What Life on Jeju Island Looked Like in the 1970s

While South Korea was building factories, expanding cities, and moving rapidly towards industrialisation in the 1970s, women on Jeju Island were making a living beneath the sea. Known as haenyeo, they plunged into cold coastal waters without oxygen tanks, holding their breath as they searched for abalone, sea urchins, and other marine life. Their work demanded skill, endurance, and a close understanding of the ocean. Far from the country’s growing industrial centres, these divers carried on a tradition that reveals another side of South Korea’s changing history.

Jeju Island: Life Beyond South Korea’s Mainland

Located about 130 kilometres south of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju is South Korea’s largest island. Its distance from the mainland helped shape a distinct way of life, with communities relying on farming, fishing, and other work connected to the sea. The island’s identity was also shaped by its windswept landscape, rocky soil, and resilient women. In a 2016 report, The Korea Times described Jeju as an island known for its strong winds, stony land, and strong women. These conditions formed part of the setting in which the haenyeo, Jeju’s women divers, developed their demanding maritime tradition.

A Landscape Built by Fire

Jeju Island was formed by volcanic activity that began about 1.2 million years ago, according to a 2007 report. This volcanic history shaped the island’s mountains, rocky terrain, and underground lava tubes. Mount Halla, the highest peak in South Korea, rises about 1,950 metres above sea level.

Jeju’s unique geology gained international recognition in 2007, when UNESCO added Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes to the World Heritage List. The protected site covers 18,846 hectares across three areas, including Mount Halla and the Geomunoreum lava tube system. These underground passages formed when flowing lava cooled and left tunnels beneath the surface. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which advises UNESCO on natural World Heritage sites, recognised the lava tubes for their geological importance.

This volcanic landscape did more than shape Jeju’s scenery. It also created the rocky land and coastal environment in which island communities built their livelihoods.

The Women Who Held Their Breath

One of Jeju’s most distinctive traditions belongs to the haenyeo, the island’s women divers. According to UNESCO, these women dive to depths of around 10 metres to collect marine life such as abalone and sea urchins. They work without oxygen tanks, relying on their ability to hold their breath and their knowledge of the sea. Some continue diving into their 80s.

The tradition is passed down through families, training schools, fishing cooperatives, and haenyeo associations. In 2016, UNESCO added the culture of Jeju’s haenyeo to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, recognising its importance to the island’s identity and community life.

Their work also shaped the position of women in Jeju’s society. UNESCO notes that the tradition has contributed to women’s status in the community and supports environmental sustainability through responsible harvesting and shared management of marine resources. For many families, diving was not simply a cultural tradition. It was a source of income and an essential part of everyday life.

A Decade of Quiet Change

During the 1970s, the way Jeju’s women divers worked began to change. A  2017 review in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology explains that haenyeo had traditionally dived through winter in thin cotton suits. Wetsuits began to replace these in the mid-1970s, helping divers stay warm in cold water. Winter diving shifts could then last much longer, increasing from around 10 minutes to as long as 120 minutes. 

At the same time, fewer women were continuing the profession. The same review records a decline in the number of working haenyeo from 14,143 in 1970 to 4,005 in 2015. Researchers have linked this decline to South Korea’s industrialisation, while a Kyoto Journal feature also points to expanding educational and employment opportunities for young women. As new paths opened up, fewer women chose to pursue the physically demanding work of diving.These changes help explain why footage of haenyeo from the 1970s is significant. It captures a traditional way of life that was adapting to new equipment and changing opportunities.

Why Do Old Images Still Matter?

Archive footage from the 1970s can easily be seen as a record of a distant past. But it also shows how history unfolds in everyday life, far from major cities and political events. On Jeju Island, fishing villages, rocky fields, and coastal waters were places where people worked, supported their families, and kept local traditions alive.

In essence, Haenyeo's story captures both continuity and change. Their knowledge of the sea was passed down through generations, while new equipment and changing career opportunities gradually reshaped their work. Today, their tradition remains an important part of Jeju’s cultural identity. Looking back at the 1970s helps us understand not only how these women lived and worked, but also how a community preserves its heritage while adapting to a changing world.

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