A Study on the Water Culture of Gangjeong Village in Jeju Island

Abstract

to lack of water. However, Gangjeong Village in Seogwipo-si has ‘Keunnae(Gangjeong River)’ and ‘Akeunnae(Akgeun River)’ that flow all year round, and large and small springs spring up, so it is blessed with natural conditions for rice farming. Therefore, Gangjeong Village was nicknamed ‘Ilgangjeong(Best Gangjeong)’. In Gangjeong, there are many stories about water that are hard to find in other areas of Jeju Island. In particular, Gangjeong-Rice and Gangjeong-Sweetfish are things that anyone from that village can be proud of. However, from the late 1980s, Gangjeong Village began to decline. With the construction of a water intake plant in Gangjeong and the development of groundwater, too much groundwater is being drawn up. As a result, the output of spring water sharply decreased and the price of rice plummeted, making rice farming less competitive. Now, Gangjeong-Rice and Gangjeong-Sweetfish, which were representative of Gangjeong, are left only as stories, and the work songs that were sung while farming rice remain only as lyrics. The stories about water in Gangjeong Village are the main ecological and cultural heritage of Jeju Island, where water was scarce. Before it is too late, it is necessary to restore the old appearance of Gangjeong and make it an Eco Museum. The water-themed ecological museum will serve as a foundation for preserving and transmitting the water cultural heritage of Ilgangjeong, raising the income of local residents by using local products, and will greatly contribute to restoring the divided village community