Fleeing ferocious captors, the escape leads to a dead end at the sea. With nowhere else to turn, the escapees pray and the heavens respond, splitting the sea and allowing passage into a safe haven.

No, this isn't the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. It is the tale of Grandmother Ppong, and those who were after her were armies of tigers, not Pharaoh's chariots. When Grandmother Ppong's family fled their tiger-infested home for an outlying island, they inadvertently left her behind. All was not lost, however, as the "Dragon King of the Sea" appeared in her dream and told her to cross the sea on a land bridge that he created for her. Unlike the Jewish nation, however, Grandmother Ppong never made it across the bridge, dying halfway across in the arms of her family.

The legend of Grandmother Ppong lives on in the sleepy southwest corner of Korea, and is reenacted during the annual Jindo Sea-Parting Festival. Now in its 31st year, the event will be held from May 5 to 7 against the backdrop of Grandmother Ppong's statue.

The land bridge itself connects the islands of Jindo - Korea's third-largest island - and Modo. It covers a span of approximately 2.8km, occurring briefly just four to five times a year when the tides and currents create the perfect conditions. Due to the infrequent nature of the event, the festival draws great crowds each year, with the county office expecting a million visitors over the three days.

To entertain the crowds between occurrences of the natural phenomenon, the festival will also feature a variety of other programs, including the antics of the Korean Jindo - a national treasure and a United Kennel Club-recognized breed of dog indigenous to the island - with singing of the Jindo Arirang and tastings of local food and drinks.

Although the other festivities are sure to garner interest, the centrepiece is undoubtedly the land bridge. According to biblical accounts, about 2 million people crossed the Red Sea when it was parted. Though matching that number at Jindo may be a stretch, the festival hopes to record the number of crossers in another book - the Guinness Book of Records.

"We are attempting two records at the festival," said Jindo county mayor Park Yeon-soo. "One for the longest land bridge and another for the most people on a land bridge at one time."

Both are records which do not yet exist in the Guinness records, so the Korea Record Institute will be on hand to carefully record the feat. The widest and lengthiest opening of the land bridge is expected to occur on the evening of May 7. For more information about the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival, visit tour.jindo.go.kr or call (061) 544-0151.

Even if you don't catch the festivities, however, Jindo's claim to fame isn't solely the festival, nor is scampering across the land bridge on a few lucky days of the year the only way to discover the islands of Jindo. Though Jindo has become, for all practical purposes, a part of the mainland since the completion of the Jindo Bridge in 1984, the other 229 islands that make up Jindo county are still well worth the boat ride.

The largest of these islands is Jodo, which consists of an upper and lower island - the two are connected via a bridge - and is a great starting point for a trek into Dadohae National Park. Bring your vehicle, or hire a local car or bus, and make your first stop on Jodo the observatory atop the island. From there, you can peer out into the national park, one of just four National Maritime Parks in Korea, for a view of the ocean and islands unrivalled anywhere else on the peninsula. A pair of temples on the lower island also makes this a good day trip from Jindo, as the two are connected via a short 25-minute boat ride. Ferries depart from Paengmok Harbor on Jindo's southwest coast.

If staying on the 'mainland' is more your thing, Jindo itself offers a plethora of historic and cultural landmarks. One of three centers of the Sambyeolcho Rebellion against the Mongol invasion, Jindo is dotted with reminders of the 13th-century incident that ended in defeat for the rebels.

Though the Yongjang Mountain Fortress, which was the site of the final stand against the invading forces, is still being excavated, a true living reminder of the incident is in the Namdo Stone Fortress. Located on the southern end of Jindo, the fortress still stands amongst the flowers and creeks of the area with little evidence of the bloodshed that occurred more than 700 years ago. Now 48 families reside within the walls of the fortress, which once housed thousands of marines of the rebellion.

On a particularly festive day, you will hear the residents singing the Jindo Arirang. For visitors, this mix of traditional arts can be experienced on Saturdays at the Jindo Local Culture Centre. The programme, which runs from 2pm to 4pm, also features the songs of farmers working in the field, a traditional drum dance that can stand up to any drum line and the Ganggangsullae - a traditional line dance and song.

Who knows, if the festive mood hits perfect conditions - just like the tides - you may find yourself taking part in a Ganggangsullae across the land bridge, singing about Grandmother Ppong. (By KIM KYU-HEONG/ The Korea Herald/ ANN)