It rains a lot in Jeju but the soil in the island is highly absorbent, making it extremely difficult for the locals to get water. To make it worse, it was hard for people in Jeju to carry around a water jar on their head because of the strong wind and abundant rocks. Such harsh conditions made our ancestors in Jeju to come up with unique ways to get and use water, such as Mulheobeok, Mulgudeok, and Mulpang.

Mulheobeok is a water jar that can contain around 20 liters of water while Mulgudeok is a bamboo basket weaved to help carry a Mulheobeok safely. Mulpang is where people put a Mulheobeok on the ground. In the past, women used to carry spring water or rain water in a Mulheobeok and filled a Mulhang (large water container) in their house every morning and evening. When there was a drought, they considered the challenge of walking long distances while carrying water every day their destiny. Mulheobeoks were used for generations but they disappeared after more and more households introduced a water system and now you can find them only on pictures.

There are many other tools related to water aside from Mulheobeok and Mulgudeok. They are no longer used because of the development of water system, but you can have a peek at Jeju people’s lives of a long time ago.