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The next day, we continued our clockwise circumnaviga- tion of the island, toward the southern city of Seogwipo. According to tourist info, the picturesque landscape we passed en route was dotted with golf courses, as well as many filming locations for Korean movies. Considering my rock-bottom level of interest in both golf and K-drama, I felt as if the map was brazenly challenging me to give less of a shit. We came upon citrus farms where Jeju’s sweet, deli- cious, iconic satsuma oranges are grown, and stopped to buy a bag. Farming is Jeju’s other major industry alongside tourism, and like every aspect of old-world Jeju, it too is bracing for severe change. Korea’s new free trade deal with China is expected to impact Jeju’s satsuma orange industry with losses of over 160 billion won a year. The overall effect on the nation’s other agricultural products may be even greater, due to the influx of low-cost imported potatoes, onions, garlic, cab- bages and carrots. And while the government plans to dole out 30 billion won in subsidies to help local farmers develop their infrastructure, many fear it won’t be enough to stem the tide. This dual-pronged economy of tourism and agriculture is the lifeblood of Seogwipo. In addition to several note- worthy sites like Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, another popular activity here is taking a submarine ride. While not quite as exhilarating as Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, we nonetheless cruised around submerged beneath the waves and saw a realm usually denied to most beachgoers. As we set off from the rocky harbor, sunlight streamed down from the surface, with schools of fish darting away from our metallic leviathan. We went deeper to find the shapes of shipwrecks slowly forming amid the murky water, old fishing boats and trawlers littering the sea floor. Those with a more adventurous streak might want to con- sider climbing into a wetsuit to get up close and personal with sea life. Although Korea isn’t usually thought of as a diving destination, Jeju is still considered the republic’s mecca of scuba. Big Blue 33 is a dive shop operated out of Seogwipo by German national Ralf Deutsch, and it offers several courses for all skill levels. “Diving in Korea is like an attractive mix of Norway and the Red Sea — black rocks and kelp like in Norway coupled with the soft coral and colorful tropical fish like in the Red Sea,” says Wolfgang Pölzer, an Austrian dive journalist and photographer. But the unsullied maritime environment faces new, pos- sibly fatal challenges, with Jeju Naval Base (also called Gangjeong Naval Base) scheduled for completion in 2015. Construction of the 1 trillion won facility has been halted over half a dozen times due to protests. Destruction of cul- tural property, loss of ancient artifacts and damage to the local way of life are among the arguments against it, but the strongest opposition comes out of concern for the en- vironment. Construction has cleared out large amounts of ancient lava formations that make up Jeju’s only estuary, and this area is home to numerous species of cranes and aquatic life, many of which are endangered. “Disaster” is a word often used to describe the environmental impact of the project: International human rights organizations have con- demned the organizers’ use of hired thugs to harass and intimidate activists, which resulted in several foreign pro- testers being arrested and deported. The Korean government and Jeju’s own courts and admin- istration have all supported the project and struck down grassroots efforts to prevent its completion. Proponents say the influx of money will stimulate the local econo- my — the base will serve as an occasional port for cruise ships — but the real motiva- tion seems to be the geopo- litical significance of a military presence in the area: Nearby waters are home to shipping lanes through which all of Korea’s exports and most of its petroleum imports are transported. Supporters have also used as justification the increased capacity of military response in case of a North Korean threat. The base is planned to house 20 warships, three destroyers, several submarines and possibly even aircraft carriers. However, some see the North Korean threat as a mere diversion, and instead propose that the base is really intended as a power play directed toward China. Tensions are heightened because of the waters surround- ing the nearby island Ieodo, which are thought to contain oil and mineral deposits. The situation is comparable to pos- turing between Japan and China, but author Donald Kirk, in “Okinawa and Jeju: Bases of Discontent” (2013), writes that in stark contrast to the Japanese, the port on Jeju will not be used to house any American military presence. An old Jeju adage encapsulates the fears of many of the is- landers — that they could end up like the proverbial “shrimp whose back gets broken in a fight between whales.” II. excIteMent, econoMIcs, eMpIre an old jeju adage encapsulates the fears of Many of the Islanders — that they could end up lIke the proverbIal ‘shrIMp whose back gets broken In a fIght between whales.’ www.groovekorea.com / August 2014 52 Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) COvER STORy