Jeju Island

The earliest known polity on the island was the kingdom of Tamna.[1]

After Mongol invasions of Korea, the Mongol Empire established a base on Jeju Island with its ally, the Goryeo army in (Tamna prefectures) and converted part of the island to a grazing area for the Korean and Mongol cavalry stationed there.[2]

In the beginning of the 15th century, Jeju Island was subjected to the highly centralized rule of the Joseon dynasty. A travel ban was implemented for almost 200 years and many uprisings by Jeju Island residents were suppressed.[3]

Jeju uprising

Suspected communist sympathizers awaiting execution in May 1948 after the Jeju uprising

From 3 April 1948 to May 1949, the South Korean government conducted an anticommunist campaign to suppress an attempted uprising on the island.[4][5] The main cause for the rebellion was the election scheduled for 10 May 1948, designed by the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) to create a new government for all of Korea. The elections were only planned for the south of the country, the half of the peninsula under UNTCOK control. Fearing that the elections would further reinforce division, guerrilla fighters of the Workers' Party of South Korea (WPSK) reacted violently, attacking local police and rightist youth groups stationed on Jeju Island.[5][6]

In 2008, bodies of victims of a massacre were discovered in a mass grave near Jeju International Airport.[7]

Refugees on Jeju Island

In 2018, 500 refugees fleeing the civil war in Yemen came to Jeju Island, causing unease and racial tensions among the residents of Jeju Island.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

Planned Kim Jong-Un visit

On 11 November 2018, it was announced that preparations were being made for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to visit Jeju during his upcoming visit to South Korea.[14] Kim would be transported to Jeju via helicopter.[14] The announcement came in after 200 tonnes of tangerines harvested in Jeju were flown to North Korea as a sign of appreciation for nearly 2 tonnes of North Korean mushrooms Kim gave to South Korea as a gift, following the September 2018 inter-Korean summit.[15][16]

Archaeology

In November 2020, South Korean archeologists announced the discovery of a 900-year-old lost slipway off the coast of Sinchangli. Researchers also discovered bright objects, coins and ceramics belonging to the Northern Song Dynasty.[17]

^ "The Queen of Tamna: Was Jeju previously ruled by a mythical warrior queen? - JEJU WEEKLY". Jejuweekly.com. ^ Henthorn, William E. (1963). Korea: the Mongol invasions. E.J. Brill. pp. 190. ^ Yang, Changyong; Yang, Sejung; O’Grady, William (2019-12-31). Jejueo: The Language of Korea's Jeju Island. University of Hawaii Press. p. 3. doi:10.2307/j.ctvwvr2qt.6. ISBN 978-0-8248-8140-5. JSTOR j.ctvwvr2qt. S2CID 241929091. ^ Hugh Deane (1999). The Korean War, 1945-1953. China Books&Periodicals, Inc. pp. 54–58. ISBN 9780141912240. ^ a b Merrill, John (1980). "Cheju-do Rebellion". The Journal of Korean Studies. 2: 139–197. doi:10.1353/jks.1980.0004. S2CID 143130387. ^ Deane, Hugh (1999). The Korean War 1945-1953. San Francisco: China Books and Periodicals Inc. pp. 54–58. ISBN 978-0-8351-2644-1. ^ Song Jung Hee, Islanders still mourn April 3 massacre, Jeju Weekly, March 3, 2010 ^ Murphy, Brian (22 June 2018). "How hundreds of Yemenis fleeing the world's worst humanitarian crisis ended up on a resort island in South Korea". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2021. ^ "South Koreans outraged as 500 Yemeni refugees flee to island". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 May 2021. ^ "Yemeni refugees' fate tested on Jeju Island". Korea Times. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2021. ^ "South Korea to tighten laws amid influx of Yemeni asylum-seekers to resort island of Jeju". Straits Times. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2021. ^ He-Rim, Jo (29 June 2018). "Justice Ministry proposes reinforcement measures to amend refugee act". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2021. ^ "제주 온 예멘인 500여 명 난민 신청..엇갈리는 시선". 다음 뉴스 (in Korean). 2018-06-19. Retrieved 5 May 2021. ^ a b "Jeju prepares for Kim Jong-un's visit by helicopter". koreatimes. November 11, 2018. ^ "Summit bears fruit as South Korea flies tangerines to North - Channel NewsAsia". Channelnewsasia.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2022. ^ Ryall, Julian (November 8, 2018). "South Korea declares Kim Jong-un's mushrooms safe to eat". The Daily Telegraph. ^ "Archaeologists discover 900-year-old lost treasure under the sea". All-sanfrancisco.com. 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2020-12-06.