Located in South Gyeongsang Province, Geoje Island is the second largest island in South Korea after Jeju Island.
The island is very popular among Koreans because of its blue sea and beautiful scenery.
On our trip to Geoje Island, we visited Maemi Castle, one of the main attractions of the island. It's a special place where you can take some awesome pictures!
Maemi Castle
매미성
Address: 경남 거제시 장목면 복항길
Bokhang-gil, Jangmok-myeon, Geoje-si, Gyeongnam
Entrance: Free of Charge
If you visit Geoje Island, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to head to Maemi Castle.
In recent years, Maemi Castle (also known as Maemiseong - 매미성) has become a popular tourist destination. As a result, many cafes and restaurants have opened up in the area.
Mr. Oksusu (미스터억슈슈) is a popular shop that sells desserts such as corn filled bread, corn on the cob with various flavors, ice cream and more.
The store has been featured on TV several times, and you will usually be met by a line of people looking for something sweet to go.
On your way to Maemi Castle you will see plenty of souvenir shops, making the walk both interesting and fun.
Maemi Castle is less than a 15 minutes walk from the shopping street.
There is no need to worry even without a map, just follow the people ahead as most will be heading toward the castle.
With its pebble beach and views of the sea, Maemi Castle is famous as a place where you can take some beautiful pictures.
You can even see the long bridge that connects Geoje Island and Busan in the distance.
You will see this sign asking you to return pebbles to Maemi Castle in order to protect the natural environment.
If you see a small stone on your way to the castle you can put it here for them to return to the grounds. Of course, the sign is also meant to remind you to not bring home pebbles as a souvenir!
In 2003, Typhoon Maemi swept through Geoje Island and Gyeongsang Province, causing major destruction to plants and crops.
Upon witnessing the damage caused by the typhoon, a man named Baek Sun-sam (백순삼) took it upon himself to build a fortress to protect his hometown from future storms.
Amazingly enough, he had no previous experience in construction. Inspired by designs of medieval European castles, he built Maemi Castle by hand without any blueprint.
Mr. Baek initially used concrete bricks. Although they were sturdy enough, they didn't look that appealing, so they were gradually replaced by granite bricks.
It didn't take long before Maemi Castle became a popular tourist destination.
Standing 9 meters high and with a length of 110 meters, it took more than ten years to construct Maemi Castle.
Because it is built in a different style from traditional Korean structures, it has garnered a lot of attention from tourists who come here to enjoy its beauty.
Judging from the line of people waiting to take a picture, we could tell that this is a great photo spot!
This is another popular photo spot. Sit down on the wall and strike a pose to get the photo of your life!
You won't have any troubles finding the best photo spots as people are usually lining up in front of them.
Many families bring their children here to play in the water.
As you can see to the right, couples like to put a love lock on the fence, symbolizing eternal love.
Just how popular is Maemi Castle?
According to Geoje City, the castle had about 400,000 visitors in 2019 alone.
The city has invested 1.4 billion won since 2019 in an effort to improve road conditions and parking in the area.
What started out as an effort by Mr. Baek to save people and crop from storms ended up bringing huge economic benefits to Geoje City!
There's no shortage of great spots to take Instragrammable shots!
Head down to the pebble beach to take in the beautiful scenery of the sea. It's a great place to relax and put your mind at ease.
Have you visited Geoje Island and Maemi Castle? If the answer is no, we hope that you get the opportunity to come here soon!
