JEJU WEEKLY
Last Update : 2013.10.30 16:27
EducationJunior Journalist
The mermaids of Jeju¡¯s ocean
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½ÂÀÎ 2013.06.24  13:35:06
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¡ã JDC junior journalists are catching top shells in Hado village. Photo by Kim Jinmi

[This article is written by a JDC Junior Journalist. The JDC Junior Journalist program is an educational project sponsored by Jeju Free International City Development Corporation (JDC). JDC Junior Journalist articles are only briefly edited by mentors before publishing.]

The traditional structure of a job is changing with industrialization nowadays. However, there is an occupation that can be placed between declining and rising jobs. Diving in the water without a license or scuba equipment, and holding your breath for an average of over three minutes. This is the job description of the living mermaids of Jeju, the female divers known as Haenyeo. They are the protagonist of this story.

On Jun. 15, 2013, the Jeju Weekly Junior Journalists went to Hado village to look into the woman divers' life. 68-year-old Han Sook-hee was one of the woman divers we interviewed. Her wrinkled hands embody the Haenyeo's whole life .She became a woman diver when she was 19 years old. Jeju-island is hemmed in on all sides by seas. So in the days when the Jeju people's finances were slim, many woman divers took advantage of Jeju-island’s surrounding sea by earning a living from it. This is why Mrs. Han became a woman diver in the first place.

Unlike modern times, Haenyeo of the past didn’t have sufficient equipment.

"In the past, there was no diving suit,” said senior diver Han, describing the old days. “We just wore a Sokgot(a Korean petticoat) and Muljeoksam(an unlined summer jacket). It was so cold and truly hard."

Despite not having enough gear, a woman diver isn't one step behind the diving expert. The majority of divers can stay underwater for three minutes at base, and five minutes for an old veteran. Working for about four hours at a time, they go into the water at low tide, and come out at rising tide.

When they depend on a buoyancy object called 'Taewak' only, they face a lot of risk.

"If I had to choose the most dangerous moment, it’s when a ship passed right by my side,” the youngest woman diver in Hado village, 53 year old Park Mijeong said while reflecting on the perils of her labor. “On a foggy day, it is also really risky. Every moment in the sea is always dangerous."

Despite the danger, Park is committed to her craft.

"I will never retire from this job as long as my body is healthy," Park emphasized.

In the beginning, working in the water was nothing but a money making task, however it became a part of the life of haenyeo. Despite having lumbar disc pain because of wrought iron weights around their waists during dives, suffering decompression disease and many other dangers, and running countless risks while working in the sea, Jeju woman divers keep working even today.
 

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