Two haenyeo in their 70s found near Busan beach declared dead

A haenyeo harvests seafood off the coast of Seogwipo, Jeju Island. (Korea Tourism Organization)

Two women in their 70s, who were cousins and worked as haenyeo, female divers who harvest seafood from the ocean, were found in cardiac arrest near Ilgwang Beach in Busan’s Gijang-gun, the Ulsan Coast Guard said Sunday.

The divers were discovered at around 10:10 a.m. Saturday by local merchants near a coastal trail on the eastern side of Ilgwang Beach. Firefighters performed CPR at the scene and transported them to a hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.

According to police investigations, the victims likely drowned while diving for seafood, as they showed no external injuries and were found wearing diving suits with fishing equipment nearby.

It was revealed that they had gone diving around 7 a.m. that day with another haenyeo in her 70s. The third diver reportedly came up to the surface around 11 a.m., unaware of the tragedy.

The nationwide population of haenyeo is estimated at around 10,000, but their numbers are rapidly declining, accompanied by an aging demographic.

In Busan, the number of haenyeo dropped by nearly half, from 1,025 in 2009 to 655 last year. More than 80 percent of them were aged 60 or older, according to news reports.

On Jeju Island, the birthplace of the tradition, the figure fell to 2,839 in the same year, down 216, or 7.6 percent, from a year earlier. Of them, more than 90 percent — some 2,565 women — were in their 70s or older.

Safety accidents involving elderly haenyeo have become a growing social concern on Jeju Island.

According to the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, there were 102 reported accidents involving haenyeo from 2020 to 2024, averaging more than 22 cases per year.

Cardiac arrest accounted for the largest share of accidents at 37.2 percent, while dizziness made up 19.6 percent and falls 16.7 percent. Over 80 percent of the victims were in their 70s or older.