Hallim
The name Hallim comes from *hansupul* — a Jeju dialect phrase for the vast oak and zelkova forests that blanketed this northwestern corner of the island until about 160 years ago. Those trees are long gone, replaced by lava fields, small farms, and a coastline where haenyeo still surface with abalone and sea urchin the way their grandmothers did. Hallim sits roughly 45 minutes from Jeju's airport along the west coast road, far enough from the city that the pace noticeably drops.
The town organizes itself around a few fixed points: Hallim Park, with its twin lava tubes and subtropical gardens; Hyeopjae Beach, a short walk away with sand that runs unusually pale against the basalt; and the small ferry dock where boats leave for Biyangdo, the volcanic islet just offshore. It rewards a slow day rather than a checked-box visit.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to catch the early park opening at 08:30, when the lava caves — Hyeopjae and Ssangryong — are quiet enough to actually hear the drip of water. Then Hyeopjae Beach before the tour groups arrive. The old Myeongwol Elementary School in Myeongwol-ri, now a cafe and gallery, is worth the detour for a coffee and a look at what the building used to be.
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How Hallim came to be
Hallim's administrative identity took shape in 1956, when it separated from Hanrim-myeon as its own eup — though the territory had been part of Joseon-era Daejeong County since 1416. Its economy was built on two things that rarely go together easily: the sea and the stone. Haenyeo dove for shellfish and seaweed without equipment, and farmers worked the volcanic soil around them.
The town's 20th-century arc runs through two unlikely figures. Patrick James McGlinchey, an Irish priest who arrived in 1954 and stayed 65 years, founded St. Isidore Farm, introduced modern livestock methods, and built a weaving factory that at its peak employed over 1,300 workers — before cheaper imports ended that chapter in the early 2000s. Song Bong-gyu, born 1931, transformed a stretch of barren land into Hallim Park, opening it in October 1971. Both men shaped what the town became, in very different registers.
Who and what shaped it
People who shaped it
Landmark buildings
See Hallim in motion
Plan your visit
On the map
When to go
Winter is mild by Korean standards — January averages around 6°C, with hard frosts rare — but damp and frequently grey, better suited to cave visits than beach days. Spring, from March through May, is the most reliably pleasant season for walking the coast and the park grounds.
Right now
Background & history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · specs from Wikidata (CC0) · weather from Open-Meteo · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · photos from Wikimedia Commons / Unsplash with per-image credit. No third-party reviews or social posts reproduced.