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HAENYEO - WOMEN OF THE SEA

On South Korea’s Jeju Island, generations of women have made their living by diving in the ocean on a single breath to harvest shellfish and seaweed. These free-diving fisherwomen, known as haenyeo, embody a thousand-year-old tradition of strength, skill and sustainability. 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), affirming the haenyeo's significance as custodians of marine biodiversity, sustainable harvesting practices and an extraordinary communal ethic. But as the seas warm and their numbers decline, the haenyeo face new challenges beneath the waves.

Country Republic of Korea

Duration 4m39s

Edit Version International

Video Type Video News Release (VNR)

Date 10/30/2025

File size 614.57 MB

Unique ID UF1B458

Production details and shotlist

Shotlist STORY: FAO / HAENYEO WOMEN OF THE SEA
TRT: 4:40
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: KOREAN /NATS

DATELINE: 2-5 JULY 2025, JEJU, REPUBLIC OF KOREA

SHOTLIST:

1. Drone shot, village of Pyeongdae-ri, Jeju
2. Drone shot, haenyeo walking toward water
3. Various shots, Ryou-jin Ko preparing to enter water
4. Wide shot, Ryou-jin Ko swimming
5. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“I majored in physical education, but even there, I failed every class related to water. I hated and feared water so much. So my friends and people around me — none of them ever imagined I’d become a haenyeo. When I said I was going to be one, no one believed me.”
6. Various shots, haenyeo diving and harvesting shells
7. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“Before going into the water, I always feel excited. It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? In the morning, I wake up and it’s chaos trying to take care of my four kids. But as I’m heading to the sea, I start thinking to myself, “I wonder what the Sea God will give me today? Where should I go today?” That makes me so excited on my way here.”
8. Various shots, older haenyeo preparing their gear
9. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Yung-mi Jang, 71-year-old haenyeo and President of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Haenyeo Association:
“Most haenyeo retire in their eighties. Every year, about twenty to thirty retire, so the number keeps decreasing. In comparison, very few newcomers join — maybe about ten percent? For every ten who leave, only one joins. So just a handful come in each year.”
10. Various shots, Ryou-jin Ko diving and collecting sea urchins
11. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
12. “I’ve been diving for twelve years now. The ocean has changed so much since I first started. When I began, there was an abundance of seafood - much more than I expected, actually. Things were plentiful and relaxed back then. But now, the harvest has dropped to less than half of what it used to be. Compared to before, it’s a huge difference.”
13. Various shots, group of haeyeo in water
14. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
15. “The sea urchins we harvest are actually considered invasive species in the marine ecosystem. When their population increases too much, the sea becomes barren because they devour all the seaweed. By catching them, we earn a good income, and at the same time, we help the environment by removing these harmful species. These days, in places like Dokdo and Ulleungdo, since there are no haenyeo, the sea urchin population has exploded, and the sea has become severely degraded. People even go there just to remove and discard the urchins. That’s part of what we do — while diving, we also pick up trash and deal with other destructive species, like the Amur bulkasal (a type of starfish) that eats everything in its path.”
16. Drone shot, group of haenyeo in water
17. Wide shot, single haeyeo diving
18. Med shot, haenyeo holding a seashell
19. Close up, seashell
20. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Gyeong-ho Ko, the Director of the Haenyeo Cultural Heritage Division, Jeju:
“The fact that Jeju’s haenyeo fishing system has been designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is highly meaningful. It shows that the haenyeo culture — beyond just being an occupation — embodies wisdom, community values, and a sustainable way of life that has coexisted with nature for generations, now recognized on a global scale.”
21. Wide shot, group of haeyeo students warming up
22. Wide shot, older haeyeo resting
23. Close up, an older haenyeo talking
24. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
25. “Being a haenyeo means being a woman — and being a woman is being a haenyeo. That’s something we take great pride in.”
26. Med shot, a haenyeo surfacing
27. Med shot, two haenyeo on surface, one diving
28. Wide shot, haenyeo underwater
29. Med shot, haenyeo underwater

Script Growing up on the island of Jeju, Republic of Korea, Ryou-jin Ko would watch her mother and grandmother leave home early every morning to dive in the sea regardless of the season ro weather, to harvest sea urchins, turban shells, abalone and seaweed. It was a grueling work to support their families this way and Ryou-jin never planned on following in their footsteps. Like many in her generation, she left her village to study and live in the city. But depression and burnout led her back home, and home led her to the sea.

SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“I majored in physical education, but even there, I failed every class related to water. I hated and feared water so much. So my friends and people around me — none of them ever imagined I’d become a haenyeo. When I said I was going to be one, no one believed me.”

Ryou-jin is now one of the famed, free-diving fisherwomen 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 two minutes, dive to depths of five to 20 meters and may spend up to seven hours a day in the sea.

SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“Before going into the water, I always feel excited. It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? In the morning, I wake up and it’s chaos trying to take care of my four kids. But as I’m heading to the sea, I start thinking to myself, “I wonder what the Sea God will give me today? Where should I go today?” That makes me so excited on my way here.”

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, Ryou-jin is one of the youngest. There are 83 active haenyeo in her village. Ten plan to retire this year. Below Ryou-jin’s generation, there are few - or no -divers.
SOUNDBITE (Korean) Yung-mi Jang, 71-year-old haenyeo and President of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Haenyeo Association:
“Most haenyeo retire in their eighties. Every year, about twenty to thirty retire, so the number keeps decreasing. In comparison, very few newcomers join — maybe about ten percent? For every ten who leave, only one joins. So just a handful come in each year.”

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.

SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“I’ve been diving for twelve years now. The ocean has changed so much since I first started. When I began, there was an abundance of seafood - much more than I expected, actually. Things were plentiful and relaxed back then. But now, the harvest has dropped to less than half of what it used to be. Compared to before, it’s a huge difference.”

The haenyeo see themselves as caretakers as much as foragers. They 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. 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.
SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“The sea urchins we harvest are actually considered invasive species in the marine ecosystem. When their population increases too much, the sea becomes barren because they devour all the seaweed. By catching them, we earn a good income, and at the same time, we help the environment by removing these harmful species. These days, in places like Dokdo and Ulleungdo, since there are no haenyeo, the sea urchin population has exploded, and the sea has become severely degraded. People even go there just to remove and discard the urchins. That’s part of what we do — while diving, we also pick up trash and deal with other destructive species, like the Amur bulkasal (a type of starfish) that eats everything in its path.”

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.
Gyeong-ho Ko, Director of the Haenyeo Cultural Heritage Division at Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, says this recognition holds great significance.
SOUNDBITE (Korean) Gyeong-ho Ko, the Director of the Haenyeo Cultural Heritage Division, Jeju:
“The fact that Jeju’s haenyeo fishing system has been designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is highly meaningful. It shows that the haenyeo culture — beyond just being an occupation — embodies wisdom, community values, and a sustainable way of life that has coexisted with nature for generations, now recognized on a global scale.”

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.
Women have always played an important role in Jeju and for Ryou-jin, the material benefits are just a part of a reason to be a haenyeo.

SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ryou-jin Ko, 42-year-old haenyeo:
“Being a haenyeo means being a woman — and being a woman is being a haenyeo. That’s something we take great pride in.”

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.

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HAENYEO - WOMEN OF THE SEA

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