The Free-Diving Haenyeo By Hyung S. Kim
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- Words
- Annika Wittrock
It is the last women practicing the art of free-diving in South Korea. Known as the Haenyeo, they would dive to the seafloor for hundreds of years, fishing for fresh shellfish.
The dying off Haenyeo represent the semi-matriarchal familiy structure of the Korean province of Jeju. For the majority of their incomes, the women would be the heads of their households. Seoul-born Photographer Hyung S. Kim portrayed the proud Haenyeo women. Some are already in their nineties, still diving for fresh fish.
All images © Hyung S. Kim
