JEJU — ISLAND OF SOOM

Jeju,
Island of Soom

WHY JEJU

Why Jeju

SOOM Civilization's first real-world base begins in Jeju.

Breath is already here in Jeju.

Jeju's haenyeo (women divers) culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. At its very heart is sumbisori — the sound of a held breath released as a diver rises to the surface.

When SOOM Civilization speaks of breath in Jeju, it is not bringing something in from outside. It is honoring the breath Jeju has long kept, and carrying it forward through the learning of today.

And in Jeju, the philosophy and education of SOOM Civilization can be experienced firsthand — in real spaces, through stays, and in everyday life.

We are not making Jeju an island of Soom; we are carrying on the Jeju that was always an island of Soom.

START SMALL

Proving It Modestly in Jeju

We begin with what we have now.

What matters is not how many people came on the first day.

  • Did they learn well?
  • Do they come back?
  • Do they recommend it to others?
  • Does it lead to the next course?

ONE ISLAND, ONE SOOM STAY

One Island Becomes a SOOM STAY

Over the long term, many spaces across Jeju could adopt SOOM Civilization's standards and programs while keeping their own character and individuality.

In that way, without building a single massive central facility, a Distributed SOOM Stay connected across Jeju could take shape.

Not a single space, but one whole island becomes a SOOM STAY.

A NEW REASON TO COME

Creating a New Reason to Visit Jeju

SOOM Civilization hopes to create a new reason to visit Jeju.

From a Jeju people visit only for sightseeing, to a Jeju they seek out to look after their own bodies, learn breath, study, rest, and look anew at their own lives.

There is learning that can happen only in Jeju: dawn breath atop an oreum, breath in the Gotjawal forest, breath facing the sea, steadying the breath in the wind, and time spent listening to the sumbisori of the haenyeo.

We believe that, in the long run, Jeju

  • as an island where people learn to breathe,
  • an island where people look within,
  • an island where people study anew what it means to be human,

has the potential to create a new image of itself for the world.

Jeju,
Island of Soom.

JEJU —
ISLAND OF SOOM.

When the breath changes,
life changes,
and the world changes.

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