In 2016, haenyeo were added to UNESCO’s list of intangible world cultural heritage. Their craft cannot be replaced by machines or fishing nets, as it relies on painstaking manual labor. All Jeju residents have at least one haenyeo in their family, according to the Korean UNESCO website. And yet, their way of life risks disappearing, because the haenyeo are endangered.

How the haenyeo founded the matriarchy in Jeju

The history of haenyeo dates back to the 17th century. At that time, women and men dove together. There are various theories about how haenyeo became a female profession.

Some stories say that men’s capture of sea creatures was lower than that of women. Male physiology would make men less able to tolerate water pressure. Another theory says that at some point in history, taxes were levied only on men’s work, so the profession became unprofitable for men, but remained sufficiently rewarding for women.

Since women took over the industry, Jeju has been a place with matriarchal structures. To this day, haenyeo are often the primary breadwinners and are the heads of the household.

Woo Jung Min shows off the sea cucumbers she collected (left).

Ascidians started growing on a piece of plastic she found (right).

The sea creatures she collects are sold as treats, including these sea urchins (left).

Jin So Hee (right) inspires thousands of fans with her YouTube videos as she dives into the sea to collect snails, sea cucumbers and mussels.

In the 1970s, haenyeo were the driving economic force of Jeju. At the time, according to various sources, there were several tens of thousands. Twenty years ago, this figure was 6,000. Today, 4,000 of them are still working.

The haenyeo can stay submerged for up to four minutes with a single breath of air and dive to a depth of 10 meters. They wear wetsuits, diving masks, weight belts, gloves and fins. They use iron hooks to detach sea creatures from rocks, then collect their prey with nets. Orange buoys mark their location in the open sea.

When haenyeo reappear after a dive, they can be heard from afar. This is due to their breathing technique, called sumbisori. This sounds like a dog owner whistling at their dog or a pressure cooker that has built up pressure.

The sound is produced when divers come to the surface after a long dive to exhale carbon dioxide and inhale oxygen. Sumbisori allows the haenyeo to quickly breathe in as much fresh air as possible. It takes many years to master the breathing technique.

Only a tiny fraction will become haenyeo

The documentary film “The Last Women of the Sea” by director Sue Kim was released in September. The film follows the haenyeo in their daily work. Joo Hyun Kim is the director of Jeju Hansupul Haenyeo School, which has been training haenyeo for 16 years. In the film, he says: “So far, we have trained 840 women, but only 5% have become haenyeo. » Students discover how difficult the life of a haenyeo is, he says, and many decide not to pursue their professional dream.

The profession of haenyeo is passed down from generation to generation. In the film, Yeong Ae Jeong, 67, talks about the generation gap. She says young people don’t have the stamina to live like haenyeo. Many young people are attracted to the continent, she says, where there are bigger cities and better-paying jobs. Yeong says no one wants to become haenyeo these days. Another haenyeo in the film says, “Now only grannies work in the sea.”

Influencers Woo Jung Min and Jin So Hee offer some hope. On their YouTube channel, they answer questions about the haenyeo profession, explain how the equipment works and show how they can catch an octopus with their bare hands. Through their presence on social networks, they bring young people a little closer to an old tradition – so that women who are not grannies can also choose to work in the sea.

Latest articles

Global reporting. Swiss quality journalism.

In an increasingly polarized media market, the NZZ, based in Switzerland, offers a critical and factual outside perspective. We are not in the news business. We provide thoughtful, well-researched stories and analysis that go beyond the headlines to explain relevant events in the United States, Europe and around the world. To carry out this work, the NZZ maintains a world-leading network of expert journalists, who work closely with our main editorial office in Zurich.

Subscribe to our free newsletter or follow us on Twitter, Facebook Or WhatsApp.