Due to improvements in high-quality technology, Jeju’s urbanization rate is increasing. 

More than 60~70 % of the island is now urbanized and a small proportion of conserved natural landmarks were saved by the tourism organization. 

As a consequence of urbanization due to high-quality technological improvements, Jeju has been speeding towards total urbanization, just as other cities like Seoul and Incheon were up to.  

For instance, Seogwipo city once had a significantly low urbanization rate, but in the past decade, things suddenly began to change.

From 2011 to 2017, four International Schools were founded in the Global Education City community.

The North London Collegiate School campus (NLCS) was the first school that started Jeju's urbanization. 

The second school established was Korean International School (KIS), which was built and opened on September 1st, 2011. 

Continuing on, two other schools opened inside GEC during the past half-decade. 

The two schools established most recently this past half-decade were Branksome Hall Asia, which enrolls students into Canadian lesson plans.

St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, launched in October 2017, implements the American lesson curriculum.

And thanks to the arrival of the four International Schools, the GEC community started to thrive compared to the last few decades.

A variety of infrastructure such as convenience stores, markets, and academies has slowly risen. 

As time passed, more kinds of chain brands or newly consulted academies or clubs were raised inside GEC. 

Fencing, Golf, Cycling, and many other types of athletics academies have appeared in the past decade.

English language and literature, history, general debate, visual arts, coding, design, reading, and music academics started to thrive rapidly.

I conducted  3 interviews with self-employed people inside the GEC community to look closely and dive into more information, opinions, and experiences regarding urbanization.

The first interview I did was with the owner of Paris Baguette inside the Daejung GEC community.

Through  the interview questions, her pros and cons were made clear.

She thinks there will be an increase in revenue as the population rises, and stores and the community will thrive due to this.

On the other hand, she had worries about distractions or complaints caused by surrounding noises such as car noises or people talking at night times.

And for the final question, I asked her about the inconveniences inside GEC regarding  the delay, cancellation, or incomplete state of urbanization. 

For the final answer, she pinpointed the damage to ingredients and equipment.

My final interviewees were two co-owners who are running Just Pizza, which is located on a block right next to Starbucks. 

Their pros and cons were similar to those of the first interview answers but had much deeper and more specific points.

Their pro towards urbanization focused on increasing amusement and convenience, including transportation improvements not only for the GEC community but for Jeju Island as a whole. 

Also, one co-owner pointed out the increase in their sales revenue and entertainment.

And their arguments against included growing inconveniences in maintaining safety and transportation caused by urbanization. 

Since 2011, when NLCS stepped foot inside the GEC community, the island began taking shape to have the aesthetic of a fully urbanized city . 

But due to urbanization, Jeju is losing its natural shape and some individuals find this worrying.

Because of urbanization inside Jeju, natural landscapes are slowly disappearing as time goes on. 

Stores, academics, restaurants, and markets are taking their place instead.

To conclude, urbanization may bring great conveniences through the help of technology, but it might lead to extensive and permanent damage to the environment itself and cause arguments between the JDC and the individuals. 

The sustainability, future, and present of Jeju are on the shoulders of its students and teachers.

Urbanization might be a spectacular choice for the community and the people who live in the community, but it can also bring severe problems and tackles from the people within.

But this may be a point where the JDC and GEC community members could step up and take action so that the following generation can enjoy and live their lives more conveniently.

Tara (Seoyeun) Kim
Grade 8
Branksome Hall Asia