-  Fourth world heritage to be acknowledged as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) in the field of fisheries - 

 

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister Cho Seung Hwan) announced that the Jeju Haenyeo Fisheries System was designated on November 10th (Friday) as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)* under the program managed by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

 * Identifies globally important agricultural, fisheries, and forestry heritage systems and related landscapes, biodiversity, and knowledge systems for the purpose of preserving traditional agricultural and fisheries systems, and designates them for conservation and sustainable management (78 sites in 24 countries, 6 sites in Korea, as of October 2023)

 

 

 Jeju Haenyeo fishing is a fishing practice that involves diving into the sea without the support of any mechanical equipment to collect seafood. In Korea, Haenyeo fisheries was designated Korea Important Fisheries Heritage No. 1 in 2015.

 

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has operated an advisory committee composed of experts in related fields such as traditional culture and biological conservation since May 2017 to promote global recognition of the Jeju Haenyeo Fishery System and supplemented related documentation over four rounds of review. In addition, the Ministry invited Professor Nobuyuki Yagi (University of Tokyo), a member of the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group of the FAO, to Korea for onsite consultation in May 2022 and provided ongoing support for the listing of Jeju Haenyeo fishing to the GIAHS program through such activities as communications via official letters*.

 * Toal of KRW 420 million (70% government funding) supported over three years (2017–2018, 2023)

 

 

 On October 6th, the Ministry held a meeting to call for domestic and international support for the designation of the Jeju Haenyeo Fisheries System as GIAHS by the FAO and to listen to the concerns and challenges of the haenyeo with the First Lady of Korea Kim Keon-hee in attendance.

 

 

 As a result of these efforts, the Jeju Haenyeo Fisheries System was recognized for its value and for the culture of community it sustains at the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group meeting held November 7th to 10th and finally inscribed as GIAHS by the FAO.