South Korea’s sea women fight for damaged habitat
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In South Korea, nearly two dozen women known as “haenyeo”, traditional free divers, are seeking accountability from Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co. after the company’s harbor construction damaged the marine environment they depend on for their livelihoods.
The haenyeo of Guman-ri and Daebo-ri villages have dived for decades, harvesting shellfish and marine plants without oxygen tanks, but the seabed near their homes has become barren since construction began in 2021.
The construction, intended to expand and repair breakwaters to protect fishing boats from typhoons, released cement debris that clouded the water and destroyed the marine habitat. Abalone, sea snails, and seaweed disappeared, impacting the 53 haenyeo who fish in the area. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries proposed the construction in 2017, consulting with local fishers but not the haenyeo themselves.
In June, the haenyeo protested outside Ssangyong’s headquarters in Seoul, demanding compensation for their lost income and the environmental damage. Ssangyong offered a settlement, but the women found the amount insufficient. They now consider a costly and uncertain lawsuit, as proving the construction directly caused the habitat’s destruction is difficult and requires expert testimony. Some haenyeo are traveling long distances to find alternative fishing grounds, but they worry this is unsustainable.
