Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Joan Vos MacDonald is a New York-based writer who covers Korean media.

Often likened to mermaids in media reports and popular culture, South Korea’s famed Haenyeo (“sea women”) spend much of the day underwater, diving without scuba gear to collect abalone, octopus, kelp ...

The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, are renowned for their ability to dive in frigid waters without the aid of breathing equipment -- even while pregnant. A study ...

The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, are renowned for their ability to dive in frigid waters without the aid of breathing equipment — even while pregnant. A study ...

Imprints of evolution can be seen among the Haenyeo of South Korea. After generations of foraging for food on the seabed, these all-women divers have fostered several genetic adaptations that allow ...

The Haenyeo women who dive deep into the East China Sea to harvest sea urchins and shellfish spend the most time underwater of any humans ever studied — one to five hours a day, researchers report ...

An upcoming untitled Apple TV+ feature documentary will cover elderly free divers known as "Korea's Mermaids," or "haenyeo." The untitled documentary film features the story of the legendary "haenyeo" ...

A department store buyer has become deeply fascinated by haenyeo, the traditional female divers of Jeju. Youngnam Kang, age 34, is a seafood buyer on the fresh food team at Shinsegae Department Store.

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Sept. 7 (UPI) --As the once inaccessible Arctic grows as a region of military concern under the effects of global warming, the U.S. military is confronted with the problem of ...

Korean actress Song Ji-hyo is swapping the film set for the depths of the seas. She is the center of Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-Hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure, a doc series from BBC Studios and JTBC. Across ...

A group of "haenyeo" female divers collects shellfish and marine life in waters off Wa Island in the city of Jeju on South Korea's largest island of the same name on July 8, 2025. The word haenyeo ...