"We Protected Jeju's Sea for a Lifetime"... Jeju Haenyeo Retirement Ceremony Held as 63% of Active Divers Are 70 or Older

[Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok] Haenyeo who spent their entire lives diving in Jeju's waters have finally put down their gear. More than six in 10 active Jeju haenyeo are over 70, and the retirement ceremony was held at a time when the total number of divers has fallen by nearly half in a decade. It honored the departure of a generation while also highlighting the challenge of passing down haenyeo culture.
According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Haenyeo Association and others, the '2026 Jeju Haenyeo Honorary Retirement Ceremony' was held the previous day in the banquet hall on the third floor of the Seongsanpo Fisheries Cooperative in Seogwipo City.
The event was attended by Governor Wi Seong-gon, provincial council members Yang Hong-sig and Han Dong-hoon, Seongsanpo Fisheries Cooperative president Go Gwan-beom, local fishing village leaders, and the divers' families.
Certificates of merit and bouquets were presented to the haenyeo who had spent many years working in the sea, and their new beginning after ending active service was celebrated.
For haenyeo, 'retirement' means more than simply leaving a job. Jeju haenyeo dive without separate oxygen equipment to harvest seafood, and they have managed fishing grounds through their fishing village fraternities. As diving skills, knowledge of the sea, and community rules were passed down from generation to generation, the Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (Women Divers) was inscribed in 2016 as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The growing significance of the retirement ceremony reflects rapid aging in the community. As of Dec. 31 last year, Jeju Island had 2,371 active haenyeo. That was down by 252, or 9.6%, from 2,623 in 2024. Compared with 4,377 in 2015, the number fell by 2,006 over 10 years, a drop of 45.8%.
The age structure is even more striking. There are 105 divers under 50, 766 aged 50 to 69, 1,077 aged 70 to 79, and 423 aged 80 or older. Those aged 70 and above total 1,500, accounting for 63% of all active haenyeo. Nearly two out of every three active haenyeo are 70 or older.
Aging raises both safety concerns for individual haenyeo and questions about the sustainability of the culture. Diving is physically demanding work that involves repeated descents, surfacing, and coping with currents. As divers age, the risks from declining cardiopulmonary function and physical strength increase, making policies that reduce excessive work and support retirement at the right time all the more important.
On the other hand, if the number of new divers entering the trade does not keep pace with the rapid retirement of older haenyeo, the foundation for managing communal fishing grounds and passing down skills will also weaken.
This year, Jeju Island is investing 23.5 billion won in haenyeo support and is carrying out 29 projects, including medical expenses, support for older divers, safety equipment distribution, and training for new haenyeo.

A culture of honoring retired haenyeo has also become an important part of preservation policy. Jeju Island and the Haenyeo Association hold honorary retirement ceremonies by region, officially recording and recognizing the lives of haenyeo who have spent decades diving. At a previous ceremony in Gwideok-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju City, 32 haenyeo from fishing village fraternities in Ongpo, Biyangdo Island, and Gwideok 1-ri ended their active service.
The Seongsan area also focused on remembering the labor and community role of haenyeo who protected their families and villages, rather than viewing retirement simply as the end of diving.
Governor Wi Seong-gon said, "I am grateful for the dedication of the haenyeo who have spent their lives working the waters of Jeju," adding, "We will carry forward the spirit and values of haenyeo to future generations."
The Jeju Haenyeo Association also plans to strengthen its documentation and preservation efforts so that retired haenyeo can enjoy healthy later years and the culture can be passed on to the next generation. That means creating an environment where older divers can safely leave the sea, while also lowering barriers for younger people who want to enter the profession.
In Jeju, where 1,500 of the 2,371 active haenyeo are already over 70, the retirement ceremony now carries a meaning far beyond an ordinary workplace farewell. The time is coming faster to properly honor a generation of haenyeo and decide how their sea, skills, and community should be handed down, and to whom.


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