Gajodo Island

Gajodo, a small island off the north-west of Geojedo, is where people in Geoje go to watch the sun set. A bridge built in 2009 lets you drive across, and the road around the island passes fishing villages drying anchovies, oyster farms and a sunset hill. Come here when you want quiet island life rather than a big attraction.

The island

Gajodo belongs to Changho-ri in Sadeung-myeon, Geoje, and covers 5.86 km² with 17.5 km of coastline. Its highest point is Oknyeobong (332 m) in the middle of the island, and 1,280 people lived here at the end of 2015. It was once also called Gajwado, and it is the second-largest of the islands attached to Geojedo.

Islanders grow barley and sweet potatoes or work the sea. Oyster and mussel farms fill the surrounding waters, and each of the ten villages — Jindu, Changchon, Yugyo, Gyedo and others — has its own small harbour. When the Gajo Bridge from Seongpo on Geojedo opened on 13 July 2009, city buses began running onto the island.

Where Korea's fisheries co-ops began

Gajodo claims a place in the history of Korea's fisheries cooperatives. In July 1908 the Geoje Hansan Gajo Fishing Gear Association was founded here, and it is regarded as the forerunner of today's National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives. Near the pier, a small park marks the spot. Chipped stone tools found around Oknyeobong suggest people may have lived on the island in very early times.

What to see

• Sunset Hill (Noeuri Muldeuneun Eondeok): as its name says, a hill for watching the sunset turn the sea red. From Changchon village, looking west, the sun drops between the islands towards Goseong.
• Oknyeobong: a peak tied to a legend of fairies dancing in cloud-patterned skirts. Near the top there are wide views over Geoje Bay and the surrounding islands.
• Yugyo village and harbour: on sunny days anchovies are spread out to dry across the quay, and across Gohyeon Bay you can see Geoje's main town.
• Hyeongje Island suspension bridge: a swaying footbridge links Gajodo to the small Hyeongje islet, so you can walk out over the water.
• Gyedo fishing village: a village offering mudflat activities and fishing.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: driving is easiest: from Gohyeon in Geoje, head through Seongpo in Sadeung-myeon and cross the Gajo Bridge. City buses run from Gohyeon Terminal to the island, but services are few, so check the timetable.
• Best time: for the sunset, arrive about an hour before sundown. Clear skies in autumn and winter give the deepest colours.
• Time needed: 2–3 hours for a drive around the island and a stop at Sunset Hill; half a day if you climb Oknyeobong.
• Fishing: breakwaters and floating fishing platforms around the island draw plenty of anglers.
• Watch out: village roads are narrow and twisting. Around harbours where anchovies are drying or work is under way, take care not to get in the residents' way.
• Combine with: Gohyeon, home to the Geoje POW Camp Historic Park, is less than 30 minutes away by car.