JEJU HAENYEO with David Alan Harvey

December 8, 2017 - Jeju is home to the world-famous haenyeo, female divers who gather marine goods for a living. These women have received considerable attention from around the globe. The haenyeo symbolize Jeju women, their unyielding spirit and lead role in boosting the Jeju economy. UNESCO designated Jeju haenyeo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Magnum Photographer David Alan Harvey stayed in Jeju for about a month and found inspiration in the Jeju haenyeo.

David Alan Harvey (June 6, 1944) is an American Photographer based in North Carolina and New York City. Harvey has been a member of the Magnum Photos Agency since 1967. He has photographed extensively for National Geographic magazine and in 1978 was named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association. Harvey is the publisher and editor of Burn Magazine, an online publication featuring the work of emerging photographers.

Photographer’s Afterword: “I was amazed every morning by these strong willed women, it’s clearly hard physical work and yet the women seem happy and are constantly joking and laughing with each other... I stayed in Jeju for about a month and continued to be inspired by haenyeo every day. I wanted to give a very special and humble thank you to all haenyeo who made me feel at home. I came to admire their resilience, free spirit, sense of humor, and warmth. These women divers showed me a whole new world. Bobbing around out there in the frigid Pacific on their little foam floats and then kicking down without oxygen tanks to pick up a few abalones of the ocean floor was simply something to witness. I was so honored to be in their presence.”

For more information, please visit the link below: