With sixty years passing since the Jeju Massacre (4.3 or 사삼) in which twenty-five to thirty thousand people died, a poignant, recently opened, memorial complex sits on the slopes of Hallasan. Chronicling the events of that time, it handles a sensitive subject that still resonates today for many residents and families.

The Japanese departure in 1945 and the ensuing power vacuum on the island saw the rise of various left wing groups that, according to one report, labelled Jeju a “red island” on which “ninety percent of residents have a leftist hue.” Further, the practice “of using Jeju as a place of exile for minority political groups and governmental maladministration gradually built up on the island a separatist psychology.”

All right all you fashionistas and fashion-lovers out there. We all know that when it comes to style and fashion in Korea, Seoul is the most obvious choice for the place to be, see and be seen. However, walking around Jeju recently has made me appreciate some of the unique fashion and trends this little island has to offer. Obviously, Jeju does lack the size and amount of retailers, which cities such as Seoul and Busan possess, but I believe that there are definite treasures to be found, eyed and bought.

Right next door to Yeomiji Botanical Garden in Jungmun lays the Challa Meditation Gallery. The brainchild of Korean artist Chung Gong, Challa is both an art gallery as well as a café. It offers organic foods and Italian coffee on a scenic local overlooking the valley just beyond Cheonjiyeon Falls. It’s an oasis of calm amidst the unrelenting tackiness and excess of Jungmun.

Challa is a celebration of the possibilities of meditation and respect for nature. Past galleries have focused on farmers and organic farming along with works of modern Buddhist meditative art.

Like any true child of the 80s, I know how to shoot - courtesy of the formerly modern technology known as Nintendo and my father, a card-carrying member of the NRA. No daughter of his was ever going to be allowed to stand in front of the TV, rifle cocked. Instead, it was mandated that both my sister and I stand as far away as possible, cord stretched to its limits, with our gun arms fully extended, the target in line with the scope. Other families with elementary-aged children had rules – don’t play with matches, don’t stick fingers in a socket, don’t circumvent the safety precautions of childproof scissors. Our family had only one rule – shoot properly at Duck Hunt. Our family had the only pint-sized electronic sharp shooters in the school system… and the only recorded tongue injury made with childproof scissors.