One Island a Day, 365 Days of Year-Round Enjoyment... "Islands Where the Journey Begins When the Ferry Departs" [Yeosu, Redefining the Islands]

Yeosu’s Islands Through Yacht Tours, Bireong-gil Trails, and Island Dining

Yeosu is home to 365 islands. Even if you named one each day, it would take a full year. This is why, in Yeosu, islands are not distant travel destinations. They have always been visible, frequently crossed, and sometimes abandoned on account of the weather—an ever-present counterpart to everyday life. Ultimately, this is the point that the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo will need to convey. Islands are not simply themes to be displayed in an exhibition hall—they represent the very way this city has lived with the sea.

Jar Water Sashimi at Jinnam Raw Fish Restaurant in Yeosu. Photo by Heeyoon Kim

When you climb up to Hyangilam Temple, this truth first strikes your eyes. At the end of Dolsan, you must pass the slopes of Geumo Mountain, navigating stairs and gaps between rocks to reach the temple. The path is narrow, but suddenly the view opens wide. The South Sea stretches out below, and Yeosu's islands are scattered across the waters. Hyangilam is not a place that lingers because of its grandeur. Instead, it remains memorable because of its position, at the very edge of land, showing how the sea becomes a road again. From here, Yeosu’s geography is laid out at a glance: the mountains flow into the sea, and the sea connects to the islands.

Hallim Ferry No.9 traveling between Geumodo Island and Sin-gi Port in Dolsan, Yeosu. Photo by Kim Heeyoon

When you step onto a yacht, the same sea transforms. Islands that were mere background from the land now become your points of direction on the water. Once you leave the harbor, buildings shrink from sight, and the lines of bridges and islands come into focus. Each time the boat changes course, the islands recede and approach anew. The sea is more vivid when it becomes a pathway rather than simply a landscape. This is why the expo is highlighting yacht tours. The islands of Yeosu reveal themselves more clearly when you cross to them, rather than simply observing from afar.

On the ferry to Geumodo Island, this romantic notion becomes a bit more practical. Hallim Ferry No. 9, which departs from Singi Port in Dolsan, passes Hwatae Bridge and heads toward Yeocheon Port. This ferry does not accept reservations, advance bookings, or round-trip tickets. A notice warns that departure times may change based on local conditions and the weather. This is why journeys to the islands are never set in stone. The path only opens when the ferry departs, and if the wind picks up, plans are anchored at the port. This sense of inconvenience is part of what defines the islands.

Sunrise view at Hyangilam Temple, Yeosu

Upon arriving at Geumodo, the pace of Yeosu slows even further. The harbors, villages, mountain slopes, and sea do not rush to introduce themselves. The Bireong-gil trail is a path meant to be walked at this slower pace. 'Bireong' is Yeosu’s local word for ‘cliff.’ True to its name, the trail follows the coastal cliffs. You walk through forest, look down at the sea, then return to the woods. While most tourist spots display a single picturesque scene, island trails accumulate time. The charm of Geumodo lies precisely in this slowness.

The food of Yeosu tells the same story. Dishes of water sashimi, abalone, octopus, and shellfish are not just beautiful presentations of the sea—they are the sum of years lived on islands and by harbors, served on the table. This is where the expo’s concepts of 'One Night and Three Meals on the Island' and 'Healing Dining Table' find their persuasive power. The goal is not just to show the islands as sightseeing spots for a day, but as spaces for living—walking, eating, and staying.

Yet Yeosu’s islands cannot be explained by numbers alone. While 365 is a large figure, each island is small and slow. They are tied to ferry schedules, swayed by the weather, and move at the pace of local villages. If the expo uses this number only as a slogan, Yeosu becomes just another tourist commodity. However, if visitors gaze out at the sea from Hyangilam, sense the distances between islands from a yacht, adjust their steps to the ferry timetable on Geumodo, and experience the local cuisine, the story changes entirely.

Night view of Yeosu sea from the Haesang Cable Car. Photo by Heeyoon Kim

The Yeosu World Island Expo has not yet opened, and the main venue at Jinmo District is still under construction. Yet Yeosu already embodies the spirit of the expo: 365 islands, ferries that cross between them, hermitages facing the sea, trails along the cliffs, and seafood served on the table. What the expo must prove is not the sheer number of islands, but how Yeosu has seen, crossed, eaten from, and lived with them all.

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