Jeju during the Joseon Dynasty

Jeju became a special administrative town known as Jeju-mok under the authority of Jeolla-do Province during the Joseon Dynasty, and a magistrate was dispatched by the central government. The Jeju-mok magistrate strove to live up to the Neo-Confucian ideal of rule through benevolence and virtue by caring for the lives of islanders. The people of Jeju Island maintained many indigenous beliefs but still embraced elements of Confucian thinking and lifestyles. During the Joseon Dynasty, excessive demands for tribute in local products, such as tangerines, horses, and abalone, imposed an onerous burden on the people. Moreover, a ban on leaving the island that was implemented for 200 years slowed the area’s economic and cultural development. On the other hand, officials appointed to serve in Jeju, the scholars exiled there, and those who returned to the island after being cast adrift and encountering the world outside opened the eyes of the long-isolated islanders.