When I was at Jeju Island I saw this statue of a Haenyo. In Korea, these women are often referred to as the Mermaids of Jeju and Udo Islands. They can dive up to 20 meters, holding their breath for several minutes as they harvest the sea bed for abalone, sea urchin, octopus and seaweed.
Unfortunately it seems that the younger generation of females are opting out of this vocation and the haenyos are a dying breed.
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