About me

The story begins with my roots in Jeju, the island at the far southwest part of South Korea. Jeju-do(Jeju Island) is my 2nd hometown, where I spent most of my childhood with my grandparents. I grew up in a small fishing village on the eastern side of Jeju Island, near Seongsan Ilchubong (Seongsan Sunrise Peak).

My grandmother was a Haenyeo(해녀), a female diver, harvesting seashells and octopus. I grew up eating fresh seafood straight from her catch every day until I moved to the mainland for elementary school. I still remember going down to a seashore near my grandparents' home and swimming in the shallow rocky beach and picking sea snails with my tiny hands while she was diving with other women in the collective.

At the time, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to grow up in that environment. As a child, I actually disliked living in a seaside village. I hated my slightly tanned skin, which I thought marked me as a “country kid.” Long after both my grandmother and father had passed away, I rarely visited Jeju than before, but at some point, my heart felt uncomfortable when I heard that the number of Haenyeo was declining because younger generations left the island, and climate change was taking its toll on the ocean. Even worse, the marine life the Haenyeo depended on grew scarcer, threatening both their livelihoods and their traditions.

In 2023, I began work to support sustainability projects that honor and preserve the culture of the Haenyeo. Through collaborations with local villages and small Jeju-based brands, I am working to help revitalize and sustain this precious island—the homeland of my grandparents, and the place that shaped who I am today.