Jeju-NU has provided a class of “Understanding of Haenyeo (diving women).” Professor Chulin Yoo has given this class online since 2012 in English. The class covers diverse aspects of Haenyeo such as the history and swimsuits of Haenyeo, as well as a comparison between Japanese and Korean diving ladies.
Professor Yoo mentioned the value of Haenyeo in an interview, “I selected Haenyeo as a window to look into Jeju. Haenyeo are closely related with the traditional culture and life in Jeju. Also I see Haenyeo’s fishery activity as economically sustainable. Haenyeo can dive into the sea only for a short amount of time and cannot catch many items in one day, which gives time for marine products to grow.”
He originally opened an online class of “Understanding of Haenyeo” in Korean in 2009 as the Ministry of Education requested schools to create an online class that could promote the local value of their regions. Then in 2011, he changed the contents of the class from Korean to English as a way to maintain his online class.
The interest in this class among students is hot. “I was worried about the number of students enrolling in this class when I first opened it. But it turned out that 171 students signed up. This semester, 595 students are taking this class. I got feedback from students that they liked it because they could learn about Haenyeo and study English at the same time.”
 
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