Autumn’s perfect for South Korea. You go for stunning scenery, rich culture, delicious, inexpensive food and ridiculously cheap public transport. Above all, you should go to explore the remarkable island of Jeju-Do, location for Lisa See’s superb historical novel, ‘The Island of Sea Women’.

Fancying a change from Japan or Taiwan, we looked closer at South Korea. Jan had read See’s book and was wowed by its historically accurate, though often harrowing, tale of the Haenyeo, Jeju’s octopus and abalone-hunting female free-divers. Haenyeo life has always been – sometimes literally – breathtakingly tough! They’ve underpinned Jeju’s economy – the men mind the kids – for a century. But nowadays, though the oldest are nonagenarians, the tradition is dying as today’s girls head to university instead.

Jeju’s achingly poignant Peace Park

Seoul was sunny and cool as we breezed through on the way to Jeju after Korean Airways’ excellent flight from Heathrow. When we landed on the island, off South Korea’s southern coast, temperatures were mid-twenties warm. Jeju City is perfect for exploring the island’s north, and interesting enough to justify several days’ stay. Don’t miss the achingly poignant Jeju 4.3 Peace Park. It commemorates the losses during the Jeju uprising and its aftermath from 1948–1954. You’ll cry.

Heading west, Hallim Park delivered lovely beach strolls and impressive botanical gardens. But it was eastern Jeju-Do that brought See’s masterpiece to life. With a local guide, we explored Manjanggul lava tube, relaxed by an impossibly-blue ocean at Woljeongri Beach and visited the engaging Haenyeo Museum.

Later, after meeting gutsy wetsuit-clad Haenyeo on the rocks at its foot, we climbed to the rim of former volcano Seongsan Ilchulbong for jaw-dropping panoramas over the Haenyeo fishing grounds.

Irresistible cuisine

Too soon it was time to catch a bus south past Jeju’s dominating central volcanic cone. Seogwipo welcomed us with waterfalls, magnificent clifftop walks (part of the island-circling 420km-long Olle Trail) and more irresistible cuisine. Little English is spoken, but Google Translate and big smiles are your friends. Everyone’s welcoming and, somehow, everything works. And as another sunset paints Seogwipo harbour pink, you wonder why you didn’t visit sooner.

Then there’s the rest of South Korea: foodie Busan and Seoul’s huge, pulsing, mountain-ringed metropolis. There’s the ominous DMZ between South and North Korea too, and a memorial to our own Glorious Glosters near the Imjin River. But they’re for another article.

We’ve already decided to return. If you too fancy some kimchi-fuelled Korean magic this autumn, now’s the time to book!