South Korea’s ‘sea women’ seek justice after marine habitat devastated by harbor work

In Guman-ri, South Korea, elderly haenyeo divers who have harvested abalone and sea snails by hand for over fifty years say a government-backed harbor expansion destroyed the marine habitat they depend on. Construction by Ssangyong Engineering & Construction, begun in 2021 to expand breakwaters, coincided with the collapse of a protected marine ecosystem that once yielded a bounty of shellfish and seaweed; by 2025, villagers describe cement debris where a seabed once thrived.

Fifty-three haenyeo across two villages lost their livelihoods after seven elderly fishermen, who did not consult the divers, endorsed the original 2017 government proposal without understanding its consequences. In June, dozens of divers in their 60s to 80s traveled to Seoul and staged a two-day sit-in outside Ssangyong's headquarters, sleeping on the street and demanding compensation from a company that posted a $112 million profit last year.

Ssangyong has since offered an out-of-court settlement that the divers describe as barely covering their trip's costs. They are weighing whether to accept it rather than pursue a lawsuit they may not have the years or money to win.

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