Fire on the mountain, Jeju-do, South Korea

Jeju Fire Festival
Fire festival glory | Credit: Mike Laidman

Oreum is set ablaze in annual Jeju Fire Festival
Story by Marcie Miller | Photos by Brian Miller and Mike Laidman

If you’ve ever wanted to be part of a torch-wielding mob, mark your calendar for the 2010 Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival on Jeju, when an entire hillside is set ablaze.

The event is held during the first full moon of the Lunar New Year across Korea. The festival commemorates the practice of burning grassy fields to prepare them for the new growing season. This year’s 14th annual festival on Jeju was Feb. 13 and 14, with the climax hill torching the night of the 14th.

‘My Jeju’ photo gallery opens at Bagdad Cafe, Saturday 29th November 2008, By Brian Miller, Jeju, South Korea



Brian Miller lives and works on Jeju Island, South Korea. These are his images from his life here.

Through them he hopes to share a foreign perspective of life on Jeju.

The gallery includes three distinct and different sections: portrait, sport and micro, totalling nearly fifty two images. Some of which, were over a year in the making.

Jeju’s Haenyeo are a standout theme throughout the gallery that provides an “intimate look at a part of Jeju’s unique culture which is slowing fading into history,” according to Miller.

Popcorn tickets and events, Jeju, South Korea

Popcorn In a small, relatively smart office space, a short walk up from Jungang Rotary is one of Jeju’s number one concert and musical ticket vendors. More than just the vendor though, Popcorn CEO Koh Chung Hoon (고 충훈) is the man who helps book the big shows for Jeju with past, notable coups, including The Last Empress (widely regarded as Korea’s first “original” musical) and a Korean musical version of Grease. Popcorn was founded around five years ago when Koh returned to Jeju from time abroad in Austria. On return, he found the island devoid of the shows he’d seen in Europe and found that the Korean produced versions were very much confined to Seoul and the mainland. Koh says at first he had to almost beg to get acts to come here, but, now that he’s well known, it’s not so much of a problem. As time progressed he has been able to branch out into jazz and classical music as well as maintaining a staple diet of musicals - three genres that seem to the most popular among Jeju audiences.

Jeju Jeongwol Dawboreum fire festival, Jeju, South Korea

One of Korea’s most unique festivals is a must see
Story by Joanna Burgess | Photo by Jim Saunders
Up in smoke
An Oreum on fire | Credit: Jim Saunders

In the infamous words of Beavis— “fire, fire, fire!” This quote engulfs the primary theme of the Annual Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival. Beginning in 1997, this year marks the 13th year of the festival, with each year becoming bigger and brighter. While fire, fun, and festivities are the main attraction of the Fire Festival, it is important to understand why this festival came to be in the first place.

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Jeju, South Korea

Media

Original JL Video | 'My Gallery' @ Bagdad Cafe |
Credit: Justin Nalepa

JL on English News KCTV | 17.12.08 | Credit: KCTV

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