Portraits of Jeju Haenyeo as models of empowerment in the Korean newspaper Maeilshinbo during Japanese

Abstract

In their article “Portraits of Jeju Haenyeo as Models of Empowerment in the Korean Newspaper Maeilshinbo during Japanese Occupation” Seohyeon Lee and Soon-ok Myong analyze the life of Korean women divers, Jeju Haenyeo, portrayed in the news articles of the Maeilshinbo, the only Korean newspaper during Japanese occupation (1910-1945). In the past, the activities of Haenyeo have been considered the cultural product of Jeju Island. However, within a structure of female repression, Confucian feudalism and colonization, the Haenyeo can be seen as emancipatory pioneers and voluntary economic agents, displaying initiative and pro-activeness and protecting their rights and interests by organizing a democratic decision-making body. From a proto-feminist perspective, the lives of Haenyeo, declared UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage, can function as models of empowerment to contemporary women.