Biyangdo Island

Stand on the sand at Hyeopjae Beach and you will see a rounded island rising beyond the emerald water. Biyangdo is a small volcanic island off Hallim in Jeju City, covering about 0.5 km², with around 160 residents. The ferry from Hallim Port takes 15 minutes, and once you land, the sound of traffic gives way to waves and stone-walled lanes. It feels like a different world from the main island.

History: a volcano on record

What makes Biyangdo special is an old written record of an eruption. Texts such as the Sinjeung Dongguk yeoji seungnam describe a mountain rising from the sea in 1002, in the fifth year of King Mokjong of Goryeo, with red liquid pouring from four vents for five days, and this is thought to refer to volcanic activity at Biyangbong. Geological studies, however, suggest the island itself formed in an eruption about 27,000 years ago, when sea levels were low during the Ice Age.

There is also a legend that the island flew here. Jeju had only 99 peaks, one short of becoming a great land, when a peak came flying from the direction of China. A startled woman shouted at it to stop, and it dropped into the sea where it is now. Because bamboo grew here in abundance, the island was also once called Jukdo, "bamboo island".

What to see

• Biyangbong (114 m): the crater peak in the north of the island has one large and one small crater. Stairs lead up to a white lighthouse and viewpoint looking over the Hallim coast and the shore of the main island.
• Biyang trees: around the craters grows Oreocnide frutescens, a shrub found nowhere else in Korea and protected as a Jeju monument.
• Aegi eopeun dol: a chimney-shaped volcanic formation, a hornito, said to look like a woman carrying a baby on her back. It became a Natural Monument in 2004.
• Pallangmot: a shallow salt marsh on the east side that fills with seawater at high tide and drains at low tide.
• Elephant Rock and lava coast: the coastal path passes pillow lava and odd rock formations.

Island life

Biyangdo lives mainly from the sea. Some 80 kinds of fish swim in the surrounding waters, and islanders catch anchovy, hairtail and yellowtail and gather or farm turban shells, abalone and sea cucumber. There are no rice paddies, only small fields of barley, sweet potatoes and rapeseed. The village sits on the flat land in the southeast, and a branch of Hallim Elementary School teaches the island's children. Anglers flock here in summer, and in 2025 the island was named one of the "Stars of Korean Tourism" as an eco-friendly destination.

Don't mix them up

Jeju has a second island with the same name. The other Biyangdo, next to Udo, is joined to Udo and reached on foot. The Biyangdo off Hallim can only be reached by boat, so double-check the location in your map app.

Tripto tips

• Ferries: two boats, the Biyangdo-ho and the 2000-nyeon-ho, run from Hallim Port. Listed departures from Hallim are 09:20, 11:20, 13:20 and 15:20 for the Biyangdo-ho and 09:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:30 for the 2000-nyeon-ho. A return ticket costs KRW 12,000 for adults and KRW 6,000 for children. Sailings can be cancelled or rescheduled in bad weather, so phone the operator the day before and on the morning of your trip.
• Route: the coastal loop from the pier is about 3 km. Add the climb up Biyangbong and 2–3 hours is plenty. Keep the last boat time in mind.
• What to bring: bring plenty of water, and a hat in summer as there is little shade.
• Combine with: back on the main island, watching the sun set behind Biyangdo from Hyeopjae Beach or Geumneung Beach is the classic way to end the day. Hallim Park is close by.