Kim Hyang-ok is a designated holder of Jeju Nongyo (농요, Nongyo: traditional work songs), Intangible Cultural Asset No. 16 of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Jeju Nongyo refers to the songs traditionally sung by women while farming, weeding, and pounding grain—songs that reflect the rhythm of communal labor and the everyday life of Jeju. Kim was trained for nearly 30 years by her mother, the late master singer Lee Myung-sook, who won the top prize at the National Folk Song Contest in 1993. Today, Kim continues her work as both performer and educator through the Jeju Nongyo Preservation Society and promotes Jeju’s traditional sound on both domestic and international stages. Her granddaughter, Kim Nayeon, began learning these songs as a child while accompanying her grandmother to performances. Early exposure to the Jeju dialect and work songs helped her naturally grow into a new-generation bearer of the tradition. The two now perform together on stage, representing three generations of Jeju's oral heritage—a family line that embodies not just personal tradition, but the collective memory and cultural identity of the island.

Miseung Kang, an illustrator and content director, and Hervé Gaillard, a French-born photographer, first met while traveling along the Silk Road in a border town in Kyrgyzstan. Since then, they have traveled together across Europe, Asia, and South America, creating their own rhythm of living—over one year of travel followed by two years of work. Jeju is the first place they chose to settle down together, becoming a base for both creative work and rest. In Jeju, Kang began to focus more seriously on her illustration work, leading to exhibitions such as “Voyages et Visages,” while Gaillard initiated and nurtured a French community, fostering local exchange. The couple documents their travels through photography, text, and drawings, and their recent stay in Indonesia continues to inspire ideas for future publications and content. They are currently in Jeju due to health-related reasons but plan to resume their journey to Papua New Guinea and Oceania once fully recovered.

Charles is a proud Canadian who settled in Korea in 2006 after visiting his sister, and spent over a decade living in Ulsan before falling in love with Jeju. Now the owner of “Canada Samchoon,” he runs a cozy and character-filled restaurant that he built mostly by himself. Featuring a warm wood stove and unique teak flooring, the space reflects his hands-on approach and personal taste. His menu combines favorites from both cultures—lobster from Canada and rose tteokbokki from Korea—along with playful dishes like pineapple kimchi and maple pork. Having appeared on My Neighbor Charles and a KBS Jeju documentary, he has shared his Jeju life with a wider audience and calls the island his second home. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand Canada Samchoon beyond Jeju and into other parts of Korea.

Lee Kyung-ah started Earth Fountain in Jeju in 2019. Earth Fountain is a campaign where ordinary people—children, housewives, and office workers—come together to find and practice simple ways to care for the environment. Today, more than 90 cafés and restaurants across Jeju participate as refill stations where anyone with a tumbler can get free drinking water. The campaign has grown to include a refill map, walking tours, plogging, street performances, and campaign songs. Lee says, “It’s not just about water—it’s about how we live.” Earth Fountain is a network of people who want to take care of the Earth in ways that are easy, joyful, and shared. Living close to nature with her two cats, Lee continues to explore what it means to care for the planet with kindness and creativity.

Danpyunsun is an artist who blends elements of folk, indie rock, and traditional rhythms to craft a distinct musical world. Moving between solo work, the band ‘Danpyunsun and the Sailors,’ and now ‘Danpyunsun Moments,’ he has continued to explore the fluidity of life through music. In 2024, his album Long Live Music won both Album of the Year and Best Modern Rock Album at the Korean Music Awards. He also runs the indie label ‘Osoriworks,’ nurturing a small, loosely connected creative community. His music often begins with the senses, yet reflects the deep link between the personal and the social. Danpyunsun makes music in the flow of everyday life, living each day with sincerity.

Soohyun Park is a dancer based in Jeju, also working as an educator, cultural arts planner, and director of the Jeju Theater Social Cooperative. She began with traditional Korean dance at a young age and toured internationally, later expanding her practice through collaborations across theater, music, and media arts. Since moving to Jeju, she has focused on creating performances that intertwine Jeju’s mythology, history, and everyday life. Her latest project, a mono dance theatre titled Camellia Flower You, explores the solo nature of Korean traditional dance, merging narrative, live music, and visual art. Park believes cross-genre collaboration has deepened her understanding of dance and enriched her artistic expression. For her, art is a way of living fully—connecting with others, learning from diverse experiences, and transforming the personal into the universal. She encourages young artists in Jeju to trust their direction, persist through challenges, and never give up on their art, believing that such perseverance leads to moments of beauty and unexpected miracles.

In-gi Shin is the director of Friends of Kim Young-su Library, a nonprofit organization based in Jeju’s old town. The group manages a shared library located within Jeju Buk Elementary School, where the school and the community work together to nurture children. Shin leads various programs, including “Book Bundle” storytelling classes, summer care initiatives, and Jeju language education—turning the library into a vibrant learning space. For her, the library is more than a place for books; it’s a community hub where people connect and children grow. In 2020, this unique approach earned national recognition with the Grand Prize at the Korea Public Architecture Awards. Shin hopes this model of resident-run libraries will expand to more villages. Each day, she keeps the lights on at the library, believing it can be a lifelong companion for children and a cornerstone for community life.

Lee Duckjong is an architect who seeks to create spaces that breathe with the natural rhythms of Jeju. After starting his career in Seoul, his first project in Aewol led him to settle on the island, where he now runs ARC Studio and focuses on small-scale works such as houses, tea rooms, and pavilions. His time studying sculpture and painting in London shifted his view of architecture toward an artistic pursuit—one that creates meaning, not just form. He currently teaches architecture at Jeju University and organizes workshops through the Itami Jun Foundation, bridging design and community. Valuing research, he draws inspiration from historic buildings and unbuilt plans, reinterpreting them with modern materials and sensibilities. His work continues to grow as an architectural response rooted in Jeju, connecting people, nature, and time.