JEJU, Aug. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – A citizen-initiated ordinance that would essentially restore the controversial burning of hillside grasslands during Jeju Island’s Fire Festival has been proposed, reigniting a debate between cultural preservation and environmental protection.
On August 28, the Jeju Provincial Council announced that 1,283 residents of Aewol-eup, Jeju City, where the festival is held, had submitted a draft ordinance titled “Support for Jeju’s First Full Moon Fire Festival.”
The proposal, officially filed on August 22, explicitly calls for the inclusion of traditional customs such as setting fire to pastures, burning moon houses, and spinning cans of fire as part of the festival activities.
The Fire Festival, which began in 1997, is a modern interpretation of “bangae,” an ancient Jeju pastoral tradition where villagers would set fire to old grass to prepare pastures for livestock and eliminate pests.
The festival’s centerpiece has been the spectacular lighting of fires on the southern slope of Saebyeol Oreum, a parasitic volcano on the island.
However, environmental concerns have cast a shadow over the event in recent years. The use of flammable materials to artificially ignite the hillside has raised issues of environmental damage and wildfire risks. These concerns led to discussions about the festival’s future in April of last year.
In response, Jeju City decided to replace the hillside fire-lighting with light and illumination displays starting from next year’s festival, while retaining a smaller-scale burning of a moon house to maintain the event’s identity.
The newly proposed ordinance challenges this decision. Petitioners argue that the traditional fires are crucial for preserving Jeju’s unique customs and developing sustainable tourism products that embody the island’s cultural heritage.
“We need to develop tourism products that imply Jeju’s unique First Full Moon customs, which are in danger of disappearing,” the petitioners stated in their proposal.
The draft ordinance is expected to be submitted to the Jeju Provincial Council’s temporary session next month for discussion in the standing committee.
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