Nami Island, also called Namiseom (남이섬), is a man-made island located in the Gangwon province of South Korea, roughly 60 kilometers east of Seoul. The island is crescent-shaped and is an extremely beautiful tourist location with roughly 3 million visitors annually. It spans about 4 square kilometers but is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions.
Nami Island was formed in 1944 shortly after the construction of the Cheongpyeong Dam (청평댐) at the north of the Han River. It was originally a wasteland for two decades; it wasn’t until 1965 that the island had been purchased. It was then that forestation started. Between the 1960s and early 2000s, Nami Island only served commercial purposes as a vacation spot or holiday resort and a place for leisure. However, in 2001, a children’s book author, illustrator, and community activist Woo Hyun Kang was appointed Chief Executive of the Island. Following his appointment, Kang had launched efforts to give Nami Island a more cultural and eco-friendly profile. Over the years, these efforts have made Nami Island an internationally recognized hub for the arts, literature, music, storytelling, environmental initiatives, and children’s developmental efforts.
Even now, the Nami Island management continues to emphasize the cultural and environmental importance to visitors and boost children’s creativity and development. The Nami vision is meant to create a fantasy-like fairytale world that the visitor immerses themselves in upon arrival to the island. With that, Nami eventually declared its “cultural independence” on March 1st, 2006, and officially adopted its new name of the “Naminara Republic” (나미나라공화국). The Naminara Republic even founded its own flag and insignia, as well as passport and currency. Despite all of this, the island is neither geographically nor politically independent from South Korea. The creation of the Naminara Republic was simply a creative concept to add to the island’s vision of being a magical fantasy, fairytale-like world.
In today’s world, there are many activities to do on Nami Island, both for children and adults. In 2010, Nami Island was designated as a UNICEF Child Friendly Park because of its numerous beneficial children’s activities. Among those activities offered to children are book festivals, libraries, playgrounds, a handcrafts studio, as well as dance and music festivals. In addition to those activities, the island hosts over 600 art exhibitions, festivals, concerts, and other cultural events that are aimed at adults throughout the year. It also includes some thrill-seeking activities like bungee jumping and ziplining!
If there is ever an opportunity to go to Nami Island in one’s life, that person should take it. Nami Island is a beautiful and bountiful tourist location that is kept clean year-round with many fun and relaxing things to do!
References
Shaheen, S. (2020). Nami Island 상세보기 | Citizen Journalists Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway. [online] Available at: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/no-en/brd/m_21237/view.do?seq=90 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].
Ryetour.net. (2015). [online] Available at: https://www.ryetour.net/blog/2015/06/08/nami_island/ [Accessed 28 Nov. 2022].
