JEJU, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Haenyeo, or female divers on Jeju Island, have dropped in number by 4.5 percent compared to the previous year.
Jeju City reported that there were 2,141 haenyeo as of December, down by 4.5 percent since last year (2,241 people).
The number of haenyeo has dropped as those who passed away, retired, or moved to a different region have surpassed the number of new haenyeo recruits.
At 55.1 percent, more than half of all haenyeo were more than 70 years of age. The oldest haenyeo in Jeju City is 91 years old, and has been working as a haenyeo for 76 years.
Image Credit: Yonhap / Jeju Haenyeo Museum / photonews@koreabizwire.com
