By Kim Hyelin and Hahm Hee-eun
Photos = Hallyeohaesang Marine National Park Eastern Office

“I decided to return the pebbles to their rightful place.”

A young teenager from the U.S. who visited a beach in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, with her family has sent back the pebbles she took with a hand-written apology letter.

The Hallyeohaesang Marine National Park Eastern Office reported on Aug. 7 that it received a package with two mongdol pebbles and a hand-written letter on July 10.

Irene, the 13-year-old writer of the letter, said, "My family was visiting the Hakdong Mongdol Beach (학동몽돌해수욕장), which was really beautiful! So beautiful, in fact, that I took two pebbles as souvenirs.”

Irene further explained why she decided to return the small stones. "My mother found out later and taught me how long Mother Nature had labored to make these beautiful stones. So I decided to give back the pebbles to their rightful places.”

Irene apologized for not being able to write the letter in Korean and instead wrote a single sentence in Korean that said, “I’m sorry for taking the mongdol. 몽돌을 가져와서 죄송합니다.”

Byun Gwang-yong, the mayor of Geoje City, replied to Irene at the end of July. He said, “I really want to thank Irene for showing courage that not even adults can easily practice.” With his letter, Mayor Byun sent two dolls named Mongdol and Mongsoon, pebble characters that represent Geoje City, and some yuja marmalade tea, a specialty of the Geoje region.

The Hakdong Mondol Beach is a 2-km beach with one of the longest pebble beaches in Korea. Covered with mongdol pebbles that are like black pearls, the unique scenery of the pebble sand is very well preserved. It's one of the main tourist sites in the Hallyeohaesang Marine National Park, which attracts more than 1 million visitors every year.



kimhyelin211@korea.kr