Who Are the Jeju Haenyeo? Korea's Women Divers Explained

On Jeju, the volcanic island off Korea's southern coast, there is a community of women who dive into the sea for a living without oxygen tanks. They are the haenyeo (해녀), the female divers of Jeju, and their way of life was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. The details below come from UNESCO's official listing and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

1. What haenyeo do

According to UNESCO, haenyeo dive about 10 meters under the sea to gather shellfish such as abalone and sea urchins, without oxygen masks. KTO calls the diving technique muljil (물질). UNESCO notes that some of the women are in their 80s.

The working pattern UNESCO describes is demanding:

UNESCO also mentions a distinctive sound: divers make a unique verbal sound as they resurface. KTO adds that because of the long hours in the water, haenyeo become experts at reading changes in the ocean and in related knowledge.

A quick piece of arithmetic shows what those figures mean. Seven hours a day over 90 days comes to at most 630 hours of work a year, built from dives of roughly a minute each.

2. Three ranks, learned by experience

Haenyeo communities are organized by skill. UNESCO says divers fall into three groups according to experience:

• Hagun (하군): the least experienced
• Junggun (중군): the middle group
• Sanggun (상군): the most experienced, who guide the others

This structure is part of what UNESCO recognized. Knowledge passes from experienced divers to newer ones, not just from a manual or a school.

3. Passing the knowledge down

UNESCO lists the places where haenyeo knowledge is handed to younger generations:

• families
• schools
• local fishery cooperatives, which hold the fishing rights for each area
• haenyeo associations
• the Haenyeo School
• the Haenyeo Museum

KTO describes the family line specifically: the wisdom gathered from the sea is passed down through women, from mother to daughter and to daughter-in-law.

4. Prayers before diving

The work carries a spiritual side. UNESCO notes that before a dive, haenyeo say prayers to Jamsugut, a goddess of the sea, asking for safety and an abundant catch.

That connection also shows up in a second UNESCO listing from Jeju, the Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut, inscribed in 2009. UNESCO describes it as a ritual held in the second lunar month at Chilmeoridang in the village of Gun-rip, praying for calm seas, a good harvest, and a plentiful catch. Village shamans perform rites to Grandmother Yeondeung, the goddess of the winds, to the Dragon King Yongwang, and to mountain gods. UNESCO says that besides the shamans, the ritual is mainly supported by the women divers and ship owners, who prepare food and offer sacrifices.

The rite has two parts about two weeks apart. The welcome rite calls the gods, prays for a good catch, and includes a three-act play for the ancestral gods. The farewell rite includes offerings of drinks and rice cakes, fortune telling with millet seeds, and the launching of a straw boat by the village's senior men. As the goddess leaves on the fifteenth day, UNESCO says, she is believed to sow seeds and calm the waters, marking the arrival of spring.

5. Why haenyeo culture is heritage

UNESCO's listing gives three reasons the culture matters beyond the catch itself:

1. Identity: the provincial government designated haenyeo culture as representing the island's character and the spirit of its people.
2. Women's status: the culture of the haenyeo has contributed to advancing women's status in the community.
3. Sustainability: their eco-friendly methods, and the community's involvement in managing fishing practices, have promoted environmental sustainability.

6. Seeing haenyeo culture respectfully

The Haenyeo Museum is one of the places UNESCO names as passing on haenyeo knowledge, so it is a natural starting point for learning more. UNESCO also notes that the local fishery cooperatives hold the fishing rights for each area, which is a reminder that the divers are at work, not performing.

7. Key takeaways

• Jeju haenyeo dive about 10 meters without oxygen masks to harvest shellfish such as abalone and sea urchins.
• UNESCO says they work up to 7 hours a day, about 90 days a year, holding their breath for about a minute per dive.
• Divers are ranked hagun, junggun, and sanggun by experience, with sanggun guiding the rest.
• Knowledge passes through families, cooperatives, associations, the Haenyeo School, and the Haenyeo Museum.
• UNESCO inscribed the Culture of Jeju Haenyeo in 2016, citing identity, women's status, and sustainability.