Jeju's Back-to-Land Movement

Korea’s back-to-the-land movement is an unprecedented phenomenon in modern Korean history. What’s driving tens of thousands of Koreans to leave the conveniences and comforts of the city to start a new life in rural Jeju? 

Agnes Sohn is an American cultural anthropologist with a focus on social and cultural movements. She recently completed three months of field research under a Fulbright-Hays grant and returns to the island in the fall to continue her doctoral dissertation. 

In this interview she discusses the root causes of Seoul's growing urban exodus and the challenges and complications that arise for new arrivals attempting to integrate into the mostly elderly and primarily agricultural communities of rural Jeju.

Special interview assist from Jeju dialect language preservationist Moira Saltzman.

Music for this episode courtesy of folk legend ??? with ??? ???https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5-ifLVyoMM