Fewer Jeju Haenyeo and more safety accidents due to aging population

Haenyeo at work at sea. Courtesy of Jeju Island

On October 30 of last year, around 5:42 p.m., a report was received by emergency services saying that a 70-year-old haenyeo Ms. A who was diving off the coast of Aewol-eup, Jeju City, and did not resurface from the water. Ms. A was found in a state of cardiac arrest with no signs of consciousness or breathing and was later pronounced dead.

Earlier, on April 13 of last year, a 70-year-old haenyeo, Ms. B who was diving off the coast of Gujwa-eup, Jeju City, was discovered floating in the sea. Ms. B received emergency treatment and was taken to a hospital but was ultimately pronounced dead.

Due to the aging population, the number of haenyeo, or female divers, in Jeju has significantly decreased, and incidents of accidents while working at the sea have also been on the rise.

The Jeju Fire Department said on February 18 that there have been a total of 104 safety accidents occurring in the last five years from 2019 to 2023. This is an average of more than 20 accidents per year. In particular, there were 34 safety accidents involving haenyeo last year, which doubled from 17 the previous year.

This is due to the fact that the work of a haenyeo is to dive into the sea and collect seafood, which always involves risks, and the recent acceleration in the aging of haenyeo.

When analyzing safety accidents by age over the five-year period, those aged 70 and older accounted for 76 percent (79 cases) of all accidents. Those in their 60s accounted for 15.4 percent (16 cases).

By cause of accidents, cardiac arrest accounted for the largest with 35.6 percent (37 cases) of the total. Dizziness accounted for 21.1 percent (22 cases), followed by falls of 18.3 percent (19 cases).

The number of haenyeo is also rapidly decreasing due to the aging population. The rate of decline is also expected to accelerate.

As of the end of last year, there were 2,839 registered and active haenyeo in Jeju, down 387 (11.9 percent) from 3,226 in 2022. In 2017, the number of Jeju’s female divers was 3,985, 3,820 in 2019, and 3,437 in 2021.

This is also deeply related to the aging of haenyeo. In terms of the age range of active haenyeo, 60.3 percent (1,711) are those aged 70 or older and 30 percent (854) are those in their 60s. Only 9.7 percent (274) are those aged 59 or younger. Despite being recognized as a national important intangible cultural heritage, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and a globally important agricultural heritage system, it seems that the transmission of haenyeo culture has encountered significant challenges.

The reason for the aging and rapidly decreasing number of haenyeo is that there are not many new young haenyeo. Moreover, the work of haenyeo itself is very difficult and arduous. Unlike experienced haenyeo who dive deep into the sea, novice haenyeo earn so little that it is difficult for them to make ends meet only with their work in the sea. The process of joining as a new haenyeo is also difficult, and it is difficult to fit in without understanding the close-knit community culture of Jeju's haenyeo.

To address these problems, Jeju Island provides subsidies to new haenyeo under the age of 40, including an enrollment fee and settlement support for three years, but it has not been able to effectively increase the number of haenyeo. It also provides a retirement allowance to older haenyeo to prevent accidents.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.