Skip to content
  • KOSPI 2746.63 +0.81 +0.03%
  • KOSDAQ 905.50 -4.55 -0.50%
  • KOSPI200 374.63 +1.41 +0.38%
  • USD/KRW 1347.5 -3.5 -0.26%
  • JPY100/KRW 890.53 -1.9 -0.21%
  • EUR/KRW 1453.14 -4.39 -0.3%
  • CNH/KRW 185.76 -0.27 -0.15%
View Market Snapshot
Tourism

Wando: Need some healing?

Oct 28, 2020 (Gmt+09:00)

4 Min read

After COVID-19 swept the world in early 2020, we entered a new era. Now that we approach 2021, the whole world must come together to heal. No place is better for healing than Wando, an island of healing. Wando is the southernmost island in Wando province's archipelago of 265 small and large islands.

A pure island with a clean, beautiful sea and a wide array of seaside healing options, Wando is the perfect place to relax and recharge. Here we have put together a list of must-have experiences.

Everything is about the coast on Wando; if you go for a walk, no matter what path you take, it always leads to the sea. One road guides you to mysterious natural mud flats created by the low tide; another to the harbor where fishing boats come in and out from dawn; another to a  beach crowded with people in the summer.

But to really get the sense of Wando, you must first visit Myeongsasimri Beach.

WORLD-RECOGNIZED ECO-FRIENDLY BEACH

Wando: Need some healing?
Myeongsasimri Beach, located in Sinji-myeon, Wando, has been deemed an eco-friendly  Blue Flag beach. The Blue Flag is awarded by a jury of the Danish-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to beaches and marinas around the world that meets its environmental and quality criteria – and the examination standards are strict. Blue Flag certification covers nearly 100 criteria, including safety, environment, and water quality management. Of note, the water quality of beaches is assessed under World Health Organization (WHO) standards, and the safety of beaches follows the standards of the International Standards Organization (ISO). Myeongsasimri is first Blue Flag beach in Korea and the second in Asia after Japan.

Myeongsasimri Beach is valued for its beautiful setting, encircled by forests and walking trails and for the fine grains of sand found on its shores. It is also famous for emitting rich oxygen anions, negative ions that are often called "vitamins of the air."  On top of that, its Marine Healing (Marine HealthCare) program, held every weekend, is a must-do. The program offers therapies that combine marine resources such as seawater, seaweed and mudflat mud with other healing elements such as UV light. The marine healing center is crowded every weekend with those seeking healthy activities around the healing waters, such beach yoga, Nordic walking, and soaking in a seawater spa. Marine healing's efficacy has been proven through domestic and international studies and clinical trials. The seawater at Myeongsasimri Beach generates foam and aerosols through wind and waves and has an oxygen anion concentration 50 times higher than that of large cities – believed to improve respiratory conditions, rhinitis, and allergies. Sea water also contains rich and minerals. This clean and healthy marine environment and a mild climate with an average year-round temperature of 15.1°C make the sea around Wando a place of healing. Amid a global pandemic, we need Wando's healing powers more than ever.

WANDO'S HEALTHY DELICACIES

Wando: Need some healing?

Fishermen rise before sunrise to harvest their crops in the deep blue seas of Wando. Near the shore, a piece of plaid farmland extends via wooden slats on emerald water. The fishermen who fight exhaustion and the chill to set off in their boats every morning do their best to grow all manner of seaweed and farm high-quality abalone. The sea of Wando has long been cherished as a treasure trove of life. Wando is Korea’s largest seaweed producer, and the rich seaweed grown here is famous for its protein, vitamins, and minerals. Seaweed is so important here that there is even a Wando County Seaweed Industry Support Center in Wando harbor. Here visitors can learn about the ecology of seaweed and products made from many types of sea plants, including using laver seaweed, wakame, kelp, S. fusiforme, gulfweed and sea staghon.

Make you try the delicacies you can’t taste outside of Wando, such as rare laver seaweed and rice noodles containing seaweed ingredients, which are harvested only in small quantities for about two weeks from the end of October.

SUNRISE, HEALING TIME

The most magical image of a trip to Wando and its healing sea is the sunrise; your energy swells just looking at it. It is also a scene so symbolic of the New Year, or a new era that we are all looking to right now. 

Wando: Need some healing?

When the dawn breaks on Wando, the sea and sky are washed in a golden-red glow, conveying a healing power to us who sought out the island for a respite from the global pandemic. This makes the sunrise more special than ever. Healing moments starting at the sea and ending at the sea.
Comment 0
0/300