Ulleungdo

Ulleungdo is an island to the east of the Korean peninsula, part of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea.

Understand


Ulleungdo is the main island in Ulleung-gun (鬱陵郡), a county on the east coast of Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. The county consists of 44 annexed islands including Bondo, Dokdo, Jukdo, and Gwaneumdo on Ulleungdo on the East Sea. Ulleungdo is a volcanic rock region with a coastline of 64.43 km in length. In the center of the island, Seongseongbong (984 m) rises, and there is a Nari Basin formed by the depression of the caldera crater. It is rich in natural resources such as columnar joints, strange rock formations, spring water, and primeval forest, and 39 kinds of special plants and 6 kinds of plants are designated as natural monuments. It is a rare maritime climate in Korea, with a small daily temperature difference and a lot of snow. Specialty products include squid, pumpkin syrup, wild vegetables, and Ulleung Yakso. The county office is located in Ulleung-eup, and the administrative district is 1 eup and 2 myeon.

Geography
Ulleungdo is a volcanic island formed by hardening magma erupted from the seabed of the East Sea. Ulleungdo has not been formed for a long time, so the volcanic shape is well maintained. About two-thirds of the volcanic bodies are submerged in the sea, and the part exposed above the sea level forms a steep mountain area. At the top of the mountain is the Nari Basin, which is a caldera basin, and the Albong in the Nari Basin shows the characteristics of a double volcano as a whole. It is famous for its beautiful natural scenery, and the unique and unique topography of Ulleungdo is observed from the sea. Most of the island is rugged and mountainous.

Climate
The climate around Ulleungdo, including Dokdo, has a typical maritime climate that is highly affected by warm currents. The annual average temperature is about 12℃ and the temperature in August, the hottest month, does not exceed 24℃, so it is cool even in summer. 85% of the year is cloudy or snowy, so it is a relatively humid area. And January, the coldest month, has an average temperature of 1.0℃, which is warm. The area around Ulleungdo has a lot of fog, and there are more than 160 cloudy days throughout the year and about 150 days of rain. The annual average rainfall is about 1,300mm. Precipitation in winter is mostly in the form of snow accumulation, and heavy snowfalls frequently. The winds of Ulleungdo have a high frequency of occurrence of the western and southern winds, and the annual average wind speed is 4.3㎧.

Get in
Ulleungdo's first ever airport is scheduled for completion around 2025, but for time being access is only possible by ferries, operated by Dae-A Express and Seaspovill. Your port choices are Gangneung and Mukho in Gangwon, Pohang in North Gyeongsang. The Mukho Ferry Terminal is in the city of Donghae. There are one or two boats a day. The fare for the Gangneung ferries "Sea Star" is ₩48,000 each way, the other ferries being slightly more expensive.

Get around


There are local mini-buses that carry about a dozen passengers at a time. They depart from Dodong Port, the administrative area of the island, then split into different routes; one goes up to the north side while another runs into the center and the other takes to the south. There is a bus between Dodong-ri to Jeodong-ri every 30 minutes. For the latest timetable tourist information should have the most up-to-date schedule. As of November 2011, the basic fare is ₩1,000 to travel between Dodong and Jeodong. All other fares are ₩1,500. Bear in mind that buses do stop running a lot earlier than on the mainland (last buses depart before 20:00), as it is difficult to get a taxi at night unless you are in Dodong or Jeodong.

Since convenient transportation is scarce, taxis may be a good option to get around the island. You can catch them at the Dodong Port when you get off the boat. A taxi ride around the island should cost you around ₩80,000 to ₩90,000 a day. There is also the option to rent a car although knowing someone who speaks the language would be a big plus.

See
Rich in tourist attractions, Ulleungdo will not leave you wanting for things to see.



Eat
Some of the food items that are unique to the island are honghap bap, seasoned rice with mussels; sanchae bibimbap, rice mixed with sprouts and roots found natively'; yakso bulgogi, barbequed beef that was raised on herbs and vegetables growing on the island. Other food items special to Ulleungdo include the cuttlefish and the hobak yeott (squash candy).

Most of the restaurants in Dodong-ri are clustered in the same small area. It is a couple of minutes passed the information center then on the straight road towards Jeodong-ri. Here are two that serve the specialty dishes at decent prices.



Sleep
The island is strewn with different types of housing for tourists. You'll have motels, minbaks or pension houses that rent out equipped rooms, tourist hotels, etc. Dodong Port is where everything meets; this is the end and starting point for the transport vehicles.

If you're looking for something cheaper, you could try camping for free at Naessujeon and Sadong-ri. There are toilets and showers at both places. To get to the camping area at Sadong-ri, ask for a taxi ride to Dong-A Resort in Sadong and walk down to the water from there.You can easily taxi, hitch or walk back to Dodong from the camping area in Sadong. It's about a 45 minute walk.



Connect
For more information on all of these sites, you can contact the Ulleung Tourist Office at +82 54-790-6465. Operators should be able to communicate in English as well. If not, there's always the trusty +82-54-1330 that have operators speaking English, Japanese and Chinese.

Go next

 * The hotly disputed islets of Dokdo can be reached from Ulleungdo.