Among Jeju's many specialty seafoods such as silver hairtail, tilefish, and yellow croaker, if you had to pick just one "representative," horned turban snails would be it.
Called "gujaengi" in the Jeju dialect, this turban snail is more than just food; it is intertwined with the lives of Jeju haenyeo. The sharp shell of the horned turban snail, hardened by rough waves, also symbolizes the resilient lives of haenyeo who have made a living through skin diving.
The horned turban snail is a gastropod mollusk in the turban snail family, along with abalone. It mainly feeds on sargassum and seaweed. It hides in rock crevices during the day and becomes active at night.
The outward horns are known to have developed to protect the body from strong currents and predators.
In Korea, it inhabits shallow rocky coastal waters off Jeju and the south coast. In particular, more than 80% of horned turban snails distributed in Korea are estimated to be from Jeju. The spawning season runs from late summer to early fall, and Jeju designates June 1 to Aug. 31 as a closed season each year to protect the ecosystem and restrict harvesting.
It is also high in nutritional value. Horned turban snails are high-protein, low-fat foods known to be rich in taurine and arginine. They also contain DHA, abundant in oily fish, making them a popular spring stamina food ingredient. Recently, studies have reported that low-molecular-weight peptides extracted from the flesh and viscera show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, drawing attention to their potential as ingredients for functional foods and cosmetics.
The names, however, can be confusing. The standard Korean name for the horned turban snail is "sora," while what we commonly call "sora" is, by the standard name, the "red-banded conch." To reduce confusion in fish markets, they are often distinguished as "ppul-sora" and "cham-sora," respectively.
Care is needed when eating. The viscera are very bitter and are usually removed before eating, and the tetramine toxin may be present, which can cause abdominal pain if consumed in excess.
Even within Jeju, horned turban snails from Udo are considered highly marketable. Many are large individuals weighing over 500g each, and the flesh is notably firm and full. Based on this, Udo has held the "Udo Sora Festival" since 2009, developing it into a signature local event.
This year's festival will be held for two days from the 24th to the 25th around Cheonjin Port in Udo. Organized by the Jeju City Udo-myeon Youth Association, it has become an event where visitors can enjoy local foods centered on regional seafood. In particular, on the final day, the 25th, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., items from local restaurant menus will be offered free of charge.