Baekdo Archipelago

 island, archipelago

Baekdo Archipelago, located 30 km/19 mi east of Geomundo, is officially composed of 39 of uninhabited rocky islets. The island group was said to be made up of 100 islets, hence Baekdo ("baek" meaning "hundred", and "do" meaning "island"). Baekdo is part of the Dadohae Maritime National Park with 30 kinds of birds, 170 kinds of marine plants, and 353 kinds of subtropical plants. Baekdo, Geomundo, and several other islands in the area are Designated Scenic Site #7. The islets can only be seen on a sightseeing ship from Geomundo.

Most of Baekdo's legends and history has been passed down by the settlers of Geomundo. As Baekdo's islets can be seen from Geomundo, they have always played a part in the daily lives of the people from Geomundo. Rituals are held on Geomundo every August to worship the god that is believed to live on Baekdo, and thought to prevent people with impure minds from visiting by creating dense fog.

The number of islets that make up Baekdo remains disputable. However, modern day counts vary, from anywhere between 24 and 67, depending to the depth of the tides. The official number of islets is 39. Baekdo is divided in to two island groups: Sangbaekdo to the north, and Habaekdo to the south.

Legend has it that the Jade King sent his son to Baekdo, but his son, as well as all of his loyal followers who went with him, never wanted to return. Each rock formation is associated with an interesting tale and legend that has been handed down over the generations.

The Baekdo Tour on a cruise ship takes about 3 hours including the 1 hour and 40 minutes traveling back and forth from Geomundo. Baekdo has many strangely shaped rocky islands with some of the most well known being falcon-shaped Mae-bawi (Falcon-Rock), Seobang-bawi (Husband-Rock) that looks like a phallus, and Seokbul-Bawi (Stone Buddha-Rock) in the shape of a Buddha statue.