Jeju Island Geopark, which comprises Manjanggul Lava Tube and Seongsan Ilchulbong among others, has been reaccredited as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced on September 23 that the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network reaccredited Jeju Island Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark at the 6th International UNESCO Conference on Global Geoparks held in Stonehammer, Canada from September 19 to 22, 2014.

Accordingly, Jeju Island Geopark will hold the status of Global Geopark until 2018. During the Conference, three more places, such as Udo(U Island), Biyangdo (Biyang Island), and Seonheul Gotjawal, were also designated as geosites of Jeju Global Geopark in addition to the existing nine including Mt. Hallasan, Seongsan Ilchulbong, Manjanggul Lava Tube, Seogwipo Formation, Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, Daepo Coastal Columnar Joints, Mt. Sanbangsan, Yongmeori, and Suweolbong.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has made great efforts in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the National Geoparks Committee for the past four years to increase geosites from 9 to 12 and to nurture geosite docents. Additional efforts have been made to invigorate the Geopark by improving the infrastructure for trails and by organizing Geopark trail events. The Province said that all these efforts combined contributed to the revalidation Jeju Island Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Jeju Island Geopark was accredited in October 2010. It should be reaccredited every four years for eight years after accreditation. Meanwhile, the Global Geoparks Committee presented the following recommendations to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province: employment of geologists, promotion of publicity of the Geopark, adding cultural elements, continuing efforts to invigorate the Geopark, and expanding opportunities of education on the Geopark.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province will make efforts to implement the recommendations and make additional efforts to come up with a variety of trail programs not only for the invigoration of the Geopark projects but for the revitalization of the community economy.