Oedo

In the past, Oedo was just an isolated, barren, rocky island with no electricity or telephone services. Only eight households lived in Oedo, due to its difficult access and lack of a dock in the early years of an independent South Korea.[1]

Mr. Lee and his wife, Choi Ho Suk, gradually created the entire garden. At first, they grew tangerines and bred swine. However, when that failed the two decided to create a botanical garden.

In 1976, their plan was approved to cultivate 1,601,235 ft² of space, growing rare plant species such as Agave americana, Rose of Sunshine, windmill palms, and Peruvian cactus. Oedo has a coastal climate with mild and a bit subtropical weather.[2]

Choi Ho Suk has collected a great deal of data about the world's botanical gardens and studied landscaping, architecture, and arbors.

Panoramic view of the island

The island is home to more than 3,000 plant species including many subtropical plants, such as cactus, palm tree, gazania, sunshine, eucalyptus, bottlebrush bush, New Zealand flax, and agave.[3] It is considered Geojedo's busiest tourist attraction[4]

Crowded ferries dock at Oedo

Transport by ferry is required to access Oedo island. These are available for a fee at several ports within the Hallyeohaesang National park and usually include a professional tour guide and a discussion of the area. To minimize congestion, there are eight paths to the island and the access fee to the island is included in the ferry ride. The ferries typically allow tourists to stay at the island for about 1.5 hours.[5]

Aerial view of Oedo Island

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  Hallyeo Haesang National Park
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  Botanic Garden
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  Botanic Garden2
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  Sculpture
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  Hallyeo Haesang National Park
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  Outlook

• Oedo tourism
• Oedo featured on JustEnoughKorean.com