(FAO Story) Ryoujin Ko never planned on following in her mother’s or grandmother’s footsteps. She would watch them leave home early to dive off eastern coast of Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea. When the season was right, they would harvest sea urchins, turban shells, abalone and seaweed to support their families. (Featured Image Credit: ©FAO/David Hogsholt)
Instead, Ryoujin, like many in her generation, studied hard and dreamt of finding a life in the city. Once she received her degree in athletics, she left. But depression and burnout led her back home, and home led her to the sea.
Like her mother and grandmother, she decided to become a haenyeo (or sea woman), the famed, free-diving fisherwomen of Jeju, who venture into the ocean’s depths, using only their breath, skill and memory of the sea’s underwater landscape. Haenyeo are able to dive without oxygen tanks, can hold their breath for one-two minutes, dive to depths of five to 20 meters and may spend up to seven hours a day in the sea.
“When I was underwater, all I could think about was surviving. I stopped overthinking,” says Ryoujin. “To me, the ocean is like a second mother. I’ve been healed so much and received so much from it.”
A disappearing heritage
The tradition of haenyeo stretches back more than a thousand years with records from 1105 already mentioning this trade. The women of Jeju have always been the backbone of island life — fishers, farmers and mothers, often the primary breadwinners in households.
In the 1970s, there were 14 000 haenyeo, but in the1980s and 1990s many women left this demanding work for jobs in the tourism and tangerine industries. Today, there are just over 2 700 haenyeo, many are in their seventies and eighties.
At 42, Ryoujin is one of the youngest. There are 83 active haenyeo in Ryoujin’s village. Ten plan to retire this year. Below Ryoujin’s generation, there are few — or no — divers.
“I worry I’ll be left diving alone. That’s why I welcome anyone who wants to learn. I’ll teach them everything I know,” says Ryoujin.
A changing ocean
Aside from a disappearing trade, the return from the sea is also diminishing. Jeju’s waters are warming due to climate change. As a result, subtropical fish are displacing native species. Invasive predators like the Amur starfish and blue-ringed octopus are appearing. The haenyeo now face new challenges beneath the waves.
In her early years, Ryoujin remembers abundant catches. But the harvest has since fallen to less than a quarter of what it once was.
“Even though my skills have improved, the ocean gives less. Three years ago, I dried 30 sacks of agar seaweed. This year, only seven.”
Despite this, Ryoujin and her community maintain self-regulated seasonal closures, avoid overharvesting and protect vulnerable species like Obunjak (a type of abalone) to help build resilience and preserve the marine ecosystem.
The haenyeo see themselves as caretakers as much as foragers. With support from the provincial government, they cull invasive starfish, gather sea urchins before they destroy seaweed beds and release juvenile abalone and sea cucumbers.
A new era
Despite these trends, there is growing public support and interest in the haenyeo.
In 2016 UNESCO recognized Jeju haenyeo culture as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and in 2023 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) designated the Jeju Haenyeo Fisheries System as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) in 2023, affirming the haenyeo’s significance as custodians of marine biodiversity, sustainable harvesting practices and an extraordinary communal ethic.
Kyung-ho Ko, Director of the Haenyeo Cultural Heritage Division at Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, says this recognition holds great significance.
“This elevates the status of Jeju haenyeo, helps pass down this valuable heritage to future generations and contributes to the development of the local community,” he said. “Despite harsh working conditions, environmental changes, declining marine resources, aging and the low influx of new haenyeo, they symbolize the strong identity of women who maintain their livelihoods based on the traditional fishing community.”
The Jeju government is working to preserve the haenyeo way of life. According to Director Ko, ₩27.3 billion (USD 20 million) has been invested this year to improve the welfare of haenyeo, support their income, enhance their working environment and preserve and pass down haenyeo culture.
The government is now paying for medical costs for diving-related injuries, provides financial allowances for haenyeo in their seventies and eighties and benefits for those over 75 who wish to retire.
The local government additionally organizes haenyeo festivals, performances, exhibitions and support haenyeo shamanistic rituals. They have also built schools to train a new generation of haenyeo.
The haenyeo of Jeju offer a lesson in community, sustainability and resilience. They embody a way of life that respects nature’s limits and treasures interdependence over exploitation.
“People call this a ‘3D job’ — dirty, dangerous, demanding,” says Ryoujn. “But for me, it’s the highest form of personal satisfaction.”
“Every morning is chaos with my four kids, but heading to the sea, I feel excited — ‘What will the sea give me today?’ That excitement, that healing — it’s a ‘water high’.”
There is also a strong sense of community, the haenyeo watch out for each other. The sumbi — the iconic whistle haenyeo make when surfacing — is not just tradition; it’s a lifeline, a signal of survival.
“You dive with others within sight, and we always call out to each other with the sumbi sound. It means: ‘I’m still here,’” Ryoujn describes.
“Women have always played a crucial role in Jeju. To me, haenyeo are women, and women are haenyeo — that’s a source of tremendous pride.”
Every 16 October – World Food Day – is a chance to celebrate food heroes around the world. From farmers and fishers to innovators and chefs, food heroes are leading local and global efforts to create more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems. But we can all be food heroes: respect food, eliminate waste, reduce unnecessary consumption. Our actions are our future. Let’s build a better one together.
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