By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Mari Mikhaela Javier from the Philippines
Photos = Mari Mikhaela Javier

Jeju Island is the largest island and the only self-governing province in Korea. With its unique geographic features, it has become known to lots of tourist, most especially domestic honeymooners. Locals often call the place "the Hawaii of Korea." If you're planning to bring home some tourist souvenirs, here are some recommendations. Before my trip to Jeju, I searched online about stuff I could bring home with me. However, I kept on ending up with the usual keychains or keychain rings. To break that pattern, here’s some help about which items to shop for when you visit this island.

1. Volcanic stone dol hareubang statues

You can see volcanic stone statues of hareubang (하르방) in malls, on streets and even in restaurants. It’s actually everywhere on Jeju Island. These are volcanic rock statues carved from local rock. This shows how abundant basalt rock is on Jeju, since the province itself is a volcanic island. Hareubang literally means "grandfather" in the local dialect and the statue originated with a folk story.

Prices differ from one location to another, also the size and brand.

Price range:
Key rings / key chains KRW 1,000 to KRW 10,000 each
Refrigerator magnets KRW 4,000 and above
Figurines KRW 2,000 and above

2. Chocolates

Before I went to Jeju Island, most of my Korean friends told me to buy Jeju chocolates since they have the best chocolate in Korea. Well, I have to agree with that. They also have huge selections of natural flavors, like tangerine hallabong, green tea and cactus. Also, some of the chocolates were designed to look like hareubang.

Price range:
Per box KRW 1,000 to KRW 8,000 depending on the size and number of pieces per box

I highly recommend buying these chocolates at shops near famous landmarks.

3. Postcards

Most of the scenery on Jeju Island is picture perfect, so I try to buy as many postcards as I can everywhere we go. I got most of my postcards at a coffee shop inside famous sites or souvenir shops nearby.

Price:
Postcard KRW 1,000 to KRW 4,000

Sometimes they sell postcards per pack. It’s a good buy if you’ll be sending a few of them to your friends.

4. Hallabong Mandarin Oranges

Hallabong (한라봉) mandarin oranges are Jeju Island’s representative fruit. However, they're only available during the winter, so in the other seasons you can only buy dried mandarin oranges or other products that have this flavor. The only problem with the fruit is that it’s not usually good for exporting, so it's highly recommended you buy the fruit on the day of your flight. You may also try visiting a hallabong mandarin orange farm to do the harvesting yourself.

Price range:
Normal-sized hallabong mandarin oranges about KRW 3,000 per kilo
Melon-sized hallabong mandarin oranges about KRW 15,000 for two





5. Dried and salted seaweed, or laver

The haenyeo are the women divers of Jeju who only use wetsuits, goggles, gloves, and weights to help them dive. They do it for a living. Thanks to them, Jeju has some of the freshest seaweed and laver in Korea, perfect for your gimbap rice rolls and bibimbap mixed rice. There are shops that sell seaweed and seasoned laver all over, and they even show you how to grill it yourself.

Price Range:
Per pack KRW 1,200 to KRW 2,500

6. Specialty teas, juices

Before going to Jeju, I heard that there’s a secret menu at some shops on the island that shows local drinks. When I had the chance to visit those restaurants, I was ready to order them. You can easily find bottled tangerine juice along the side of the road and the bottles are actually shaped like the volcanic rock hareubang grandfather statues. However, you must check out some coffee shops nearby for specialty teas.

Tip: You can find all of this at the Seongsan ilchulbong "sunrise peak."

Price range:
Bottled juices KRW 3,000 to KRW 8,000
Specialty tea KRW 3,000 to KRW 10,000

7. Key rings, key chains, bookmarks

The easiest "to go" souvenirs are key chains and bookmarks. Aside from the huge range of designs, you can easily place it in your luggage without worrying about excess baggage. These items are everywhere on Jeju, from convenience stores and shopping spots and even in coffee shops.

Price range:
Key rings, key chains KRW 1,000 to KRW 10,000

8. Snacks

Lastly, if you want your friends or family members at home to try some local Jeju snacks, make sure to bring them some items with mandarin orange in it. I highly recommend dried mandarin oranges. You can buy them at pop-up stores along the road. You might also want to try some mandarin orange rice snacks or bread.

Price range:
Per box KRW 5,000 to KRW 15,000



wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.