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SOUTH KOREA 2025. Jeju Haenyeo Fisheries System

3 July, 2025, Jeju, South Korea. Having just come out of the water after four hours of harvesting sea urchin, Ryou-jin Ko (standing, right), a South Korean haenyeo, or sea woman, and the youngest in her group rinses off outside her co-op’s house in Pyeongdae on the north eastern side of Jeju Island.

Photo credit must be given: ©FAO/David Hogsholt. Editorial use only. Copyright ©FAO.

07/03/2025

Country or Territory Republic of Korea

File size 25.86 MB

Unique ID UF21AFQ

Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given. For further information contact: Photo-Library@fao.org

Background Information The haenyeo have been harvesting these waters for seafood for hundreds of years and until a few decades ago, 30,000 women would take to the sea almost daily. Now, the Haenyeo hardly number 5000 and more than two-thirds are over 60 years old, many are in their 80s.
Until recently it was believed that the culture would die out as very few of the haenyeos’ daughters were taking up the craft. But there’s now a real effort on keeping the ways of the Haenyeo alive. Two haenyeo schools have opened with the goal of preparing women from non-haenyeo families for a live in the trade.
Today, haenyeo are recognized as one of Jeju Island’s most important cultural assets—a significant shift in perception that has taken place over the past 20 years. Once seen as a fading or undervalued tradition, the haenyeo have gradually gained national and international recognition for their resilience, skill, and cultural importance. In acknowledgment of their unique role in the island’s heritage, the Korean government supports them by subsidizing their equipment, granting them exclusive rights to sell freshly harvested seafood. They also receive health care and pension benefits. In 2016, UNESCO included the haenyeo tradition on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, bringing it international recognition.