’s quite small and uninhabited, but interesting. Its other unofficial name is Goblin Island [도깨비 섬]. It’s hard to say how many goblins actually live here, but there are certainly a lot of rare hawks, listed as endangered. Perhaps so many of these birds of prey live here because they feed on goblins. There’s also a lighthouse here, which is over 120 years old.

To sum it up: after two months of work, I think I know more about this island than its inhabitants. :) I looked under every rock, tree, and fence. I managed to create a very accurate map of the area in a short period of time, even though I had no previous experience with this kind of work. And I don’t plan to stop. I’ve already chosen an even larger island nearby, so I’ll see you in about three months. Safe travels!

P.S. Sorry for my broken English. It’s not my native language, so writing in it is extremely tiring. I’d like to write much more, but frankly, I’m really tired :)