Wolmido Island – 월미도


Wolmido Island (월미도), also known as Wŏlmi-do, is an island one kilometer off the coast of South Korea near Incheon. It was connected to the mainland by a highway in 1989, and was later due to be connected by a monorail which has yet to open. It is a weekend destination and tourist area, with restaurants, the theme park Play Hill and the areas Meeting Square, Arts Square, Performance Square, and Good Harvest Square. The Korean Traditional Garden at Wolmi Park (월미공원) was established in 2001 after the relocation of the Army base which had been located there for 50 years.

On September 10, 1950, the U.S. Army began five days of bombing Wolmido Island, which contained North Korean Army soldiers. Several hundred civilians were killed in the dropping of 93 napalm bombs. The battle was inspiration for the North Korean Propaganda Film Wolmi Island produced in 1982.

An Army base was established at the site of what became Wolmi Park (월미공원) after the base’s relocation. The site was turned into a garden and opened to the public in 2001.