South Korea - around the House of Diving Women

Korean Mermaids, haenyo (women divers on Jeju Island) can dive up to 20 meters, holding their breath for several minutes as they harvest the sea for abalone, sea urchin, octopus and seaweed. Yet such work in a prevailing Confucian society didn’t sustain itself without considerable costs. The haenyo of Jeju Island have fought for years protecting their rights against men, governments and even armies in order to make a living from the sea.