South Korean star Song Ji Hyo shares how training with Jeju female divers helped her appreciate her work

If you're like me and grew up watching K-variety shows, you're probably used to seeing South Korean actress Song Ji Hyo running across your screen.

You know, because she's a Running Man cast member?

Puns aside, she’s now trading her running shoes for flippers and taking the plunge — literally — into the world of freediving, as she joins a spirited group of haenyeo.

For those unfamiliar, haenyeo are female freedivers from South Korea’s Jeju Island who harvest seafood without using diving equipment or breathing apparatus.

You might recognise them from the recently popular drama "When Life Gives You Tangerines".

Or you might not — and that’s okay, because Song's new docu-series featuring her adventure with the haenyeo just premiered on BBC Earth and BBC Player on May 11.

During a press tour in Kuala Lumpur to promote the series, I had the chance to interview Song (albeit over Zoom) to learn more about her month-long experience training with these legendary divers.

I may or may not have squealed in excitement when I found out I’d be interviewing Song.

Why haenyeo?

My first question to Song was: Why did she decide to take on the challenge?

Speaking through a translator, Song candidly shared that she was feeling “bored” with her routine after a 25-year-long acting career.

"So I had been always craving for something more challenging, something new."

Haenyeo, however, weren’t entirely unfamiliar to Song. She grew up in a coastal town and had an aunt who worked as a haenyeo.

Still, this would be her first time experiencing the job firsthand.

Growing up with a competitive swimmer for a mother, Song was comfortable in the water — but she knew freediving was a completely different challenge.

How was the experience?

Song shared that one particularly difficult moment was when her body could no longer keep up with her mental determination.

"My body wasn't able to handle the progress anymore. So I was in the weak mindset that you know, why can't I do better than this?" Song said.

It even reached a point where she developed hypothermia after one of her dives.

Listening to her describe it, the experience sounded gruelling to me as someone who can't even swim in a pool, let alone freedive in the ocean.

But the tenacious actress is clearly in a league of her own.

She shared that after beating herself up over regrets, she eventually confronted her own limitations and decided not to be "greedy".

Instead, she just went with the flow.

Spoiler alert: She eventually managed to dive 10 metres — a feat that places her at the middle rank in the haenyeo hierarchy (which includes high, middle, and low ranks).

Any fond memories?

When asked about her favourite memory, Song paused thoughtfully before smiling.

She explained that viewers will see this moment in episode two of the series, where she and the group of haenyeo harvested sea urchins together and relocated them to help them "grow faster and better".

After completing the task, they came up and ate together. Song recalled how the haenyeo treated her not as the "celebrity Song Ji Hyo", but simply as one of their own.

"They were ordering me to 'bring this, bring that, and do this, do that' but through these, I felt a communal spirit," she said.

She felt like she was a part of the group.

How did the experience change her?

Song may have entered the experience feeling bored and disengaged in her career, but what she found was a renewed sense of appreciation for her job.

"The haenyeo start their day as freediving, and then in the afternoon, they're a farmer. In the evening, they're a mother taking care of their family. Then they sleep for a few hours, and they wake up and repeat the entire routine again," Song said.

"So I got to learn their strength, their determination, their survival, and attitude towards their life. All through four seasons, they repeat the same routine, and they don't complain at all."

Watching the haenyeo work so tirelessly taught Song to be more grateful and to "thank every little moment," she said.

Now, whenever she's faced with hard times, she reminds herself: if the haenyeo can do it, I can do it too.

What should viewers look out for?

Song didn't hesitate when I asked what viewers should look out for in the series.

While the main focus of the docu-series is to introduce South Korea’s cultural heritage through the lens of the haenyeo, Song also hopes viewers appreciate the natural world depicted throughout the show.

It is nature, she said, that allows the haenyeo to continue their work.

To preserve this sacred profession, Mother Nature must be protected, she added.

"So I want people to also know through this documentary that it is important for us to save the trash, for example, and protect the sea so that we can preserve this job called haenyeos and all the loving creatures in the sea."

While our conversation was short, it was palpable that Song held deep appreciation for the haenyeo and looked back at her experience fondly.

“Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure” is now available to stream on BBC Player.

You can also catch the series on BBC Earth every Sunday at 9:00pm, starting May 11, via Singtel (Channel 203) and StarHub (Channel 407).

Top photos courtesy of BBC Studios