VISIT JEJU

Jeju’s haenyeo culture was the first to be designated as the Korea Important Fisheries Heritage in 2015, followed by UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016, the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Important Intangible Cultural Property in 2017, and a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage in 2023. 

In Jeju, many places are trying to continue this tradition through various policy initiatives and experiences, and one such place is the Haenyeo Experience Center.

Seogwipo’s Beophwan Village, part of Olle Trail Course 7, is the southernmost coastal village in Korea. It is said to have the largest population of haenyeo in Jeju. 

At the Beophwan Haenyeo Experience Center, nearly 20 haenyeo from the village lead training and experience programs for the visitors. 

These experiences are offered from June to the end of October.

You can look up the Beophwan Haenyeo Experience Center in map apps to find your way there, and there’s plenty of signage in the area to direct you to the school. 

Even the road itself guides the visitors to the Beophwan Haenyeo Experience Center with colorful paintings.

Once you are there, you can participate in various experience programs to learn the basics of the island’s iconic culture, including “muljil,” which is the Jeju term for haenyeo. You’ll get hands-on experience right in front of the Beophwan Haenyeo Experience Center, guided by seasoned haenyeo known as “samchun,“ a respectful Jeju dialect term for highly experienced divers. 

Three sessions offered daily, one at 10:00, one at 13:00, and the last at 15:30. 

The fee is KRW 30,000, which includes the rental of tools such as tewak and diving suits. Each session lasts about 2 hours. 

Reservations can be made by phone for groups of 2 or more, and even those who are not very good swimmers can enjoy the experience.

There is no online reservation service, so you have to book by telephone.

Once you arrive at the school, you will be escorted to locker room to change into your suit. 

After changing into your suit, pick up your fins and other tools and follow the instructor out to sea.

There is a safety policy that all visitors must follow. 

First, you must warm up before entering the water, and you must report any equipment you bring with you to the instructors. 

Once in the water, follow the instructions and be careful of the basalt rocks, as they can be very sharp.

Note that from June to August 31, turban snails enter their breeding season, which means that you are prohibited from picking them. 

Failure to comply may result in a fine. 

There are showers and changing rooms so you can wash off the seawater after your experience.

Before leaving the village, we suggest you visit the restaurant Buenan Sora, a restaurant run by the haenyeo of the village. 

It offers fresh seafood dishes like abalone porridge or noodles with raw fish. 

Because the seafood here is sourced from the sea by the hands of the haenyeo, the restaurant is well known to locals and visitors alike.

Another thing to note is that Beophwan Village is a part of Jeju Olle Trail Course 7, so you can explore the area after the experience if you have the energy to do so. 

For example, you can visit Beophwan Port, the diver-themed mailbox, and see Seopseom Island and Munseom Island in the distance. 

If you are lucky, you might even see the dolphins, so if you have time, you can stay a while and explore the area.