▲ Photo by Able Team

[This article is written by a JDC Junior Journalist. The JDC Junior Journalist program is an educational project sponsored by Jeju Free International City Development Corporation (JDC). JDC Junior Journalist articles are only briefly edited by mentors before publishing.]

Saryeoni Forest is a famous forest path in Jeju which has beautiful scenery and a large scale ecosystem. Every year, numerous people visit the park and enjoy walking the paths inside the forest. The Saryeoni Forest has very beautiful scenery and because of this, Saryeoni Forest was designated as a part of 31 Hidden scenery of Jeju’. When we entered the forest to interview hikers, the weather was great and the trees and grass felt welcoming to us.

On September 21st, our JDC Junior Journalist team visited the park with the purpose of learning the interview process. First, we attended a lecture about interview guidelines. Next, our team made a list of questions and then started out. There were more people than I had expected, walking through the forest. Everyone on our team was nervous so it was hard to begin interviewing them.

After walking for 10 minutes, we found a family visiting the park from the mainland. The purpose of their visit was to celebrate their grandmother’s, Kang Young Sim, 70th birthday. Many of Sim’s relatives had joined this celebration trip. Their family had visited Jeju many times, but this was their first time to see Saryeoni Forest. “Actually, we think the outside of the forest is much more beautiful than the inside.” they said. “We expected beautiful woods, but what we can see in here is a road which can find easily in everywhere. The entrance was beautiful. but in here, as you can see this road disappoints us.” They were unhappy with the forest’s path.

However, The man we interviewd next, Yang Dong Hoon, said differently. He was hiking through the forest with his family. He told us that he loved forest hiking and had many experiences with different forest paths like Saryeoni path. He compared the Saryeoni Forest’s hiking level of difficulty to the other forests. “I find no inconvenience hiking in this forest. It is because the forest is beautiful, and the air is fresh.” he said. “Also, the road is flat in here. So, it is very easy to walk. especially for young children or the old and the infirm.” His 6-7 year old daughter had a suggestion, too. She wanted more benches for relaxing, as she was tired of walking.

After we finished interviewing hikers, we ate simple lunch, and went back to the entrance. There were a lot of people enjoying hiking. Although people had different thoughts about Saryeoni Forest, It is a shelter of the bottom of your heart.