Remnants of Tamna

Up until the 15th century, Jeju island was known as the kingdom of Tamna. Other than the fact that it was an island country, there is little known about it's history.

There are however, some remnants of that kingdom spread across the island; one of the lesser known spots is Ohyeondan, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Monument No. 1.


I didn't get much sleep Saturday night, but after waking to such a beautiful day, I felt it would be stupid to waste it by spending it in bed. I had stayed the night in Jeju-si, and so was ready to embark on an adventurous walkabout; first I needed some breakfast.



Brian and I walked down to Room and Kitchen for some western-style breakfast, or as close as one can probably get in Jeju; I chose the casadias while Brian went with the sausage and eggs. After some fuel, we continued about our walking and were on our way to meet up with some friends whom were playing soccer at a nearby middle school field.

After finding our way, we sat for a few minutes to watch our friend Jim try relentlessly to get his team back into the game; he was unsuccessful in his attempts, but I applaud his efforts. Soon enough he joined us and we decided to take a walk down to the old Jeju city walls.



We arrived there in under ten minutes. The walls gave me the impression of being very old. After reading the sign, we learned that their exact time of structure was unknown, but that repairs were ordered by some king sometime in the mid-15th century, so that they must have been there before that.



Continuing around to the back, we found a beautiful park with some monuments, in honour of some prominent Tamnese scholars. The park isn't very big, but its definitely worth checking out sometime. Especially if you feel up for a walk and you are in Jeju-si.



Brian noticed that there were some cherry blossom trees there too, so maybe we'll stop back in again when they're in season.

Photo provided by Brian Miller