Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There are around 8,500 foreign nationals living on Jeju Island, most in or around Jeju City.
The expatriate population isn't really large enough to have taken over entire neighborhoods,
but there are a few bars and restaurants on the island where the foreign community tends
to congregate, including Gecko's in the Jungmun Resort Complex near Seogwipo and Win-
nie's Brunch and Pub near Jeju City Hall.
Not surprisingly, given the island's mostly balmy weather and abundance of nature,
many of the expatriate clubs and associations are centered on outdoor activities, such as
soccer, sailing, and Ultimate Frisbee. The
Jeju Weekly
is the island's sole English-lan-
guage publication of note but does an admirable job covering local social issues and travel
and cultural opportunities. Foreign residents also tend to connect and plan activities on
the Internet through websites such as Facebook or the very informative Jeju World Wide
Government efforts to encourage international schools to set up shop in Jeju seem to have
borne fruit in recent years, with several institutions already establishing branch campuses
and more on the way. Among those already active are the North London Collegiate School
Jeju, which follows the British curriculum, and the Korea International School Jeju Branch.
Tuition at both institutions runs from about 17-30 million won per year, depending on grade
level. Both also offer boarding facilities.
The standard of health care in Jeju is quite high, and with several modern well-equipped
hospitals on the island, there's rarely a need to go elsewhere for medical attention. The pro-
vincial health authority has designated several general hospitals, including Jeju National
University Hospital, Halla General, and Hanmaeum General in Jeju City and the Seogwipo
Medical Center in Seogwipo, foreigner-friendly facilities, and all offer services in English,
Chinese, or Japanese.
Much like any sizable city on the mainland, Jeju City has several department stores and
branches of big-box retailers such as E-mart where expatriates can pick up a fair variety of
