As iconic female divers gradually disappear, Jeju gov't takes action

Jeju Island is taking significant steps to reverse the declining number of haenyeo.

Haenyeo walk along the trail in Hado-ri, Gujwa-eup, Jeju City in Jeju Island, preparing for their dive in February. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Jeju Island is taking significant steps to reverse the declining number of haenyeo.

Haenyeo, or women divers, dive without oxygen masks to collect seaweed, shellfish and other seafood. The divers harvest for up to seven hours daily, diving to depths of 10 meters (30 feet) for minutes.

While haenyeo can be found in many of Korea's coastal regions, Jeju's haenyeo are especially renowned as a cultural icon of the resort island.

However, the number of new haenyeo on Jeju Island has steadily decreased, with figures falling from 50 in 2019 to 30 in 2020, 40 in 2021, 28 in 2022 and just 23 last year, according to Jeju Island on Saturday.

Performers perform during a haenyeo-themed show at the 11th Jeju International Cruise Forum at the Maison Glad Jeju in Yeongdong, Jeju Island, on July 10. [JEJU TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

The primary reasons for this decline are reduced earnings and an aging population.

Haenyeo earned an average of just 6.83 million won ($4,940) a year in 2023.

"In the 1970s, haenyeo could acquire significant wealth by buying houses and land with their earnings, but that reality has drastically changed," said a Jeju Island official.

The complicated process of becoming a haenyeo is another obstacle.

To become an official haenyeo, one must join a fishing village association, reside in the fishing village for two years to qualify as a fisheries member, and be approved by a general meeting of the fishing village association, which requires a two million won membership fee.

The aging of Jeju haenyeo population is also alarming. Last year, out of 2,839 haenyeo, 90.3 percent, or 2,565, were over 60. Only 99 were under 50 — six under 30, 27 in their 30s, and 66 in their 40s.

To rejuvenate the haenyeo population, Jeju Island is introducing extensive initiatives. The maximum age to join a fishing village association will be raised from 40 to 45, and new haenyeo aged 40 to 44 will receive a settlement fund of 500,000 won a month for three years. Additionally, all new members will be given one million won to cover half the membership fee of the fishing village association .

The bill covering these measures will be submitted to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council this month.

Haenyeo ride a device transporting seafood on a trial run in Ilgwa-ri, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, on June 13. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Some areas have already installed devices to transport seafood to assist aging haenyeo, such as the one in Ilgwa-ri, Daejeong-eup, in Seogwipo city.

At a setup cost of approximately 45 million won, the device can carry up to 500 kilograms of seafood and move it as far as 130 meters on a remote-controlled rail.

This allows six to seven women divers to transport all the seafood they've harvested daily all at once.

"A single haenyeo typically needs to carry around 200 kilograms of seafood collected over the week, which is impossible for older hanyeo," said Park Hye-soon, head of the Ilgwa 2-ri fishing village association.

Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hoon, right, holds hands with haenyeo representatives at a meeting to launch a national association of haenyeo at Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government building on June 26. [JEJU SPECIAL SELF-GOVERNING PROVINCIAL OFFICE]

Additionally, a national association of haenyeo will be established to safeguard the rights and interests of ten thousand women divers. On June 26, six coastal cities and provinces — Jeju, Gangwon, Ulsan, North Gyeongsang, Busan and South Gyeongsang — launched a preparatory committee at the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government building.

After the election of preparatory members from South Jeolla and South Chungcheong, a nonprofit organization under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is scheduled to be set up in October.

After being designated as Korea Important Fisheries Heritage No. 1 in 2015, Jeju haenyeo were recognized as Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016, a national intangible cultural property in 2017, and part of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems list in 2023.

BY CHOI CHOONG-IL, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]