Twice a year, near the South Korean island of Chindo, one can observe a unique natural phenomenon, reminiscent of the Old Testament story of how the sea waters parted for Moses and the sons of Israel. For one hour, the Yellow Sea between the islands of Chindo and Modo parted, opening a road 2.8 kilometers long and 40-60 meters wide. This occurs on the last day of February and also in mid-June.
The wonders of our world
According to scientists, the "division of the sea" is due to the difference between ebbs and flows, and its peak time depends on the cycles of the moon. It is not surprising that many tourists flock to the Republic of Korea to see this miracle with their own eyes. For an hour, tourists and locals walk along the exposed land, collecting various seafood delicacies on the Moisey Way.
And it doesn't matter if people, carried away, gape and do not have time to get to the land by the time of the "return of the sea": numerous boats will help them and bring them to the shore without hindrance …
The phenomenon of the parting sea gained worldwide fame after Pierre Lundy, the French ambassador to Korea, in 1975. visited the island of Chindo and wrote in a French edition about an amazing natural phenomenon.
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Chindo Island Legend
Along with the scientific explanation of the phenomenon, there is an ancient Korean legend about why the waters of the Yellow Sea parted for the first time. In ancient times, a certain Son Dong Jin was convicted and sent into exile on the island of Jeju. There was a storm on the way, and Son's ship was wrecked.
However, he himself, his family and the crew of the ship escaped, having managed to swim to the island of Chindo - the nearest from the crash site. The village where people were forced to be was called Khvedong, which means "the village of tigers", because there were indeed many striped predators.
Son Dong Jin's descendants lived on the island for over two hundred years, regularly being attacked by tigers. In the end, they decided to move to Modo Island, adjacent to Chindo. It so happened that during the move, one old woman was forgotten in Khvedong, and she, left alone, began to beg the sea dragon to help her reunite with her family. The dragon appeared unhappy and ordered her to come to the seashore …
And now the sea waters parted, opening an amazing way for the woman!.. With joy she hurried to the neighboring island, but suddenly lost her strength and, not reaching the goal, fell. Fortunately, the relatives rushed to meet her and, having lifted the old woman "from the bottom of the sea", carried her to the island of Modo. Before her death, the woman warmly thanked the sea dragon for the miracle that allowed her to be reunited with her family.
Since then, a ceremony has been held annually on Chindo Island to commemorate this amazing event. An interesting monument has been erected at the place where the old woman crossed the sea.
