Work-Life Balance Under the Sea: The Lucrative Life of a Haenyeo

There’s a strong emphasis on a work-life balance among Millenials and Gen Z A few years ago, an individual living in South Korea who worked four hours a day for 20 days a month, earning 5 million won ($4,400), became a hot topic and is once again in the spotlight. Jin So Hee, a haenyeo (female diver) who even enjoys tax-free benefits, appeared on a YTN broadcast last year to share her recent activities.

Jin first revealed her daily life as the youngest haenyeo on the documentary program Human Theater in 2016, when she was 25.

That year, Jin was a freshman who had just started her life as a haenyeo after enrolling in the newly established Haenyeo School on Geoje Island.

While Haenyeo Academy is typically a one-time experience, the school Jin attended, which started in May 2016, is a Haenyeo School that follows a professional education program for training actual haenyeos.

Not only does it train real haenyeo, but it also allows the general public to visit and experience activities such as snorkeling.

The academy is unique in that it’s not led by the government of Jeju Island, the only place in the country designated as a haenyeo training institution, but instead, the actual haenyeos develop and operate the curriculum themselves.

There’s also a growing interest in haenyeos operating outside Jeju Island, particularly on Geoje Island.

Jin chose the job of a haenyeo after appearing on Human Theater. She had to give up going to college early due to her family’s financial situation and jumped into making a living. After acquiring qualifications as a nail artist, nursing assistant, and skin care specialist, she considered entering nursing school but felt disillusioned as she perceived the work-life balance to be lacking.

As this situation continued, Jin’s life changed drastically when she welcomed a new family through her mother’s remarriage.

Her stepfather, a veteran diver, influenced Jin’s life-changing decision. Observing Jin’s lack of fear of the sea and her ability to hold her breath well, her stepfather deemed her a natural diver and assisted her in applying to the Haenyeo School that had recently opened in Geoje Island, where they resided. He provided full support for Jin to embark on a new career.

Jin, who appeared on YTN’s Eye-catching Women 3, garnered attention by revealing the daily life of a haenyeo in Geoje Island through the broadcast.

On the show, So-hee visited the station and appealed, “Please support us even half as much as Jeju Island.”

She mentioned the compensation that Jeju Island’s haenyeo receive, saying, “Haenyeo in Jeju Island wear watches with GPS,” and “If I’m in a really dangerous situation and press it, the coast guard will come,” showing her admiration for the haenyeo of Jeju.