A Modern Way of Seeing Jeju: The Discourse of ‘Paradise Jeju’

The way of seeing Jejudo before the modern era during the Joseon Dynasty can be summarized as ‘the aesthetics of scenic landscapes, the barrenness of the climate, and the vulgarity of customs’. During Japanese colonial rule, ‘a new way of seeing Jejudo’—the discourse of ‘Paradise Jeju’—appeared, replacing the Ten Scenes of Yeongju in the late Joseon Dynasty and forming the basis for the symbolic landscape of Jeju Island until the late 20th century. This was a process in which the industrial potential of Jeju’s climate and resources were re-evaluated in the context of capitalism and industrialization. The image of Jeju’s scenery as an exotic tourist attraction continued even after the liberation. However, the development of Jejudo has been understood as a history of hardships for Jeju residents who overcame a barren environment. According to Confucian scholars on the mainland during the Joseon Dynasty, Jejudo was a barren land, and this was the cause of the Jeju people’s poverty. The discourse of Paradise Jeju coined by Japan can be seen as a complete reversal of the climate determinism-the theory of 風土 of the Joseon Dynasty, and as a colonial project as well as a modern perspective as a new ‘invention’. Paradise Jeju discourse serves as a link between endemic environmentalist thoughts on Jeju in the Joseon Dynasty and contemporary romantic perspectives on Jeju, which can also be an important reference for contemplating a new vision for the development of Jeju in the 21st century and the formation of Jeju identity.