At President Lee Jae-myung's regional town hall meeting held at the Halla Convention Center in Jeju City on March 30, the president unexpectedly asked attending residents for their opinions on whether to build an undersea tunnel connecting Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. After asking participants to raise their hands for or against, President Lee said, "It seems far more people are against it," adding, "That aligns with my own thinking." He continued, "This is a sensitive matter, but there is such a thing as island identity. I believe it is that island identity that makes Jeju truly Jeju." He also polled attendees on the divisive Jeju Second Airport construction project. When the show of hands appeared roughly even, the president said, "It doesn't seem overwhelming either way, though here it looks like slightly more are against it," adding, "I trust you all to make the right judgment."
Watching the town hall that day, the phrases that stuck in this writer's mind were "island identity" and "keeping Jeju true to Jeju." The meeting was attended by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan, and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hwan, among others. Each outlined Jeju-related policies on tourism, energy, and science and technology including AI. Energy and science are certainly important alongside tourism.
If Jeju Island can preserve its island identity and remain true to itself, that is something everyone in the world would welcome. But the unfortunate reality is that this is not always possible.
