Munseom

A volcanic islet about 1.5 km off Seogwipo on Jeju's south coast, ringed by vertical rock walls that drop into Korea's richest soft coral community — a habitat protected as Natural Monument No. 421. Warmed by the Tsushima Current, a branch of the Kuroshio reaching unusually high latitude, the walls below 15 m are carpeted with orange and pink Dendronephthya soft corals, Scleronephthya colonies and tall gorgonian sea whips, with more than 90 anthozoan species recorded. Schools of yellowtail amberjack hang in the current and green turtles pass through in the warm months. Depths run from a shallow shelf around 5 m to soft coral cliffs past 40 m, and tidal flow can be strong, so dives are timed to slack water.