Among respondents, only 8.5 percent were aware that August 8 was designated as Island Day. (image: Jeju Tourism Organization)
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent study showed that more than 3 in 10 South Koreans (33.3 percent) wanted to live on an island or in cities located near islands.
This was particularly the case for those in their 50s (45.1 percent) or men (39.2 percent).
The Island Development Research Committee at the National Assembly recently conducted a survey inquiring about the most representative island in South Korea.
Among respondents, 59.8 percent of the respondents picked Jeju Island, followed by Dokdo (9.9 percent), Ganghwado (7.2 percent), Ulleungdo (5.1 percent), and Jindo (4.1 percent).
Asked whether they had traveled to an island or other locations near islands, 46.6 percent said yes, while 53.4 percent said no.
Men (50.2 percent), those in their 30s (53.2 percent) and 40-somethings (50.2 percent) travelled to islands more often than women (42.9 percent).
Residents of Jeolla Province were more likely to have travelled to an island (65.2 percent).
Asked when they last visited an island, 25.8 percent said they went six months ago, and 23.6 percent said three months ago, while 22 percent said one month ago, 17.5 percent said one year ago, and 11.1 percent said more than a year ago.
Respondents visited Jeju Island the most (41.1 percent), followed by islands in Gyeongsang Province (20.1 percent), Jeolla Province (15.4 percent), Gyeonggi Province (14.3 percent), Gangwon Province (5.5 percent), and Chungcheong Province (3.7 percent).
Among respondents, 66.6 percent said that natural scenery was what made travelling to an island so special, while 19.3 percent said islands offer a variety of unique experiences and 5.4 percent said islands were great for maritime leisure activities.
Asked where they would travel next, 31.6 percent said they would like to visit islands in South Korea, which was more than those who opted for South Korean mountains (7.8 percent) or domestic travels excluding mountains or islands (11.2 percent).
Another 44.1 percent said they wanted to visit islands on the southern coast of the country, while others picked islands on the east coast (21.8 percent), foreign islands (19 percent), and the west coast (15.1 percent).
Only 8.5 percent were aware that August 8 was designated as Island Day, while 91.5 said they were hearing about it for the first time, calling on authorities to work harder to promote the new initiative.
“The Island Development Research Committee will do its best to come up with comprehensive measures to improve the standard of living for South Korean islanders,” said Park Ji-won, a representative of the committee.
The committee was responsible for designating August 8 as Island Day, which will take effect next year. They were also able to allocate 700 million won in funding to promote Island Day.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
