The name Odongdo — "Paulownia Island" — is said to come from the paulownia trees that once grew thickly across the island. Toward the end of the Goryeo dynasty, a rumor spread that a phoenix was flying to the island to feast on paulownia seeds. Upon hearing this rumor, King Gongmin is said to have ordered, "Cut down all the paulownia trees on Odongdo." Whether this was driven by superstitious caution about the phoenix or some other political motive isn't entirely clear, but the paulownia trees disappeared as a result, and camellia trees gradually took their place.
What now blankets Odongdo is roughly 3,000 camellia trees. The flowers begin blooming in January, and by March the entire island turns crimson. The island is connected to the mainland by a single 768-meter breakwater, which has itself been selected as one of "Korea's Beautiful Roads." In 1952, the Odongdo Lighthouse was lit for the first time, adding a navigational role to the island's identity. Roughly two million people visit the island free of charge every year. On the site of a legend about cutting down trees to drive away a phoenix, flowers of a different color now draw crowds with each changing season.