Travel Essay_Dokdo Tour 2012

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012) Pervez Khan

Ph.D. Student, Telecommunication Engineering Lab

Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 1st (25th June 2012)

1 KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012)

KNCCN (Dokdo Trip 2012) Day 1

st (25

th June 2012):

It was an early morning of June 25th 2012, and we have to arrive at Daewoo foundation building

no later than 7:10am. It is very hard for me to get up early in the morning, but this day I have to get up

very early morning because I don’t want to miss the great opportunity to explore the beauty tips of Korea,

that is visiting gorgeous Dokdo and Ulleungdo. So we four friends from INHA University started our

journey from INHA back gate at early 5:30am and reached Daewoo foundation building at 7:00am.

After reaching at Daewoo foundation building someone stranger was calling my name, I went to

her and found that she is our team leader “Park Sun Joo”. She was so friendly that after 5 minutes she was

no more stranger for me. We rode bus#3 arranged by KNCCN, which took us to the Mookho ferry

terminal after a 3 hours journey. We board a ferry named “Sunflower” at 11:30, it was my first (I wish

last journey too) journey on a ferry. The weather condition was not good and our journey from Mookho to

Ulleungdo was not smooth because of high tides. I was very uncomfortable due to headache, and I was

feeling that soon I will start vomiting. I kept controlled myself all the way not to vomit, but most of our

friends and other passengers did vomiting.

At last after a hard journey of three and a half hours we arrived at a beautiful island called

Ulleungdo. At a very first look, this panoramic island of mysterious beauty attracted my heart, there were

lush green mountain, breathtaking sceneries, the turquoise sea, thick forests, and rocks of all sorts of odd

shapes and sizes. And I was soon convinced that there must be nothing like them anywhere else. It was a

walking distance from the dock to Ulleung hotel, where we were supposed to stay.

The schedule was very tight and just after check in we started to go to the attractive places in the

vicinity of the hotel (almost walking distance). These places included Dokdo Museum, Cable car, and

Dokdo observatory, but due to windy weather, we only visited the Dokdo Museum while Dokdo

observatory cable car was postponed. The museum exhibits historical materials that support Korea’s

claim that Dokdo is a part of Korean territory. Items here also show the lifestyle and natural environment

of Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Our dinner was scheduled from 6:20pm to 7:20pm and after that we were given

a free time.

We utilized our free time greatly, walking along the seaside of Dodong harbor is a superb view.

You can appreciate the wonderful view of rocky coastline with cliffs of bizarre shapes and natural caves.

Seaside walk leads to a village called Haengnam. Dodong lighthouse which is located 400 meters away

from the village lightens the waterways. It almost took two hours to make a round trip of the seaside

walk, including snapshot sessions. We came back to our hotel and in this way we finished our first day of

“Dokdo and Ulleungdo” tour.



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 1st Snapshots


Day 1st Snapshots:

Inhanian’s at Dokdo Museum

A group photo in front of Ulleung Hotel



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 1st Snapshots


Walking along the Seaside of Dodong~Haengnam

Seashore Walking Trails (Dodong~Haengnam)



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 2nd (26th June 2012)


Day 2nd

(26th

June 2012):

The round trip from Ulleungdo to Dokdo almost takes six hours, so again we had to wake up very

early. We started our journey from Ulleung Sadong ferry terminal towards Dokdo at 7:30am, just after

our breakfast. Again, the same feelings, headache and vomiting as the journey was not smooth due to high

tides. However, this time we few friends were allotted a separate small room in the ferry, and I slept all

the way to Dokdo on a large bench. We arrived at Dokdo after two and a half hours of tedious journey.

We were given a very short time at Dokdo. I with other friends tried to follow a beautiful track towards

the peak of the Dongdo rock, but soon we were stopped by the security personnel. I was thinking that I

will learn more about Dokdo once I arrived there, but could do so due to short time (only 15 minutes

stay). Anyhow, I became more curious about Dokdo, and after coming back to Incheon, I reached the

following facts about Dokdo.

Dokdo is actually a natural volcanic formation of the islands almost 4.6 million years ago and

older than Jejudo and Ulleungdo. Dokdo is a small island consisting of two main islands, Dongdo (West

Island) and Seodo (East Island). But because of Seodo’s steep slopes, it is almost impossible to inhabit.

And that’s why there are people and facilities on Dongdo, which has a gentler slope. But actually, Seodo

has a residence for fishermen. There is a pier in Dongdo in order to dock the ship and Dokdo can only be

reached by ship. Also, Dokdo has a mailbox.

On 30th March 2011, the Japanese announced that it would teach students that japan owns Dokdo

both historically and legally. And Korea is illegally occupying it. The Japanese keep claiming the island

for themselves because of its enormous geographical and economic value. First, let’s take a look at

Dokdo’s economic value. The seas near the island hold an enormous deposit of methane hydrates also

known as “burning ice,” which is in solid form but a natural gas called methane can be extracted from it.

These reservoirs can fulfill the natural-gas needs of the entire Korean nation for 30 years. Besides this, the

seas near the island contain a rich source of deep-sea water. Also, the island is a meeting place of cold and

warm currents, making it a rich fishery. Also, Dokdo has a very high ecological value. It is a habitat for

Sulpaeraengiggot flowers, or large pinks. It is especially important as the habitat of fauna such as the

black-tailed gull, the Chinese erget, and the spotted redshank. Aside from these economic and ecological

considerations, the island holds crucial territorial significance as well. That’s why Dokdo is very

important, and it’s no wonder that Japan keeps claiming that it’s their territory. Also, there must be

genuine reasons that Japan can make a claim on the Dokdo. From Korean point of view, Ulleungdo and

Dokdo are geographically linked, and therefore Dokdo has always been and will always be part of Korea.

We had lunch at Ulleung Hotel after coming back from Dokdo. Soon after we started visiting

other beautiful places in Ulleungdo, including Nari Basin. Nari Basin is the only flat ground in

Ulleungdo. It is covered with up to three meters of snow during winter. Despite this unwelcoming natural

environment, 16 households still inhabit Nari Basin. Those living in the Basin earn a high income by

producing medicinal plants.



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 2nd Snapshots


Day 2nd

Snapshots:

About to arrive at Dongdo dockyard

Inhanian’s with security personnel at Dokdo



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 2nd Snapshots


A view of Seodo from Dongdo

Nari Basin, the only flat ground in Ulleungdo, mostly used for Agriculture purpose



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 3rd (27th June 2012)


Day 3rd

(27th

June 2012):

After breakfast at 9:00am we started visiting other attractive places in Ulleungdo. Our fist

destination was Bongnae waterfall. It is a triple level waterfall, located 2 kilometers upwards from

Jeondong harbor. As water is falling between the primeval forests, people are lost in its wonderful

scenery. On the way to waterfall I came across a really interesting cave called Punghyeol, which serves as

a natural air-conditioner.

Another beautiful seashore trail leads you to the Nasujeon viewpoint. It is a famous sunrise

observatory. We did not find it as a sunrise observatory because we went there around 11:00am.

However, we enjoyed the panoramic view of Jukdo islet and Bukmyongbawi rock from the Nasujeon

sunrise observatory. The size of Jukdo is 207,868m2. The island is rich in self-generating bamboo trees

and presently, two people of a household are residing in the island. This island is in lack of water, so the

rainfall is used as drinking water.

As Dokdo observatory cable car visit was postponed on the very first day of our tour due to

windy weather. Therefore, the KNCCN team decided to visit it on the last day (Day 3rd

). So after visiting

Nasujeon viewpoint, we went to the Dokdo observatory cable car, a must-see tourist attraction. The cable

car takes visitors up to Manghyangbong peak, from which one can get a birds-eye-view of Ulleungdo

island and if the weather is good, you will be able to see Dokdo (which is just 87.4 Kilometers away) with

your naked eyes.

Now it’s time to say good-bye to Ulleungdo. We had our lunch at Ulleung Hotel and started to

gather on Dodong Ferry Terminal, where a ferry named “Sunflower2” was waiting for us. We board the

ferry at 4:00pm and reached the Mookho ferry terminal around 7:00pm. At the Mookho ferry terminal, we

rode the bus arranged by KNCCN, which took us to Seoul’s subway station. The time was too late, but

we were lucky to catch the last train to Incheon. We entered our home at Incheon, missing the panoramic

islands of mysterious beauty.

My special thanks to Korean National Council for Conservation of Nature (KNCCN), for

providing such a good opportunity to visit the mysterious Islands of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, and also

experiencing the Korean culture and ecological environment.



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 3rd Snapshots


Day 3rd

Snapshots:

Inhanian’s at Bongnae waterfall

A Natural Air-Conditioner on the way to Bongnae waterfall



Inha University, Incehon, 402-751, South Korea Day 3rd Snapshots


A View of Bukmyongbawi from the Nasujeon Viewpoint

A Panoramic View of Jukdo and Bukmyongbawi Islets from the Nasujeon Viewpoint

The Dokdo Observatory Cable Car

Travel Essay_Dokdo Tour 2012

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