Ulleung County () is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.

Ulleung County has a population of 10,426 making it the least populated county in South Korea. Ulleung County consists mainly of the island of Ulleungdo and 44 smaller islands located in the East Sea, including the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) in the effective governance of South Korea but claimed by Japan. Ulleung County is administratively divided into one eup and two myeon: Ulleung-eup, Buk-myeon, and Seo-myeon, which are divided into 10 legal ri, those into 25 administrative ri, and at the most basic level the county is held to contain 56 "natural villages."

History

At the year of 512, Jijeung of Silla conquered Usan-guk which was the original nation in Ulleung-do. After a downfall of Silla, Goryeo naturally took the title of Ulleung. In 930, 13th year of Taejo of Goryeo, he granted local people bringing a tribute.

Hyeonjong of Goryeo sent his ambassador to islands for recovering ruined farming land in 1012.

Location

It is located in the middle of the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. There are two main ports that provide ferries to Ulleung and Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo): Pohang Port and Mukho Port. These two ports offer regular shipping service.

Administrative divisions

thumb|Ulleung eup and myeon map in Korean

Ulleung-gun is divided into one eup and two myeon. Ulleung-eup is then divided into four legal ri, but six administrative ri. Buk-myeon is divided into three legal ri, eight administrative ri. Seo-myeon is divided into three legal ri, five administrative ri.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!eup and myeon

!Hangeul

!Hanja

!ri

!Hangeul

!Hanja

|-

| rowspan="4" |Ulleung-eup

| rowspan="4" |울릉읍

| rowspan="4" |

|Dodong-ri

  • Dodong 1-ri
  • Dodong 2-ri
  • Dodong 3-ri

|도동리

  • 도동1리
  • 도동2리
  • 도동3리

|

|-

|Jeodong-ri

|저동리

|

|-

|Sadong-ri

|사동리

|

|-

|Dokdo-ri

|독도리

|

|-

| rowspan="3" |Buk-myeon

| rowspan="3" |북면

| rowspan="3" |

|Cheonbu-ri

  • Cheonbu 1-ri
  • Cheonbu 2-ri
  • Cheonbu 3-ri
  • Cheonbu 4-ri

|천부리

  • 천부1리
  • 천부2리
  • 천부3리
  • 천부4리

|

|-

|Na-ri

  • Na-ri
  • Nari 1-ri
  • Nari 2-ri

|나리

  • 나리
  • 나리1리
  • 나리2리

|

|-

|Hyeonpo-ri

|현포리

|

|-

| rowspan="3" |Seo-myeon

| rowspan="3" |서면

| rowspan="3" |

|Namyang

  • Namyang 1-ri
  • Namyang 2-ri
  • Namyang 3-ri

|남양리

  • 남양1리
  • 남양2리
  • 남양3리

|

|-

|Namseo-ri

|남서리

|

|-

|Taeha-ri

|태하리

|

|}

Snowflower Festival

Ulleung County, which has one of the highest snowfalls in all of Korea, hosts the Snowflower Festival. In 2007, Ulleung had a lot of snow, up to 42 cm (16.5 in) around coastlines and 105 cm (around 3 ft 5in) in the Nari Basin. But the county did not host its festival before 2006 as there was not enough snow.

Symbols

  • Tree: Machilus thunbergii
  • Flower: camellia flower
  • Bird: wood pigeon

Climate

Ulleung has a cooler version of a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with very warm, rainy, muggy summers and cold, snowy winters.

Tourism

Tourist spots

Places recommended by Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture & Tourism Organization

{| class="wikitable"

|Gwaneumdo

|-

|Dokdo Island

|-

|Dokdo mit haedojigwangwang cablecar

|-

|Bongnae Falls

|-

|Jukdo Island

|-

|Taehahyangmok Tourist Monorail

|}

Airport

Ulleung Airport is currently under construction and estimated to open in 2027. The 1200m runway is being built on reclaimed land in the south part of the island. As of November 2025, there are discussions about whether the runway will be sufficiently long enough to accommodate 80 passenger planes. The airport will allow for more tourists to visit the island, as travel time from Seoul and other origins will be shortened significantly.

Twin towns and sister cities

Ulleung is twinned with:

  • Anyang, South Korea
  • Pohang, South Korea
  • Suyeong-gu, South Korea
  • Samcheok, South Korea

References

  • Official county government website