Jeju Haenyeo Museum

In the Jeju Haenyeo Museum you will be introduced to the world of Haenyeo divers – women, whose profession is to dive underwater and collect selfish, seaweeds and anything that she thinks can be sold. In this process she is not armed with the modern equipments of diving, she only wears a pair of goggles to protect her eye, a basket to keep her collections in and a water tube to keep her balance intact.

The Haenyeo women are very important to the fishery industry and they live mainly in the Jeju-do region of Korea. There importance in the cultural life of the island of Jeju has been highlighted in the Jeju Haenyeo Museum. This is an initiative taken by the inhabitants of the Jeju Island because these women play a very significant role in the society. More importantly this is a unique feature of this island and the people take pride in it.

The Jeju Haenyeo Museum three categories of displays, the exhibition hall 1 showcases what the home of the Haenyeo diver looks like. This hall also exhibits the meals of the divers complete with the utensils found in their home. The 2nd exhibition hall is the hall showing the arms and armaments of the divers, which consist of the goggles, fishing sphere, the water tube and the working outfit. You will also find various documents related to the works of the divers. In the 3rd exhibition hall, there is a theme, known as ‘the sea’. This tries to give a broader view of the fishery industry as a whole, their culture and the equipments used by them in their work.

The Jeju Haenyeo Museum also displays some photographs and real life stories of these women divers to give the visitor an accurate idea about the Haenyeo. The Jeju Haenyeo Museum also has an observatory. From the there the visitors are given the opportunity of getting a wonderful view of the Hado-ri, a garden area, which consists of the sculptures and a resting place.

The Jeju Haenyeo Museum also has a souvenir shop, from where you can buy souvenirs for your loved ones.

From the Jeju Bus Terminal, you can take a bus to Sehwa and Seongsan. The bus stop where you need to get down, for reaching the Jeju Haenyeo Museum, is Jeju Haenyeo Japan Resistance Movement Memorial Park in Hado-ri.

The admission fee for the Jeju Haenyeo Museum is 1,200 for the adults above the age of 18, 900 won for youths between the age of 12 to 18 and for the visitors under the age of 12 admissions is free. The Jeju Haenyeo Museum remains open from 9 am in the morning to 7 in the evening in the months of March to October. In the months of November to February the Jeju Haenyeo Museum remains open from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening.