Some of Jeju’s famous female haenyeo divers and a group of Taiwanese visitors pose for a photograph at the Jeju Hansupul Hanyeo School on Aug. 2. (Jeju Tourism Organization)
By Hahm Hee-eun
The government of the Jeju Special Self-governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization announced on Aug. 2 that they hosted a promotional tour about the island province’s famous female haenyeo divers for major Taiwanese media outlets and social media stars from July 31 to Aug. 3.
The haenyeo are female divers that have established an exceptional community on Jejudo Island. The tour for the Taiwanese includes visits to the Jeju Haenyeo Museum, to the Seongsanpo Haenyeo Muljil Stage and to the Jeju Hansupul School for a real one-day-class with the traditional divers. The tour allowed participants to fully experience the life of a female diver, a lifestyle and a community that has been inscribed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage items.
Major Taiwanese media outlets, such as the Apple Daily (蘋果日報), News Yam (蕃薯藤), Az Travel and Next Magazine (壹週刊), as well as four winners of a social media competition concerning the promotion of traditional haenyeo divers that took place in March, took part in the program and introduced the world once again to the mermaids of Jejudo Island.
A representative from the Jeju Tourism Organization said, “The life of the haenyeo divers shows Jeju’s cultural identity through the strong vitality of its women and their unique community spirit. We hope that this promotional tour will be an opportunity to help Taiwanese learn more about Jeju’s uniqueness.”
hehahm@korea.kr
