Spatial transformation and functions of bulteok as space for haenyeo on Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract

Bulteok is a unique outdoor stone structure used by haenyeo – female divers who harvest marine products – and is representative of the haenyeo culture on Jeju Island, Korea. This study aims at examining the structure, form, function, and spatial transformation of bulteok on Jeju Island. Through historical records, literature reviews, and field surveys, this study has identified their structure, form and materials. The study analyzes their function and spatial characteristics through field surveys and measurement, interviews with 12 haenyeo, and observation of their behavior at bulteok on Udo Island, Jeju Province. The original bulteok are open-air structures with no roof, but new buildings for haenyeo have been constructed as replacements for those spaces. Old bulteok were mostly built in the form of a rectangle or a circle by piling up stones found on the coast. The materials of the bulteok researched are categorized into four types based on the wall enclosing the fire space: natural rock-hole, stone only, stone and cement, and stone and brick. Bulteok function as spaces for community life, changing of clothes by haenyeo, protection from weather, work activities, and training.