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New school of ‘sea wome N’ Shin Yang-ja, a 40-year-old Korean-Japa- nese dancer from Osaka, recently moved to Jeju Island off the southern coast to attend the Jeju Hansupul Haenyeo School. The world’s only educational institute for hae- nyeo, or “sea women,” teaches its students traditional fishing methods — using only flippers and goggles. “I want to learn the movements of a hae- nyeo,” Shin said, adding that Jeju was her grandmother’s birthplace. Haenyeo refers to Korea’s tradition of fe- male divers, a culture mostly found on the country’s largest island, Jeju. Without any breathing equipment, they scour the bot- tom of the sea for octopus, clams, abalones and conches, among others. At a time when the number of these tradi- tional divers is dwindling sharply — from 26,000 in the 1960s to about 4,500 now — efforts are being made nationwide to infuse pride in the culture, and spur popular en- dorsements for saving it. One of those endeavors was the establish- ment in 2007 of the Jeju Hansupul Haenyeo School. With 285 graduates so far and 78 freshmen registered this year, the school aims to train haenyeo and preserve the cul - ture surrounding it. “Most of our students want to be a haenyeo,” said Lee Yong-min, an officer for the local Hallim government on Jeju Island. “The rest are mostly interested in the (culture’s) 2015 application (to Unesco).” Lee was referring to Korea’s recent move in March to apply to Unesco to add female divers to the organization’s Intangible Cul - tural Heritage list. The agency will decide next year whether it is eligible to be includ- ed. Domestically, Jeju’s haenyeo culture was enlisted on the Important Intangible Cultur- al Properties list in 2012. The school is occasionally visited by prom- inent figures, including Kathleen Stephens, the former U.S. ambassador to Korea, who served in Seoul from 2008 to 2011. “I was deeply impressed by the haenyeos and straw-roofed houses in Jeju when I first visited (Jeju) in 1976,” she said after visiting Jeju Hansupul Haenyeo School in June 2011. “It’s too bad that many of the straw-roofed houses got demolished, but I see that the haenyeos’ tenacity hasn’t changed.” In the school’s four-month program, which runs from May to August annually, students are guided through practical and theoretical lessons that provide fundamental knowl- edge about becoming a qualified haenyeo. The women learn the history of the coun- try’s fishing culture, why preserving it is critical and how to catch the best fish after making a perfect dive. Students are not required to pay tuition. “We’re having m ore and more applicants (for admission) each year,” said Lee. “Be - cause a large portion of our students fly in from Seoul, I think this program has boost- ed the local economy, too.” About 20 of the 285 graduates so far — most of whom were former housekeepers — are currently working as registered hae- nyeo, according to Lee. He noted that, to a certain extent, the school was successfully counteracting the sharp decline in tradition- al divers. There are a number of reasons for the decrease: having to brave the treacherous waters of the Korea Strait and wear rubber swimsuits as thin as 4 mm to 5 mm, even during frigid winters, which have triggered migraines, ear infections, joint pain and car- diovascular disease in some divers. Increas- ingly warmer weather has also lessened sea resources. For others, the registration process to be - come a professional haenyeo is too rigorous. Procedures differ among fishing villages, but on average, an applicant must pay be- tween 1 million and 2 million won in mem- bership fees, and put down an additional 1 million to 2.3 million won toward the Na- tional Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, a collective that provides support to fisher - men and fishing villages. The women must also fish for at least 60 days of the year. all stories are culled with consent from Korea Joongang Daily’s website and edited by Groove Korea for length and clarity. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Groove Korea. — ed. N a T i o N a l N e w swith July 2014 / www.koreajoongangdaily.com ParK Tells biG busiNess To sTay ouT of fooD TrucKs President Park Geun-hye has warned large companies not to take advantage of the government’s easing of regulations on food trucks. The whole idea was to help small-fry en- trepreneurs, she said. In a regular meeting with her senior secre- taries, the president stressed the three pil- lars of her three-year economic innovation plan: reform of the public sector, removal of unnecessary regulations and fostering the service sector. She said these initiatives must be accelerated to give the Korean economy a future. “Some media outlets reported that large companies are scrambling to launch food trucks in the wake of the easing of related regulations, totally defying the purpose of the measure,” Park said. “Large companies making a foray into such subsistence-ori- ented businesses is not desirable.” She was referring to a report on MBC, one of three major TV stations that report- ed that large companies and department stores were bracing to start franchise busi- nesses with food trucks. The president st ressed that relaxing the rules was done to allow more entrepre- neurs to get into the food truck business, thus helping ordinary people make a living and create more jobs. Bae Young-gi, chief executive of Doorione Food and Franchise, a food truck manufac- turer, raised the food truck issue, claiming the business was ideal for creating jobs for young entrepreneurs struggling to find work. The business is currently illegal. www.groovekorea.com / July 2014 22