KOREA FOUNDATION

Seogwipo’s Zero Milepost

There is a three-way intersection in Seogwipo’s Beophwan neighborhood, near Jeju World Cup Stadium. Though traffic is fairly calm in the area surrounding the KF’s headquarters, it’s quite busy around the intersection. If you follow the road from the headquarters that passes by a park, you’ll soon arrive at the intersection, where you’ll find a zero milepost and a small dolhareubang (lit. stone grandfather), one of Jeju Island’s iconic stone statues.

As seen in the photo below, Korean mileposts usually consist of three stone tiers and are placed in cities and counties. Many zero mileposts mark the starting and ending points of roads. There are only two of these on Jeju Island: the one at the Beophwan intersection shown below and another in Jeju City.

Zero mileposts aren’t set up at every point where a road begins or ends; they’re erected in accordance with relevant laws at locations deemed important for reasons related to administration, transportation, history, or culture. The intersection in Beophwan leads to Jeju World Cup Stadium and Seogwipo Intercity Bus Terminal, and the zero milepost there shows the distance to Jeju City, Seoul, Busan, and Gwangju. From it, I can see that Seoul’s own zero milepost is about 500 kilometers away.

Thinking about the spot I stand on and the place 500 kilometers away, I feel my vision extending. When picturing where I stand in my mind, my impressions of my surroundings and faraway places change, as if viewing a satellite photo. I also view Jeju Island, Seogwipo, and the neighborhood of Beophwan in a new light. Dolhareubang may be popular on this island, but the zero mileposts are no less impressive.

Lee Kyeongjoo, Program Officer, Strategic Planning Department

Lee Kyeongjoo Zero Milepost Seogwipo