The culture of Korea's women divers, or haenyeo, has been added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity list.
But how do the haenyeo feel about their culture being added and what effect will the listing
have in the long term?
Our Lee Ji-won went to the southernmost island of Jeju to find out and brings us this story.
For centuries,... women called haenyeo on Korea's southernmost island of Jeju have made
a living harvesting seafood by hand.
And on Wednesday, the free-diving tradition made it onto UNESCO's Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity list.
Korea's proposal to UNESCO... said that the culture promotes social cohesion, contributes
to environmental preservation and sustainable development and promote women's rights.
"The UNESCO list works to preserve items of cultural heritage that hold significant values
that need to be passed on to the next generations.
And Jeju's haenyeo culture has a number of qualities that must be preserved and passed
on."
"But how do the haenyeo themselves feel about their culture being added to the UNESCO list?
And how will the listing affect them?"
"We couldn't be happier to have our culture be inscribed and preserved as a piece of world
cultural heritage.
I am very proud.
I don't regret becoming a haenyeo."
"We've gone to a lot of places around the globe to promote the haenyeo culture, and
it's finally being recognized by the world.
It would have been better if this day had come earlier,... which could have brought
more changes into our lives when things were the toughest,... but I'm still very glad."
The haenyeo dive as deep as 10 to 20 meters... to collect marine products such as conch,
octopus and sea urchins -- work that's both difficult and dangerous.
They wear flippers and goggles -- but carry no special equipment.
The culture has changed a great deal over the years -- including the arrival of practices
and elements that have made their work more convenient... and the disappearance of others.
"This stone wall is called bulteok.
Haenyeos used these walls to change their clothes, take some rest and warm their frigid
bodies after long dives.
But there is a deeper meaning and significance to this place."
"Being a haenyeo requires a lot of practical knowledge.
But in the olden days,... there were no schools that taught them how to do the job,... and
it was at these bulteoks where the experienced haenyeo would teach the novices.
It's also where various discussions on closed seasons and regulations were made.
It's basically where the haenyeo communities were established."
The bulteok were replaced by changing rooms with shower facilities by 2000, after the
government started supporting the haenyeo with subsidies in the early 1990s.
Another major change in the haenyeo culture is the outfit.
The women now wear rubber wetsuits that cover the whole body, allowing the haenyeo to keep
their body temperature steady so their work isn't so dependent on the water temperature.
But before the suits were introduced in 1970s,... the haenyeo wore simple clothing made of cotton
called sokot, which had side vents and were very easy to put on and take off.
But because the sokot only covers the torso and is made of cotton, it can't keep the body
warm.
"We have much more comfortable conditions compared to our mothers.
With the flippers and rubber suit, we can stay in the water longer."
However, even with these changes in the haenyeo culture, their numbers have been on the decline.
Just 43-hundred haenyeo were active last year,... a decrease of more than 40-percent compared
to 30 years ago.
"It's a shame that young people are not interested in becoming haenyeo anymore.
The job is dangerous and tough, so young girls prefer to study and go to a normal office
for work."
But with the tradition being added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, there's
renewed hope that the culture can be preserved.
Experts say that preserving the haenyeo culture... and increasing their numbers... is the responsibility
not only of the local community and state government, but also the general public.
"Being a haenyeo is an occupation before it is a culture, and it needs to create profit
and be maintained as a profession in order for it to last as a culture.
It's now time for everyone to think of ways to preserve this unique job,... including
by protecting the sea and establishing a system to promote the haenyeo's regional products."
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News, Jeju.