About Jeju Haenyeo

Approximately 90km south from mainland Korea, there is Jeju, a beautiful volcanic island. It consists of the oval-shaped main islet and eight other inhabited islets with the gross area of 1,847km².  Its temperate climate, natural scenery and exotic beaches make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the East Asia.

        Here in the island of Jeju, there live haenyeo, sea women. Haenyeo are Korean women with an occupation of diving into 10-20 meter underwater without diving equipment or breathing apparatus to collect such seafood of abalone or sea urchins.  

Within the traditional culture of Jeju haenyeo, girls in fishing villages learn how to swim at the age of 6 or 7, and turning 9, they begin practice diving. At the age of 16 or 17, they are considered independent haenyeo, and by the age 18, their diving skills become obvious. They are the most active around the age of 40, and of them, some haenyeo continue their profession until the ages of 60 and even up to 80 years old.  

Haenyeo usually harvest seafood in depth of 10 meter, holding their breath for nearly 1 minute 50 seconds at a time on average without being supplied with extra oxygen.  Some skilled haenyeo dive as deep as 20 meters for about 3 minutes. They make long whistle-like sound, called Sumbi-Sori, when breathing fast as they rise to the surface of water after holding their breaths underwater. They come onshore after repeating the diving operation between 30 and 70 times per a day. They work for 6 to 7 hours a day in the summer months and 4 to 5 hours in the winter months, totaling 90 days each year. They wear lead weights strapped to their waists so they sink faster. They also carry a flotation device called tewak, a net hanging underneath it to keep all the creatures they find.

Muljil, the local term for diving conducted by haenyeo, is an eco-friendly technique of collecting seafood, which makes it a sustainable fishing method. Due to the limited time they can hold their breath, haenyeo restrict themselves from collecting an amount that would equate to overfishing. The Fishing Village Cooperative that autonomously manages the village-owned fishery where haenyeo do muljil determines the period and hours they are allowed to perform their diving tasks as well as the minimum size of seafood they can collect. On top of that, the Cooperative control the techniques and the tools required for muljil. Haenyeo perceive the sea, their workplace, as “the field in the sea,” participating in a communal operation of removing useless seaweed on the costal and intertidal zones two to three times every year. This is to help those seaweed varieties they hope to collect, and those eaten by shellfish to have better growth. Additionally, it is another duty of Jeju haenyeo to engage in scattering the underdeveloped conch or abalone and their seeds into the fishery owned and managed by the village. These practices create a way of life that allows them to live in harmony with nature. 

       However, the number of Jeju haenyeo has been dwindling from 24,000 in 1970 to 4,900 as of today with only half of them are practicing diving. Among them, only 7 haenyeo is in their 30s, and most of them are over age 60. 

Recognizing its uniqueness and vulnerability, UNESCO inscribed Jeju haenyeo culture in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.  Aiming to highlight the ‘importance of maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization,’ UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage scheme focuses on transmission of the wealth of knowledge and skills from one generation to the next on the basis of community’s strong support. UNESCO acknowledges ‘the contribution of Jeju haenyeo culture to the advancement of women’s status in the community and haenyeo’s effort to environmental sustainability with its eco-friendly methods and community involvement in management of fishing practices.’   (https://ich.unesco.org). 

About the Exhibition

The exhibition presents photographic works by Hyung S. Kim who captures the true reflection of haenyeo's lives on Jeju Island in Korea.

Kim has practiced photography for 20 years in the commercial area, before he was fascinated by the story of haenyeo’s life and rented out a house in Jeju in 2012 to take photos of them.

Considering that haenyeo only break the water surface when they feel that they are at the crossroads between life and death, the water surface of the sea is a border between life and death. They cross the fine line of life and death every day. In the meantime, this vulnerability of haenyeo gives them startling mental and physical stamina. 

“The photos of the haenyeo reflect and overlap with the images I have of my mother and grandmother. They are shown exactly as they are, tired and breathless. But, at the same time, they embody incredible mental and physical stamina, as the work itself is so dangerous; every day they cross the fine line between life and death. I wanted to capture this extreme duality of fragility and incredible strength.”  Kim says.

The exhibition portraits 30 something wall-sized photographs of Jeju haenyeo, which Kim took for the past 5 years. In order to separate them from the natural environment and capture the actual images of haenyeo, Kim set up a plain white backdrop behind haenyeo when they just came out of the water after diving a whole day without using an air tank. Some smile and others look frown or annoyed, their weathered faces are filled with full of dignity.

The Korean Cultural Centre Canada would like to share this unique and inspiring culture of Jeju haenyeo with the Canadian public through this exhibition. In addition to their remarkable life story, their eco-friendly fishing techniques and strong sense of community spirit and solidarity convey huge implications to us.   

(This text is based on “HAENYO: Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (Women Divers)” published by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation in October, 2016)

What the Media said previously

The New York Times: Asia Week Celebrates an Array of Art as Vast as a Continent    

“… a fantastic show of contemporary photographs by Hyung S. Kim at the Korean Cultural Service NY…. The exhibition’s title, ‘Haenyeo,” refers to the female divers who harvest seafood from the ocean around Jeju Isalnd using methods dating back almost a millennium, and without modern diving equipment…..”  (12 March 2015)

The Wall Street Journal:  Two Korean Photographers and a Studio Study  

“…Their faces are creased, but Mr. Kim shows they are tough and spirited women. He photographed them at the end of their workday, when their suits and hair were still dripping wet, and their expressions alternate between exhaustion and a sense of accomplishment. It is not surprising that haenyeo have their own gods and rituals….”  (20 March 2015)

The New Yorker:  The Sea Women of South Korea

“…The photographer Hyung S. Kim … set up a plain white backdrop near the shore, and would persuade divers to have their pictures taken as they emerged from the water, usually after five or six hours of work without oxygen support…..The resulting portraits ….. show what will likely be the last generation of haenyeo. …..”   (29 March 2015)

The Guardian: South Korea’s Breathtaking Deep Sea Diver Women

“…For centuries, haenyeo women from the island province of Jeju have made their living diving for seafood on the ocean floor… without ever using an air thank. They dive as deep as 10 metres for two minutes at a time, with lead weights strapped to their waists so they sink faster, and they leave a floatation device on the surface with a net hanging beneath it to store all the creature they find…”   (8 April 2015)

The exhibition will also be displayed at the Ottawa Public Library Main Branch (120 Metcalfe St.) from Monday, August 28^th to Friday, September 29^th (Friday).

 Hyun Okran (Onpyeong, Jeju 2014)  Photo by Hyung S. Kim

   Park Chunwall (Haye, Jeju 2014)  Photo by Hyung S. Kim

  Her Kyungsuk (Hamo, Jeju 2014)   Photo by Hyung S. Kim