[Military Story] Jeju Naval Base Established... Overseas Tourists Bustling

Over 366,000 Expected to Enter This Year via Cruise Ships
Rivaling World-Famous Tourist Spots Like San Diego Base

The southernmost naval base is the Jeju Naval Base. The construction of Jeju Naval Base was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 during the Kim Young-sam administration, discussions intensified during the Kim Dae-jung administration, and the selection of Gangjeong Village as the site was finalized in 2007 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. However, it became controversial due to opposition from local residents and civic groups. Currently, the Navy's 7th Mobile Flotilla is stationed there. Although the Navy's 7th Mobile Flotilla is located at the southernmost naval base, if you look at the map upside down, it stands at the forefront of the ocean-going navy extending worldwide. On March 27, the 9th West Sea Defense Day, a large-scale maritime maneuver exercise was conducted across the East, West, and South Seas, and I visited Jeju Naval Base on that day.

The construction of Jeju Naval Base passed the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Kim Young-sam administration in 1993, discussions intensified during the Kim Dae-jung administration, and the selection of Gangjeong Village as the site was finalized in 2007 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. (Photo by Navy)

Upon arriving at Jeju Naval Base, the grand scale of the base covering 490,000㎡ (188,000 pyeong) and the outline of newly constructed buildings came into view. Climbing up to the four-story main building, Beomseom Island appeared 3 km ahead to the left. It stood silently, and the mid-slope of Hallasan Mountain, partly obscured by clouds, and Jeju World Cup Stadium were also visible at a glance. Outside the building, the 130,000-ton large cruise ship 'Adora Magic City' from Shanghai, China, was docked. On that day, about 3,000 Chinese tourists arrived by cruise, greeted by around 100 tour buses. They planned to tour Seogwipo City in Jeju Island on the same day before heading to Japan. Although strong winds up to 5 m/s blew due to the changing seasons, smiles never left the faces of the tourists.

The length of Pier 1 at Jeju Naval Base reaches 1.5 km, visible even from afar. Upon arriving at Pier 1, I was quite surprised by the length and height of the breakwater. The length was 2,500 m, and the height appeared to exceed 12 m. According to the Navy, it was built to withstand 10 m high waves during typhoons. The first international cruise ship to dock at Jeju Base was in March 2019. At that time, the British-registered 148,000-ton 'Queen Mary 2' arrived at the civilian-military complex tourist port with 2,400 tourists from the U.S. and Europe. Queen Mary 2 is a worldwide cruise ship operated by the British Cunard Line, weighing 148,528 tons (length 345 m, width 44 m), with a passenger capacity of 2,726 and a crew of 1,253. Initially, Chinese cruise ships were scheduled to dock from 2017, but all arrivals were canceled due to conflicts over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system by the Chinese government. Since then, the number of tourists entering through Jeju Naval Base has exploded. Last year, international cruise ships docked a total of 27 times, with 61,013 tourists. This year, the number is expected to increase further. About 170 cruise ships are scheduled to dock, and approximately 366,000 people are expected to enter Jeju Naval Base.

This year, cruise ships are expected to dock more than 170 times, and approximately 366,000 people are anticipated to enter through Jeju Naval Base. (Photo by Navy)

There are many civilian-military complex tourist ports abroad as well. San Diego in the United States, known as a marine tourist destination, is a representative example. It is the home port of the Pacific Fleet. The San Diego base accounts for 13.68% of the local economic activity and provides a total of 142,530 jobs, ranking second in the size of the local employment group. The Midway Museum, using a decommissioned warship, has become a famous tourist attraction in San Diego. The Hawaii Naval Base is known as an eco-friendly base that maintains clean seas. Oil fences are installed on all incoming warships regardless of nationality to prepare for possible fuel leaks. The Australian Navy is located near Sydney Harbor, one of the world's top three ports. Around the marina pier within 200 m of the naval base, a marine museum complex with hotels, parks, decommissioned warships, and submarines has been established, attracting about one million domestic and international tourists annually. Sydney Harbor's coastline and coastal cliffs closely resemble those of Jeju Island. France's major port is Toulon. Toulon is a military port used by the French Mediterranean Fleet and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, but at the same time, cruise ships and yachts peacefully navigate the azure waves of the harbor. Naples in Italy and Hainan Island in China are also world-renowned tourist destinations that maintain naval bases for national security.

Jeju Naval Base has seven piers. Except for Pier 1, warships dock at the others. On this day, due to shooting exercises across all sea areas in commemoration of West Sea Defense Day, no warships were visible. A Navy official said, "The Munmu the Great (DDH-II, 4,400 tons) was docked the day before but left for Jinhae Base," and added, "There is no problem docking six 4,400-ton-class Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-II) warships." Pier 4, where destroyers dock, is 612 m long. The seemingly endless pier length gave a sense of scale.

Jeju Naval Base is a strategic point that can rapidly deploy naval mobile units to the East and West Seas, effectively deterring North Korean provocations. It can dispatch forces to Ieodo within four hours. It is also a key location protecting the southern sea traffic route, the lifeline of the Republic of Korea, and safeguarding the activities of our citizens in the southern waters of Jeju Island, a treasure trove of marine resources. For this reason, Jeju Base is called the '21st Century Cheonghaejin,' guaranteeing the prosperity of the Republic of Korea.