Yeoseodo in Wando Designated as "Island of the Year" by Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

The Third Selection After Gageodo and Sangwangdeungdo

Wando County in South Jeolla Province announced on the 22nd that Yeoseodo in Cheongsan-myeon has been designated as the "2025 Island of the Year" by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Located in the open sea between Wando and Jeju Island, Yeoseodo is a small island with an area of 4.19 km² and a coastline of 13.33 km, currently home to about 100 residents. The island boasts beautiful scenery with unique coastal rock formations and a variety of warm-temperate forests, while the stone walls surrounding the village are considered one of Yeoseodo's most representative assets.

Yeoseodo Island in Wando County, Jeollanam-do has been designated as the "Island of the Year 2025". Provided by Wando County

Yeoseodo is the third island to be selected as "Island of the Year," following Gageodo in Sinan-gun, South Jeolla Province in 2023 and Sangwangdeungdo in Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province in 2024. Each year, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries select one of the seven inhabited base islands in Korea's territorial waters to boost residents' pride and highlight the importance of maritime territory.

Korea's seven inhabited base islands are: Eocheongdo (Gunsan, North Jeolla Province), Sangwangdeungdo (Buan, North Jeolla Province), Hoengdo (Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province), Hongdo (Sinan, South Jeolla Province), Gageodo (Sinan, South Jeolla Province), Yeoseodo (Wando, South Jeolla Province), and Geomundo (Yeosu, South Jeolla Province). These islands play a crucial role in determining maritime boundaries under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Meanwhile, in accordance with the "Special Act on Support for Remote Islands such as Ulleungdo and Heuksando," which took effect on the 17th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to finalize the "Comprehensive Development Plan for Remote Border Islands (2026-2030)" for 43 remote islands, including Yeoseodo, by the end of the year. Under this plan, Yeoseodo will focus on projects such as the construction of water supply and sewage facilities and the development of accommodations utilizing closed schools.