Fireflies Illuminate Early Summer Nights in Jeojiri, Jeju: Resident-Led Nighttime Tourism Debuts

Firefly Expedition in Gotjawal Forest Runs June 13-28
Residents Take the Lead as Docents, Generating Village Income
Rich Content Including Mission Games and Fluorescent Playground

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization will launch the '2026 Jeojiri Firefly Expedition' on June 13, a sustainable, resident-led night ecological tourism program. This initiative utilizes the pristine fireflies illuminating the early summer night sky and the Gotjawal ecological resources, with local residents directly planning, operating, and generating income through the program.

Poster of the Resident-Led Night Ecotourism Content '2026 Jeojiri Firefly Exploration Team'. [Provided by Jeju Tourism Organization]

The Jeju Tourism Organization announced on June 11 that from June 13 to 28, the program will be fully operational in the Jeojiri area of Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City.

This event aims to offer a unique late-night experience by connecting the core ecological assets of Hangyeong-myeon: the firefly habitats and Gotjawal forest. The 'Deomburi Cooperative', organized by local residents, will take the lead, making this the first test case for simultaneously promoting nature conservation and the commercialization of tourism resources.

Participants will have a special experience by walking the nighttime forest trails while listening to vivid storytelling from resident guides called 'Firefly Docents', allowing them to observe the fireflies' ecological environment up close.

In particular, from June 26 to 28, the final weekend of the event, a wide array of special themed content for families will be added.

During this period, visitors can take part in the interactive game 'Sparkling Adventure', where they complete missions such as making exploration lanterns and glow-in-the-dark bags to earn 'Deomburi Coins', which can be exchanged for items. Other activities include a 'Fluorescent Playground' using glow-in-the-dark paint, a collaborative artwork called the 'Light Graffiti Wall' that visitors help complete, and food booths run directly by residents. Reservations for the expedition program can be made in advance on a first-come, first-served basis through the 'Deomburi Healing Center' Naver online reservation page.

The 2026 Jeojiri Firefly Expedition is seen as a model case of a resident-driven local business that overcomes the chronic limitation of Jeju tourism, which has traditionally focused on monotonous daytime sightseeing, by combining ecological values that minimize environmental impact with nighttime tourism infrastructure.

In particular, by moving away from a government-led, one-way funding approach and enabling the local community to become docents who share their unique culture, as well as establishing a practical village income distribution structure through various experience-based missions and local food booths, this program is expected to serve as a standard model for sustainable eco-tourism that addresses the risk of depopulation in rural and fishing villages.

A Jeju Tourism Organization official stated, "We are pleased to present a differentiated nighttime experience program that combines Jeojiri's pristine ecological resources with the warm stories of its residents," adding, "We will continue to develop content utilizing unique local resources, providing new income opportunities for residents and distinctive late-night experiences unique to Jeju for visitors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.