Song Ji-hyo becomes 'haenyeo' in JTBC-BBC’s groundbreaking documentary

Actor Song Ji-hyo, center, sings with a group of 'haenyeo' (traditional female divers) during a press conference for JTBC-BBC's documentary "Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure" at the Stanford Hotel in Mapo District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of JTBC

Actor Song Ji-hyo takes on the challenge of becoming a "haenyeo" (Korean female diver) in Jeju in the JTBC-BBC joint documentary series "Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure."

In the three-part documentary, the first co-production between a Korean TV network and U.K.'s BBC Studios, Song — best known for her appearance in Korea's longest running variety show "Running Man" — will free dive alongside the legendary veteran female divers of the sea with whom she shares a unique bond.

Jeju’s haenyeo culture, with a history dating back at least 400 years, was recognized for its unique cultural value and was listed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. They are remarkable women who, even into their 80s, dive as far as 20 meters without oxygen masks or modern equipment to collect shellfish that support both their families and their way of life.

Recently, the Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines" featured the story of the haenyeo, drawing significant public interest.

The actor, whose mother was a former swimming athlete and aunt was a haenyeo, recalled the moment she received the project proposal. “I immediately felt like it was meant for me. I wanted to do it so much that I hoped no one else would take it if I couldn’t,” she said during a press conference Thursday at the Stanford Hotel in Mapo District, Seoul.

“Even though I’ve been on ‘Running Man’ for over 10 years, I wasn’t finding much joy in the set, in acting or in my own life. I started to question whether I should keep acting in the same routine. Just as I was feeling uncertain about my patterns, this documentary came along, and it was about haenyeo and the sea. It felt like fate.”

A promotional photo for the joint JTBC-BBC documentary "Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure" / Courtesy of JTBC

She said she spent two months living as a haenyeo off Hado-ri, home to the largest population of haenyeo in Jeju. The average age of the haenyeo there is over 70, and Song’s diving mentor is haenyeo Park Mi-jung.

Park expressed her admiration for Song. “She’s a celebrity, and on ‘Running Man’, she seemed so gentle. I worried whether she could really be a haenyeo, but she turned out to be a completely different, ‘real haenyeo’ Song Ji-hyo.”

Song shared that training to become a haenyeo was difficult. "Especially the most basic, physical things were tough. To start diving at 6 a.m., I had to be there by 4 a.m. Also, I developed hypothermia while going into the water," Song said. "I’ve always lived with the mindset that there’s nothing I can’t do, but I realized there really are things you can’t do just by thinking you can. My mental strength broke down, and it was really hard."

Discussing the co-production of the documentary, Huh Jin, content production director at JTBC, said the BBC showed interest in haenyeo first.

"At that time, the BBC said they wanted to approach Korean haenyeo in a friendly way and specifically mentioned Song Ji-hyo first. We thought hard about how to present something new," he said.

However, Huh said the co-producing was challenging. "The language, culture and processes were all different. Even so, we shared the same thoughts about making a sincere program through our mutual understanding of the unique haenyeo culture," he said.

He also described the production’s focus, saying, "We directed the show hoping that viewers would empathize with Song’s strong spirit and way of life as she becomes a haenyeo, and feel a sense of closeness with the haenyeo."

Regarding the differences with "When Life Gives You Tangerines," Song emphasized that, unlike the drama, which touches a bit on the pain and hardships of the haenyeo, her documentary project tells the story of the strong women of Jeju in much greater detail.

"I think if you watch our project and then watch the drama, you’ll understand it even better. Even if you watch them in the opposite order, you’ll come to understand why haenyeo, whose work is so tough, don’t want to pass it down to their children. If the success of (the drama) rubs off on us even a little, that would be a good thing."

"Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure" will premiere at 12:01 a.m. Friday.