Ssukseom Island is one of the 33 islands selected by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as “Islands to Visit During the 2020 Holiday Season.” 
Ssukseom Island is even more meaningful because it is a place where a man-made maritime garden and a 400-year-old subtropical forest created by nature coexist. It is called Ssukseom Island because it is said to have a lot of high-quality mugwort, but it was also called “Aedo Island” in Chinese characters in the past. 

The island is also called “Cat Island” because of the many cats that live there, and you can see cats and residents living together in harmony everywhere.

Ssukseom Island, which belongs to Bongrae-myeon, Goheung-gun, is 500 meters away from Oenaro Port. Ssukseom Island, the first private garden in Jeollanam-do, is a secret garden on the sea consisting of a cottage garden, a literary garden, a garden of connections, a sun garden, a healing garden, a hydrangea garden, and a camellia garden.

When you arrive at Ssukseom Island, you will first encounter the primeval subtropical forest, which was selected as a “beautiful forest” by the Korea Forest Service in 2017. After passing through the dense forest while breathing in plenty of phytoncide, you will see a dreamlike maritime garden with a view of the sea.
These gardens are rare maritime gardens in Korea and abroad, as they were created by Kim Sang-hyun and Ko Chae-hun, who have been researching, planting and cultivating flower seeds since 2000. The Maritime Flower Garden has been open to visitors since 2016, and the garden and island are carefully maintained in collaboration with the residents of Ssukseom Island to preserve its high value as a tourist attraction.
It is the first private garden in Jeollanam-do Province, and boasts the beauty of more than 300 kinds of flowers that bloom and fall with the seasons. 
There are plenty of photo spots along the trail that leads to the basic course (healing course) and the dock, the Love Stone Wall Trail, and the trekking course (Seonghwa Lighthouse Course), including rocks with stories and camellia trails. 

Ssukseom Island is said to resemble a cow lying down, and is thus called Geojinugyeong (giant cow shape). It is also called Bongho because the southeast and north are blocked, making it look like a lake. Ssukseom Island, which is elongated in shape, is an island that is reminiscent of a calm lake as it blocks the waves from the southwest of Cheongjehang Port in Oenaro-do. The village of Sookseom is located in the northeast of the island.

The place where the boats of Ssukseom Island arrive is the side slope of the northern breakwater, which also has the shape of breakwaters facing each other. This is because an elongated oval-shaped marina has been formed, which is the same shape as the island. The breakwater continues from the slope to the side of the water wharf, and there is an octagonal pavilion shelter at the entrance to the northern breakwater. In front of it, you can see a village signpost that reads “Ssukseom Island Village.”
The coastal road heads northwest. Most of the houses along the coastal road have high stone walls. The house with a high stone wall next to the pavilion is impressive. There are alleys leading to the houses every few meters. At the end of the village, the road splits. The road to the left is the mountain trail, and the straight road is the coastal road. If you follow this coastal road, you will pass the rocky shore and reach the lighthouse.


Ssukseom Island Tour Course
- Basic Course (Healing Course)
Pier - Seagull Cafe - Tropical Primeval Forest - Hill of Joy - Mondang-gil (Horizon Trail) - Uju Jeongwon (Flower Garden) - Hydrangea Trail - Stone Wall Trail of Love
- Trekking Course (Seonghwa Lighthouse Course)
Pier - Seagull Cafe - Tropical Primeval Forest - Hill of Joy - Mondang-gil (Horizon Trail) - Uju Jeongwon (Flower Garden) - Seonghwa Lighthouse - Camellia Trail - Stone Wall Trail of Love