63% of Jeju Haenyeo are over 70, with 200 fewer every year... KBS 1TV's 'Resolving Grievances, Her Sea' documentary on the 14th

- A special documentary project for the 2026 Public Broadcasters International (PBI) Seoul General Assembly, containing reflections on the 'Role of Public Media for National Cultural Development.'

- Re-examining the beauty of our traditional culture and the spirit of the Jeju community through the Culture of Jeju Haenyeo, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the Jamsu-gut (diving ritual).

- Featuring actress Song Ji-hyo, the protagonist of the BBC Haenyeo documentary Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure, as a narrator to convey the voices of Jeju.

Broadcast: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 10 PM on KBS 1TV

Before entering the sea, Jeju Haenyeo pray to the Dragon King. The lives of Haenyeo, who hold their breath and dive into deep waters, are always in contact with death. Haenyeo, who oscillate between life and death hundreds of times a day, ask the gods for guidance through gut (shamanic rituals). Together with the Simbang (shaman), the mediator between gods and humans who has protected the lives of Haenyeo for many years...

People who enter the sea and people who pray for that sea. They are the Haenyeo, who have lived their whole lives in the sea for their families, and the Simbang (shaman), who have watched over the lives of Haenyeo by their side for a long time. In Jeju, where it is said that 18,000 gods exist, every village has a Bonhyangdang (shrine) where guardian deities are enshrined. And centered around the Bonhyangdang, shamanic beliefs are still deeply rooted. Beyond a religious relationship, the Simbang and Haenyeo are beings that comprehensively embrace the livelihood in the Jeju sea, the female community, and local culture.

However, during the Saemaul Movement, due to the movement to eradicate superstition and social prejudice against shamanic beliefs, the Dang (shrines) and Simbang that existed in every village gradually disappeared. Furthermore, as the influx of the younger generation decreases and the population ages, the number of Haenyeo is decreasing by about 200 people every year. They are facing the crisis of disappearing amidst the changes in the community.

The program records the old rituals of the Jeju community that has lived with the sea and the stories of Haewon (resolving grievances) through the strong bond between Simbang Seo Sun-sil, who has walked the path of a Simbang for 45 years as a main Simbang of Gimnyeong and Haengwon Village, Simbang Song Yeong-mi, who in her late years took over the path of a Simbang which was her mother's position and is in her 5th year, and the Haenyeo 'Dang-gol' (devotees) who share warm affection. The broadcast is scheduled to be aired on KBS 1TV at 10 PM on Wednesday, October 14, when the 2026 Public Broadcasters International (PBI) Seoul General Assembly is held.

Haewon (解冤) means to release a resentful heart, which corresponds to the meaning of Haewon-gut, a ritual in shamanism that soothes the souls of the deceased and resolves their resentment. It contains the traditional meaning of Jeju shamanism, which comforts the hard lives of Haenyeo—who say they earn in this life what they lost in the afterlife—and their resentment.

Haenyeo's Sea: Please don't let my head be steamed

Every spring, in Jeju coastal villages, Jamsu-gut is held to pray for safety at sea and a bountiful harvest. Haenyeo prepare offerings with sincerity using the seafood they caught ahead of their diving. The Simbang comforts the hard lives of Haenyeo, who hold their breath and dive, saying they earn in this life what they lost in the afterlife. For the Dang-gol who have shared joys and sorrows in the village for about 50 years, the Simbang earnestly prays to the gods. To protect their well-being.

Death: When I think of my sister-in-law, I cannot work in the sea

The sister-in-law of Haenyeo Han Jeong-sun, who passed away while diving in the sea. Accidents at sea are unpredictable. When the accident occurred, the Haenyeo of Haengwon Village stopped working for two months and prayed to the gods. To comfort the dead soul and for the safety of the remaining Haenyeo, they offer sincerity to the Dragon King in the dawn when everyone is asleep.

The Jeju sea, where the weather changes moment by moment and is unpredictable. On days when they cannot work the sea fields, Haenyeo head to the land fields. The lives of Jeju women, who are responsible for their families' livelihoods, do not easily allow even a single day of rest. The only rest allowed to them is the time they go to the hospital for treatment. As 63% of Jeju Haenyeo are currently aged 70 or older, the number of Haenyeo is decreasing by 200 people every year.

Hardship: During the Saemaul Movement, they said they would give 30,000 won for reporting guts

Simbang Seo Sun-sil, who says she began attending gut sites from the age of fourteen along with her mother, who was a Simbang. She has undergone numerous hardships while walking the path of shamanism for 52 years. During the Saemaul Movement, the government blocked guts due to the movement to eradicate superstition and even offered a reward of 30,000 won to reporters. She recalls that in winter when the northwest wind blows, she had to overcome the cold deep in the mountains, and she performed guts while hiding in caves to prevent the smoke and sound from spreading outside.

As shamanic beliefs began to be socially persecuted, many village Dang (shrines) were destroyed. In the Bonhyangdang of Susan-ri, Seongsan-eup, Jeju, a decapitated Dang-sin (shrine deity) is enshrined. Village guts are still held in front of the Dang... There were even rumors that an outsider who cut the neck of the Dang and left died instantly at the village eogwitdam (stone wall). Amidst the harsh historical environment, the number of Dang and Simbang, which were the spiritual pillars of the village community, has significantly decreased.

Fate: Honestly, I didn't want to do it. Because I know the pain

Simbang Song Yeong-mi (49), who entered the path of shamanism at the late age of forty-five. Although she is following the lineage of her mother, who was a Simbang, it was a path she wanted to avoid. Her school days when she was teased for being the child of a Simbang. The hardships she experienced as shamanic beliefs were socially persecuted. Her mother, who attended guts for the Dang-gol, was always away from home, and that empty space was always sorrowful. Not wanting to leave such sorrow to her children, she sought various jobs such as working at marts, bus companies, and restaurants. However, as her mother passed away from a chronic illness, she re-entered the path of shamanism to keep the position for the village Dang-gol, and prepared her first requiem gut.

Promise: Ham-si-ra, ha-yeo-jin-da (Do it, you can do it)

“I didn't want to ruin that young child's life. I told her not to do it. Because she didn't attend (guts), her body began to ache. So when I see her, I feel sorry. If she had attended when her mother was alive, she would have become a great Simbang.”

Simbang Seo Sun-sil, who was a long-time colleague of Simbang Song Yeong-mi's mother. Although they have been close like an aunt and niece since Song Yeong-mi was young, she opposed her walking the path of a Simbang. Because she knew well that it is a very hard and lonely path. However, she could not turn away from her niece who suffered from Sinbyeong (spirit sickness), and above all, the will left by Song Yeong-mi's mother, asking her to take care of her daughter as she passed away from a chronic illness, remained like a responsibility. Seo Sun-sil decided to fill her mother's empty space. And she accompanied Song Yeong-mi at every gut site where she took her first steps into shamanism, like her mother's shadow. An aunt who became a companion whenever the disciple felt afraid, tired, or lonely. Sometimes like a disciple, sometimes like a daughter, she unreservedly passes on her 50 years of know-how.

Song Yeong-mi, who is steadily establishing herself as a reliable junior who carries on the vanishing traditional shamanism of Jeju and as a spiritual pillar for the village Dang-gol, while walking the hard path of a Simbang, Seo Sun-sil even became a Somi (a colleague who helps with the gut) for her. “Ham-si-ra, ha-yeo-jin-da (Do it, you can do it)” is the teacher's advice that encourages courage whenever the disciple is struggling and conflicted. It is a belief and a promise that if she does not worry too far ahead and lives today well, the gods will take good care of that path.

(Photo provided = KBS 1TV ‘Resolving Grievances, Her Sea’)

Read the original (Korean)