Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff

Interesting facts

The columns are young by geological standards: they formed roughly 140,000 to 250,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene.

The lava came from a small volcanic cone, or oreum, called Nokhaji-ak, one of the hundreds of satellite cones scattered across Jeju.

The rock is trachybasalt, a variety of basalt richer in alkali minerals than the dark basalt of most columnar cliffs.

Although most pillars are hexagonal, their cross-sections range from four to seven sides along the roughly two-kilometre stretch of coast.

Locals long knew this shore as Jisatgae, an old name for the Jungmun area, and the cliffs are still often called the Jisatgae columns.

When Jeju became a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2010, the columns were one of its nine original geosites, alongside Hallasan and Seongsan Ilchulbong.

At high tide and in rough weather, breakers can throw spray up to about 10 metres against the face of the columns.

The cliffs lie on route 8 of the Jeju Olle Trail, the long-distance walking path that circles the whole island.

Why it is worth it

On the south coast of Jeju, between Jungmun and Daepo, the shoreline is built of stone pillars. Lava that flowed down from Hallasan, the volcano at the centre of the island, reached the sea here, and as the thick flow cooled and shrank it split into columns, most of them four- to six-sided, packed together like cells of a honeycomb seen from the side. The result runs for roughly 3.5 km of coast, with the tallest sections of the cliff rising about 20 metres from the water.

What makes the place remarkable is the variety within that order. Some columns stand upright in tight ranks; others lie on their side, their hexagonal ends facing outward like the butt ends of stacked timber; at the base, waves have broken the tops into stepping-stone platforms. Korea's heritage authority describes the joints as clean and varied enough to look like deliberate sculpture, and the comparison holds: at high tide the surf explodes against the pillars and falls back in white sheets, while at calmer moments the water in the gaps turns deep blue-green.

The formation was designated a Natural Monument of Korea (No. 443) in January 2005, and it is studied as a textbook example of how basalt lava hardens. Viewing decks and walkways let visitors look down on the columns from above, and anglers fish from the lower ledges. The name of the site in Korean, jusangjeolli, simply means columnar jointing — the geological term has become the name of the place itself.

Getting there

The cliff lies on the Jungmun coast of Seogwipo, the main city of southern Jeju, about 13 km from its centre. Jeju International Airport (CJU) is roughly 31 km away on the north side of the island. The site sits close to the Jungmun resort area and is usually reached by car, taxi or bus from Seogwipo or Jeju City.

Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff

Interesting facts

Why it is worth it

Getting there

Plan your visit

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