DAEJEONG, South Korea — Not far from Shin Yong-kyun’s strawberry farm are the crumbling remains of an airfield that Japanese colonialists built in the 1930s, to launch air raids against China, and the coastal caves they gouged out to hide their warships.
The Japanese imperial era is long over, but Mr. Shin and many residents of this subtropical resort island say they are now worried about what some call a new foreign “invasion” — waves of Chinese tourists and investors sweeping into Jeju, famous for its honeymooners, palm trees and golf courses overlooking a turquoise sea.
“Planeload after planeload of them arrive, some buying up land around here,” Mr. Shin said, as he and his wife packaged strawberries in their greenhouse. “I sometimes wonder whether this island this time is not turning into a Chinese colony.”
The sudden influx of Chinese — and their money — has been driven in part by the Jeju government’s own policies. These included letting foreigners visit without visas, and offering permanent-resident status for condominium owners and allowing them access to the same medical and employment benefits South Koreans enjoy without having to give up their citizenship.
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In an apparent gesture to ease local resentment, the casino operator Genting Singapore promised this month to hire thousands of islanders at a $1.8 billion resort it is developing with a Chinese partner, the developer Landing International. The 618-acre complex includes a casino, premium hotels and a theme park.
Mr. Shin, the farmer, said his village was divided in its feelings. Some people were happy that the Chinese-driven investment boom had raised land prices. Others were upset by the rising cost of renting farms and what some see as environmental degradation caused by so much building.
For Mr. Shin, history is too intensely alive around his village not to fear what a rising China might mean for islanders like him. He says his grandfather was one of the islanders conscripted by the Japanese to build their airfield and caves.
“This is a land of pain,” he said. “The sudden sight of so many Chinese adds to that pain.”
A version of this article appears in print on February 26, 2015, on page A6 of the New York edition with the headline: South Korean Island Grows Wary After Welcoming the Chinese. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
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