Marado

Marado was originally uninhabited. It was known as Keumdo (금도,禁島), which means forbidden island. According to a The Chosun Ilbo article published by Lee Kyu-tae in 1967, the island was first occupied by a woman named Kim Seong-oh (김성오, 金成五) and her brothers in 1880. As a poor peasant with no land to farm, Kim Seong-oh decided to move to the island when her father mentioned the island on his deathbed. So Kim left Jeju with her two brothers, farming tools, and some seeds. They had to circle the island around three times, because they couldn't find a place to dock their boat. After about 10 years, they were joined by two stranded fishermen from Torishima (도리섬,鳥島), in the Kingdom of Ryukyu. However, documents from Jeju county also had another story on Marado. According to this story, the first residents came to live on Marado in 1883. One Mr. Kim originally living in Daejeong gol, a small village in Jeju, ran through all his fortune. His relatives proposed to let them move to Marado. Sim Hyun Taek, pastor of Jeju at that time, permitted them to do so, and Marado became inhabited for the first time. After independence, it was administered by Gapa-ri, Daejeong-eup of Jeju, and registered as an independent township(ri) called Marari. ==Coastline==

Marado is an island with an exceptionally rocky coastline; sea caves are found on the island as well. The overall length of the island's coastline is . There is a walking track around the island offering a scenic view of the coast. Walking on foot around the island takes about one hour. Due to tidal erosion, the east coast consists of extremely steep cliffs called Gue Jeong by residents. Their altitude extends to 39m and plants such as Korean cacti and ditch deeds are found here. There are four docks on Marado, called Sal-rae duck, Jariduck, Jangsiduck and Sinjak-no, respectively. Fishery resources are largely abundant throughout the year, especially in Jariduck. ==Present==

There is an elementary school, police station, church, a temple and lighthouse on Marado. Forty households are registered here and about 700 tourists a day come to visit. For them, fifty accommodations have been provided. ==Environment==

Marado's coastal features and basalt rocks are the best for many fish, ear shells, turban shells and seaweeds. There used to be no trees on the island, but a small forest was planted in the middle of the island. It is protected by a fence. ==Tourism==

Solar power plants There are solar power plants located on the northern coast of Marado, a scarce sight in South Korea. Combined capacity is about ; the plants provide 27 households with electricity. Chocco Museum This small museum is one of the main landmarks in Marado, built in a Renaissance style. Cheonyeodang Temple Cheonyeodang is a sightworthy small temple in the only village on Marado. In this temple, people pray for the divers' safety. Marado 16.jpg|The southernmost point of South Korea (2026) Marado 12.jpg|The temple Giwonjeongsa () on the island (2026) Marado 18.jpg|Church and lighthouse on the island (2026) Marado 01.jpg|Cliffs (2026) Marado 02.jpg|South of the island (2026) Marado 08.jpg|Buildings of the town (2026) ==See also==