But after 24 years in the entertainment industry, the 43-year-old is undertaking the greatest challenge of her life, becoming one of South Korea’s legendary haenyeo (sea women).
Every day, these women dive up for seven hours a day without air apparatus or advanced equipment, to gather shellfish, seaweed and other sea life for their families and livelihood.
Speaking to theSun, she opens up about her passion for the cause, the intensive training she endured and her hope for viewers to take away from the documentary.
I decided to do a documentary on haenyeo because I wanted to experience their lives. I wanted to understand their lives as haenyeo because the focus is usually on what they do. The focus has not been on how they became haenyeo.
Would you say this differentiates Deep Dive Korea from other travel and diving series?
You will get to see how even when they are sad, happy, sick or have recently given birth, they still have to dive in for their survival. That kind of warrior type of lifestyle is what differentiates this entire show from just a mere travel programme.
I have never been afraid of water since I was young. But, the process of becoming a haenyeo was difficult. The process of getting used to the water and going down to the depth and finding something to harvest was difficult.
I was under the stress that if I did not perfect it, everyone would look down on haenyeo. So, I was being a perfectionist while training. But, I was mentally determined to be recognised as a haenyeo. So, this motivated me to keep going.
Yes. I was always afraid of incidents such as that because the sea is always dangerous. Whether you are prepared or not, the sea always invites some sort of danger. And so, definitely, I was under a lot of pressure, worrying “what if this happened, what if that happened?”
I saw a dolphin for the first time outside a cave. They were not enclosed and were freewheeling. On my arrival to Jeju and my day of departure, they were there – as if they were saying hi and goodbye.
What are some moments on the show that you will cherish?
Another unforgettable memory I have is how I got to learn so much about the underwater lifestyle while training to become a haenyeo. I learnt how they had their rules, orders and an entire community I was unaware of.
That was their way of communication – “Hey, I feed you a sea urchin. If you want more, let me know where I can find it.” So, that is when I realised this is the harmony of living with nature. We can live and co-exist together.
There was once I tried catching a sea urchin. I could not take it off and it got ripped. It then cracked open and the sea urchin was exposed. The fishes thought I was feeding it to them because they swam towards me.
What do you hope viewers take away about South Korea and the haenyeo community after watching the show?
It is a compromise with nature. They will only take whatever nature allows them to. So, that is why they do not use oxygen tanks when diving. This determination and appreciation for nature is what I want people to focus on and learn.
Do you hope to do this again?
Definitely! If they are doing season two, I want to do it. I am not satisfied yet as I have not mastered haenyeo truly. So, I want to continue myself.
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