hankyoreh

on the sunny afternoon of March 9. (by Park Jong-sik

The No. 7 Olle stretches for 13.8 kilometers from Oedolgae Rock, which rises up some 20 meters out of the sea, to the village of Wolpyeong. It is considered one of the most beautiful of the 24 Jeju Olle trails.

Located in Gangjeong Village, Gureombi Rock is located about halfway along the No. 7 Olle trail, which drew 403,837 visitors last year. Since last year, however, the road has been blocked off due to construction on the Jeju naval base. Instead of being left with the fresh sea breeze and the Gureombi coast, hikers here have had to walk beside an eyesore of barbed wire and fences along the perimeter of the construction site.

Hikers who visited the course on Saturday and Sunday lamented the transformation of Gangjeong Village, which had been known for its qualities of healing and peace.

Son Yeong-seop, a 46-year-old Seoulite visiting with his wife, said he had mixed feelings after hearing about the blasting of Gureombi Rock. “On one hand, seeing reports about China trying to exert jurisdiction over Ieo-do made me sense the need for a naval base, but on the other hand I think it‘s more important to preserve the beauty of nature,” he said.

Staff photographer)

Lee Ye-hyeon, a 24-year-old visitor from Changwon, South Gyeongsang, said, “I’m about to start as an elementary school teacher, and after hearing news that the government was going ahead with the naval base construction despite residents’ objections, I wanted to take a picture of it and teach the children why we need to preserve democracy.”

Meanwhile, the Navy halted blasting on the coast Sunday after four straight days due to heavy winds and efforts to clear up debris.

At around 1:55 pm that day, a 20,000-ton barge carrying 8,800-ton caissons for the base construction collided with fishing boats at a fishing wharf in Hwasun Harbor of Seogwipo’s Andeok Township. Two fishing boats sank, while a third was partially destroyed. There were no casualties.

Seo Myeong-suk, the 55-year-old chairwoman of the Jeju Olle Corporation, has been building Olle courses in Jeju since Sept. 2007. Seo initiated the building of the courses and has gone on to lead the organization responsible for their administration. “Gureombi wasn‘t included in the original No. 7 Olle, but we put it in after hearing the villagers talk about all the old memories carried there,” she explained.

“With the naval base construction, you can’t walk by Gureombi Rock anymore, but once nature has been destroyed you can never get it back,” Seo stressed.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]