Honorable Mention TOKYO-2017 Editorial / Personality

Jeju Haenyeo Women Divers

  • Photographer
    William Lee

This woman is my friend and she's a Haenyo, a female diver from the Korean province of Jeju. This was shot early in the morning and she was going out to catch fish. This shot means a lot to me because it shows hard work. She's trying to save a tradition that has been practiced for a long time by the women of Jeju. She's going out early in the morning and catching fish. Most of the women are old but she's the only young one. Unlike most people that catch seafood today, she's doing things in an old-fashion way. I give her my respect because she's doing something she believes in. She's working hard to save a tradition that's fading away.