Jeju Island chosen among ‘New 7 Wonders of Nature’

The southern South Korean resort island of Jeju has been named as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world in a worldwide poll, a Switzerland-based organization announced Saturday.

The subtropical volcanic island, located 130 kilometers off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, was selected along with Brazil’s Amazon region, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, the Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines, and South Africa’s Table Mountain, according to the New 7 Wonders foundation in Zurich.

Jeju Island had been vying against 27 other natural sites in a project initiated by the Switzerland-based nonprofit organization in 2007.

Voting to select the New 7 Wonders began in July 2009 on the Internet and by phone. The South Korean President Lee Myung-bak congratulated Jeju on being picked as the new natural wonder prior to departing for the 19th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting.