Alix’s Reviews > Mindy Kim and the Fun Family Vacation > Status Update

Diving is a tradition that’s been around Jeju for over a thousand years. It used to be done by both men and women, but over the last few centuries, a lot of men died at sea or at war, and it became a job that women took over to feed their families.

Some haenyeo can dive as deep as sixty feet into the ocean without any equipment. They can only do this because they’ve trained for many decades, starting from when they were young children.

Haenyeo- divers who are like real-life mermaids. They swim deep into the water and catch conchs, abalones, and other sea animals for food.

A long time ago, Jeju used to be its own country, so it has its own language, which is similar to Korean.

Ex) Harabeoji - means “grandfather” in Korean
Hareubang - means “grandfather” in Jeju-mal

Hareubang - guardian statues that you’ll find all over the island, especially at doors or other entrances.

Hallasan - biggest mountain in South Korea

How did Jeju form?
It was made by underwater volcanoes that erupted two million years ago! There are more than three hundred and sixty extinct volcanoes on the island, but the biggest one, Hallasan, makes up most of the island.