In ancient times, thousands of women on South Korea’s Jeju Island worked as sea divers. Sea diving was one of the best ways to support a family on the island at that time. There were far more female divers than male ones. While the women worked, their husbands often looked after the children and did the shopping.
Over the years, however, South Korea has gone through many changes, and the number of haenyeo has decreased. Sea diving used to be one of the only professions available to women on Jeju Island, but now, they have many different choices. As a result, most women choose not to become a sea diver, which is a very difficult and dangerous job.
While there are still haenyeo around today, most are elderly. A mother and daughter, Park Suk-Hee and Ko Ryou-Jin, however, have shown that it’s still possible to succeed as a haenyeo . In the morning, the two dive into the ocean to catch sea creatures. In the afternoon and evening, they cook the seafood they caught and serve it to customers. People come from far and wide to taste their freshly caught dishes. Thanks to their diving skills and restaurant, this mother-daughter pair can continue to support themselves through the sea.
