Netflix’s recent drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines, became a huge hit both in Korea and abroad. Right from the start, the show captivated audiences with its focus on haenyeo, or female divers, from Jeju Island. It beautifully depicted the joys and sorrows of their lives, highlighting a significant part of the island’s culture. Similarly, the JTBC documentary Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure, co-produced with BBC Studios, has been airing. The documentary was created to share the haenyeo culture, sensitively portraying the strong spirit and way of life of Jeju’s haenyeo. Viewers were deeply moved by actress Song Ji-hyo’s journey to understand the challenging lives of these women who have made a living from the vast sea with only a tewak, a flotation device. The Origin of the Term ‘Haenyeo’ ‘Haenyeo’ (海女), which means “sea women,” refers to women who dive in shallow waters to gather marine products. In the southern coastal regions of Korea, they were called murekkun, while on Jeju Island, they were known as jamnyeo (잠녀, 潛女) or jamsu (잠수, 潛嫂). The term ‘haenyeo’ emerged during the Japanese colonial period and became more common after the 1980s, though it is still not widely used on Jeju Island. In the 1960s, they were also called tongjaengi in Busan’s Yeongdo district, a term believed to have originated from their use of wooden barrels instead of a tewak. This use of wooden barrels can also be seen among Japanese ama (海女, 海士) divers and is thought to be an influence from Japanese fishing villages that existed in Yeongdo during the colonial era. Unique Female Divers Around the World While diving for marine products is a common practice globally, the act of diving for a living without special equipment is a tradition found almost exclusively in Korea and Japan. Similar activities exist on a smaller scale in Southeast Asia and Russia. Jeju Island, in particular, has gained global attention for having the highest concentration of female divers in the world. Although haenyeo are scattered across Korea’s coastal areas and islands, the majority are on Jeju. Historically, Jeju haenyeo didn’t just work in their home areas; they would travel to other regions and even foreign countries for several months at a time. After Korea’s ports opened in 1876, Japanese fishermen’s expansion led to the depletion of Jeju’s fishing grounds, threatening the haenyeo’s livelihoods. In response, they began to migrate north along the East Coast, traveling through Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gangwon-do up to Cheongjin. They also expanded their activities to the South and West Coasts, Ulleungdo, and Heuksando, and even to various parts of Japan, Vladivostok, Dalian in the Liaodong Peninsula, and Qingdao in Shandong Province. They would typically leave in the spring and return in the fall. Diving in regions outside of Jeju was fundamentally seasonal migrant work passed down by Jeju’s haenyeo. ‘Haenyeo’ in Historical Texts The haenyeo profession is one of the many that emerged naturally over time. Historical records mention their existence in various ancient texts, including Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms). In 1105, during the reign of King Sukjong of Goryeo, there’s a record prohibiting “nude diving by haenyeo.” Later, during the Joseon era under King Injo, the governor of Jeju reportedly forbade “men and women from working together in the sea.” This suggests that haenam, or male divers, also existed back then. Male divers were known as pojak-in (鮑作人) or pojak-gan (鮑作干). From the Goryeo dynasty, Jeju was required to present abalone and seaweed as tribute to the royal court. Seaweed was primarily gathered by haenyeo, while abalone was the responsibility of the pojak-in. As the quota for abalone tribute increased, many men fled to the mainland. Consequently, a “Prohibition on Leaving the Island” was enacted to prevent Jeju residents from escaping, which lasted for 200 years starting in 1629. Jeju women were even forbidden from marrying men from the mainland, and the construction of fishing boats was also banned—all to ensure the tribute was properly paid. The ban was lifted around 1850, allowing Jeju residents to travel to the mainland. It was then that Jeju haenyeo began their seasonal migrations to places like Busan and Ulsan to earn a living. Haenyeo Equipment Haenyeo harvest various marine products like sea snails, abalones, octopus, sea cucumbers, sea squirts, seaweed, and gulfweed, and occasionally catch fish with a spear. Their essential tools include a tewak, a flotation device they hold to their chests while swimming, and a mang-siri, a net bag attached to the tewak for storing their catch. When they dive, the tewak and mang-siri float on the water’s surface. The gear they take with them underwater includes a bitchang, a long metal tool for prying off abalones; a jeonggehomi, a sickle for cutting seaweed; a galgori, a metal hook-like rake for digging out shellfish; and a sosar, a spear for catching fish. Haenyeo wear a mul-ot, or diving suit, and nun, or goggles. The diving suits have evolved from cotton to rubber. The goggles, originally a small, binocular-style pair called jokse-nun, were replaced by larger ones known as wang-nun starting in the 1950s. Haenyeo Culture Becoming a haenyeo wasn’t about a person being special from birth. It was about becoming strong and skilled through repeated diving and training. Historically, young girls in Jeju’s coastal villages learned to dive in shallow waters called aegi-badang. They learned by observing experienced haenyeo, listening to their stories, and mastering the skills through their own repeated practice. It was common for daughters of haenyeo and daughters-in-law of haenyeo mothers-in-law to also become haenyeo. Girls born on Jeju learned to swim and practice mujamakjil—a diving technique of repeatedly submerging and surfacing—starting at age seven or eight. By 12 or 13, they would practice diving deeper, and by 15 or 16, they would become full-fledged haenyeo. Their diving activities were most active around age 40, and they often continued diving until their 60s, or even into their 70s. Based on their skill and experience, Jeju’s haenyeo are divided into three