▲ The Lava Seawater Industrial Complex opened in July 2013 and is the hub for lava water businesses and quality control. Photo courtesy Jeju Technopark

**This is a paid article written for Jeju Technopark and appeared in our Jeju Forum Special Edition for JDC.

The residents of Handong-ri, Gujwa-eup, were shocked when they found out the water beneath their feet was a valuable resource. They had struggled with harvests due to the salty local water sources, unlike others areas on the island with fresh springs.

Imagine their surprise then when they heard of the construction of Jeju Technopark’s Lava Seawater Industrial Complex which opened on July 24, 2013, as a support center for lava seawater industries. “I feel like I’ve found a treasure,” said one resident.

For 300 to 400 thousand years the lava water, as it is known, was stored in its cavernous submarine pocket by layers of volcanic basalt, seawater pushed down by osmotic pressure and naturally filtered. Reversing this osmosis and using electro-dialysis, the water is extracted from the ground and purified for drinking and other uses.

There are thought to be around 2.7 billion tons of the stuff down there, an amount which would last 7,500 years at a production rate of 1,000 tons per day. As the pocket is replenished by seawater, theoretically it will never run out.

The Lava Seawater Industrial Complex is used for quality control and fosters related businesses such as hydroponic vegetable cultivation and aquaculture. In fact, 70 percent of Jeju’s land-based aquaculture farms are located on Jeju’s eastern side, where the submarine water pockets are found.

The water has other commercial uses such as for bottled water and as an ingredient for tofu or yogurts, and for cosmetics. All products produced at the 195,000-square-meter site include the “Baranul” brand which certifies the water and combines “bara” (old Korean for sea) and “nul” (land).

The water is highly valued for its rich rare mineral content such as vanadium (0.015 ppm), selenium (0.013 ppm), zinc (0.019 ppm) and iron (0.015 ppm). The water is also pure of pathogens, ammoniacal nitrogen, phenol or heavy metals. The sodium extracted during purification is also of high commercial value as natural salt.

Kim Byeong-ho, head of the Lava Seawater Industry of Technopark, said, “It was certified by prestigious water quality certification agencies in Japan and the U.S. in both safety and cleanliness. Lava seawater is competitive in that the resource can be sustainably used without worrying about depletion.”