Recently, the city of Ulsan announced a plan to develop Mokdo in Ulju-gun as an ecological exploration prevention. The evergreen forest growing in Mokdo was recognized for its conservation value and was designated as Natural Monument No. 65 in 1962. In 1992, access was banned for the conservation of evergreen forests, and interest is increasing as the news of the opening of Mokdo Island, which has been an’unknown island’ for nearly 30 years, is known.
The largest camellia island in Korea, almost to be buried by industrialization
Camellia trees that grow wild in Ulsan Mokdo, formerly called Dongbaek Island. Mokdo is a small island in the offshore of the Onsan National Industrial Complex where the Petrochemical Industrial Complex is located (area 15,074㎡, about twice the size of the soccer field). During the industrialization process in the 1970s, it was incorporated into the industrial complex and faced a crisis of being reclaimed. At that time, it was reported that Mokdo was left out of the reclamation plan due to the opposition of the residents. This island got its name because it looks like snow. There is also a saying that the mainland village in front of the island was called Mokdo Village and was thus named.
On Mokdo, evergreen forests developed in the northernmost part of the east coast are growing wild. This evergreen forest was designated as a natural monument in May 1938 because of its academic preservation value as a research material. After liberation, the Korean government redesignated it as Natural Monument No. 65.
Mokdo was especially famous for the camellia. In the Ulsan Daegok Museum publication, the largest camellia tree in the country is growing on Mokdo. The circumference of the root neck is 310cm, the height is 6.6m, and the total width is 9.9m. So, until the Joseon Dynasty, it was marked on a map as Dongbaekdo (冬栢島) and was called Dongbaek Island. During the Japanese colonial period, it was called Chundo after the camellia tree Chun (椿). It is the largest remaining island in Korea under the name Dongbaek Island. Before industrialization, it was a more famous outing spot than Dongbaek Island in Haeundae, Busan. However, after industrialization, it was forgotten in memory as it became difficult to access because it was surrounded by industrial complexes.
The whole story of the’parasitic drowning incident’ in the early Joseon period
Mokdo is also the place where the so-called’Ulju parasitic drowning incident’ occurred, which angered the king in the early Joseon period and made the country buzz. This incident occurred in the spring of Taejong’s 11th year, when the leader and officials of Ulju (Ulsan) went to Dongbaek Island with a gisaeng and a bell, and on the way back, a boat fell into the sea and 10 people, including Gisaeng, died.
Jiuljusa (Head of Ulju) Lee Bokrye reported this controversial incident after drowning 10 civilians and manipulated himself as not going to play. Taejong was suspicious of reports that his subordinates and the yangban went to play with Gisaeng without the leader’s knowledge, and said Lee Bok-rye in Korean. Bokrye Lee accused him of going to Dongbaek Island to play. Taejong sent Lee Bok-rye back home for the case where a civilian died because of an official. In the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, on June 9, 11 of Taejong, there is a record saying, “Jiuljusa, who does not report the top of a drowned person in truth, was sent back to Seonju (Seonsan, Gyeongbuk).
This incident was reported as a big incident in the early Joseon Dynasty and yangban society. Confucian scholar Kim Jong-jik wrote a poem called’Dongbaekdo’ on the subject of this incident while working at the left barracks in Ulsan as Gyeongsangjwado Byeongmapyeongsa. In the poem, Mr. Kim Jong-jik said,’Kim Yang-bo played on this island with the head of Ulsan County, and returned from drinking, but the boat turned over and drowned with about 30 parasites. There are a lot of snakes on the island, and Kim Yang-bo wrote that he killed a snake that came out while playing and was transformed. There is a related content in the traditional culture of’Ulsan City History’ published by Ulsan City.
“I should find my name on Dongbaek Island instead of Mokdo”
Mokdo marked on Daedongyeo map. It is marked as’camellia’ in the circled part. Looking at the results of the basic survey for Mokdo conducted by Ulju-gun in Ulsan last year, the dominant species of Mokdo is Hubak. It was found that 1013 trees were growing. There are 254 camellia trees and 56 Yoshino cherry trees. It was estimated that there were over 400 camellias at one time, but it was analyzed that the number of the number of camellias declined due to disturbances in their growth as they grew. Experts believe that artificial measures such as control of the number of populations are needed as a slender phenomenon in which young trees grow thin and long was discovered as the thick-leaf trees became dense.
Ulsan City is promoting limited opening of Mokdo evergreen forests in order to revitalize ecotourism. The plan is to develop Mokdo evergreen forest as an ecological exploration prevention through conservation and management. This year, a small number of visitors will be recruited and the program will be operated on a limited basis, and then, depending on the results, it will be considered whether to expand the visit program.
Shin Hyeong-seok, head of the Ulsan Museum, said, “It is worth considering how to use Mokdo, which has well preserved evergreen forests, as an ecological exploration,” and said, “I hope that a plan to restore the original name of Mokdo, Dongbaek Island, will be promoted.
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