Jeju Island, South Korea: An itinerary focused on art, architecture and design

Jeju Island’s natural landscapes have inspired many artists and creatives to create some of their best works here. Here is a list of places to visit, stay and dine to experience these spaces. 

The first time I visited Jeju Island in early July 2024, I was introduced to the bizarre Jekyll-and-Hyde weather in the north and south caused by Hallasan rising almost 2,000 metres up the centre. In the north, it was sunny, and clouds wafted across the azure sky; past midway of the volcano that is South Korea’s highest point, grey fogs hid the sky from view.

That was a fascinating introduction to the UNESCO World Heritage Site at the tip of the Korean peninsula. The massive mountain determines many things besides the dynamic weather conditions. It also offers picturesque views, scenic trails that hikers fly in for, with volcanic black basalt – a hard lava rock with cheese-like holes – dotting the island as a ubiquitous construction material.

WHERE TO STAY

JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa

These rocks inspired WATG for the architecture of JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa. The 27,000 sq m, 89-key building hugs the cliffs of Jeju Island’s southern coast in Seogwipo. Spread across several blocks, guests can weave outdoors and into Bangkok-based designer Bill Bensley’s yellow-washed interiors (the colour was drawn from the springtime canola fields that so besotted Bensley). Grey, black and white tones evoke the island’s volcanic landscapes, and along the corridors, metal flying fish pay homage to Jeju Island’s fishing traditions.

The JW Marriott Resort & Spa raises the island’s design quotient alongside the level of service and experiences befitting of an ultra-luxury hospitality establishment.

In 2025, it will also become an art destination when the first museum dedicated to the late South Korean contemporary artist, Park Seo-bo, is completed. The hotel mooted the idea for the museum but sadly, the artist passed away from cancer in October 2023, several months after he graced the groundbreaking ceremony. Designed by Spanish architect Fernando Menis, the structure is built from a new kind of concrete conceived by Menis that mixes cement with the island’s basalt rock.

NYEOK

Naturally, Jeju’s vast, varied and enigmatic landscapes provide the perfect scenery for picture windows. The island has no lack of design-savvy accommodations that take advantage of this. One of them is NYEOK, designed by Korean architecture firm Z Lab. On the face of the angular building, bands of windows frame the rock-lined coast, with the occasional seabird and rolling white crest of waves on turquoise waters that segue into baby blue skies.

A stay at NYEOK can be booked via Stayfolio. The company offering curated and meaningful stays, started in South Korea but now has a regional reach that spans to cities in Japan, Taiwan and Singapore.

Around Folliw

Another Instagram-worthy stay from Stayfolio’s portfolio is Around Folliw. Also designed by Z Lab, the seven trapezoid-shaped lodges offer glamping-like accommodation, inspired by Bangsatap stone towers built traditionally to ward off evil spirits. Another option is to stay in a caravan or vintage Airstream on the sprawling compound.  

Podo Hotel by Pinx Resorts

While the island’s beauteous environment has become the canvas for many foreign architects, there is no shortage of architectural wonders created by local creatives. The late-Itami Jun is a revered name whose nature-inspired works has archibuffs and architects making pilgrimages. Jun was of South Korean descent (his Korean name is Yoo Dong Ryong) but was born and raised in Japan. His 26-key Podo Hotel by Pinx Resorts is an amorphous form designed to resemble a bunch of grapes (podo means ‘grapes’ in Korean).

Inside, curved ceilings recreate the feeling of being inside Jeju’s folk houses. Walls finished with textile that is coloured with a dye made from local persimmon is another example of local craftsmanship. The hotel’s founder, Kim Hong-Ju, who established a successful bento franchise business in Japan, found affinity with Jun due to their similar Korean-Japanese heritage and so asked the latter to design the hotel.  

If you want to find out more about the revered architect, head to his Water Wind Stone Museum. Three separate structures made from different materials pay tribute to their namesake. “For example, the Wind Museum is an exhibition that showcases [concepts of] wind. The structure is much like an instrument. Wooden slats 10mm apart from one other create a small gap with which the wind can howl or whisper, depending on the climate. It is a space for the wind to sing,” Jun has described of the Wind component.

THINGS TO DO

Osulloc Tea Museum

On daytime experiences, Osulloc Tea Museum is a popular destination. South Korean architecture firm Mass Studies, who made headlines for 2024’s prestigious Serpentine Pavilion in London, designed the building and other ancillary structures for the tea brand started by Amore Pacific Group’s founder Jangwon Suh Sung-Whan in 1979.

Aside from the museum, there is also Tea Stone, a black concrete building for drinking and learning about tea, where you can savour seasonal treats (if you go in autumn, it is tangerine rose ice tea and Hallasan-shaped cake) at the glass-and-timber Innisfree Annex and Innisfree Jeju House. Pack a picnic set for brunch in the colourful landscapes that ranges from pink cotton candy Muhly grasslands to quaint buckwheat flower fields.

You Call It Love

If you are in the city centre, have your nightcap at jazz cafe and listening bar, You Call It Love, at Nohyeong-dong. Grab a vinyl record or CD from the likes of Getz Gilberto, John Coltrane or other Korean artistes to while away the rest of the night.

If you are in town only during daytime, you can still pop into You Call It Love as it is a cafe in the afternoon. Jeju-based interior design firm Mago Fingo designed the cosy, timber-wrapped space. To check out other modern interiors by the firm, add fine dining restaurant Janhyang (it specialises in black pig) or Hop Hi coffee shop to your itinerary. The latter’s location right along the coast makes it perfect for dolphin spotting – a perfect addition to your memories of Jeju Island.     

Fritz Hansen Jeju store

Then there is the newly opened Fritz Hansen Jeju store, designed by South Korean firm Ondo. Considering how Jeju has become a hot spot for international schools, it is not surprising that the Danish furniture brand opened its largest South Korean store in Jeju.

The barn-shaped store offers interior design inspiration in a bucolic setting with Jeju Gotjawal Provincial Park to the north. Inside, the Fritz Hansen Colour Wheel takes pride of place. Storage and transport tools used in the brand’s production line between 1950 and 1970 inspired the sculpture. In the store, it displays the shells of Arne Jacobsen’s Ant chairs in the brand’s 16 colours. 

Waljong Art Museum

For local art, check out Waljong Art Museum that celebrates the work of South Korean painter Lee Wal-Jong (or Lee Wal-Chong). Lee made Jeju his home three decades ago and has won multiple accolades and consistently adds to his Golden Mean of Jeju Living series, where he depicts the island in heart-warming, childlike paintings and sculptures.

Designed by Swiss firm Davide Macullo Architects, the brick building perches on a cliff behind Jeongbangpokpo Falls that falls directly into the sea. Davide Macullo created a curvaceous structure that looks as if it has been whipped into form by Jeju’s famous winds. “Just like a block of clay from which the artist can carve out, cut, shape and paint; the building, together with the sculpture garden, becomes part of the artist’s work,” described the architect. 

WHERE TO EAT

The Flying Hog in JW Marriott Resort & Spa

For dinner, The Flying Hog in JW Marriott Resort & Spa offers a memorable seven-course tasting menu that takes one on a gastronomic journey through Jeju’s indigenous ingredients. The star is Jeju black pig that is salt-cured and wet-aged before it gets roasted in a wood oven. “Jeju is famous for its black pork, typically enjoyed in a Korean BBQ style where the meat is grilled directly at the table. However, The Flying Hog elevates this experience by presenting a unique preparation that highlights the deeply concentrated flavours of aged pork, paired with the delightful crispiness of the skin,” described chef Joon Ko. 

Other dishes on the menu include Jeju duck cooked in another dedicated oven and fresh vegetables sourced directly from the hotel’s very own JW Garden. “The distinct characteristics of Jeju’s soil, wind and sunlight impart a unique flavour to even the most common vegetables,” explained chef Joon. Testament to his talent, my favourite dish in the tasting menu was one of the simplest – a serving of crispy bread, puffed up and hollowed in the centre for one to slide in a slice of seasonal Jeju mandarin (hallabong), which gives a novel and fun twist to local cuisine.

In’s Mill

Another picturesque spot for teatime is In’s Mill, located in Ilgwari on Jeju’s western coast. The owner, Inhyeop Hyeon, grew up on the island and wanted to create a space celebrating Jeju’s authenticity. Which was why he gathered a group of creatives and craftsmen from the island to save a derelict, 1950s barley warehouse and turn it into a wabi sabi-infused cafe.

Enjoy local puffed barley snacks and barley black tea in the cafe designed by acclaimed designer Seungji Mun who left to work in Copenhagen before settling in Seoul doing creative work for brands like COS and Samsung. At In’s Mill, he preserved many architectural elements. Stairs lead to a roof patio where one can observe the straw thatched roof up close while volcanic pebbles form a rough carpet for outdoor furniture, framed by indigenous palm trees and fan-like cycas plants.