BBC Studios and Korean media company JTBC are to co-produce Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-Hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure for JTBC in South Korea and BBC Earth across Asia (as 3×48’), marking the first time they have partnered on an original production and BBC Studios Asia’s first co-production in Korea.
Across three episodes, Korean star Song Ji-hyo will undertake the greatest challenge of her life: free diving with the legendary haenyeo female underwater sea fishers, who she feels a special connection to. The haenyeo are keepers of a precious tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation for at least 400 years. Every day these incredible women, many of whom are in their 80s, risk their lives by plunging up to 20 metres to the seafloor without oxygen masks or advanced equipment, to gather shellfish for their families and for their livelihood.
Song Ji-hyo will undergo the intensive training necessary to become one of Korea’s legendary sea women. Her mother was a former swimming athlete and her aunt was a haenyeo. Most haenyeo start their training in the sea at the age of eight but Song Ji-hyo, in her 40s, will have to cram over 30 years’ worth of training into just a month.
The haenyeo’s Jeju Island has been declared one of the seven natural wonders of the world, with 368 mountains and more than 160 underground lava tubes.
Song Ji-Hyo is known across Asia, for Running Man, Korea’s longest running variety show, and as an actress (Intruder, 2020, Was It Love?, 2020) For years, she was the only female cast member in Running Man, holding her own in physical challenges against the men.
Ryan Shiotani, Senior Vice President of Content at BBC Studios Asia, says: “We recognise the importance of Korea as a leading content producer and collaborator, and we’re excited to take our first steps into co-production with leading broadcaster JTBC and with the support of KOCCA. We have ambitious plans to strengthen and evolve our relationships with partners in Asia and to bring more Asian stories to the rest of the world.”
Lee Dong-hee, Managing Director of SAY, JTBC’s unscripted studio, says: “This documentary is a significant opportunity for JTBC to introduce Korea’s precious cultural heritage to the global stage. The Haenyeo of Jeju live a unique life where tradition and nature come together, and we are thrilled to share their story with an international audience. We plan to set a new paradigm for international content production moving forward.”
Song Ji-hyo also says: “I’m incredibly excited to be part of a project that brings together JTBC and BBC Studios . After over 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’m looking forward to pushing beyond the limits I’ve felt, and this project could be that chance. It’s more than simply stepping into the shoes of a Haenyeo—it’s about truly immersing myself in their authentic way of life and evolving through that shared journey.”
JTBC, one of Korean content powerhouses, is known globally for hits on Netflix such as Itaewon Class, Single’s Inferno, as well as for Shaman and My Sibling’s Romance in Korea.
BBC Earth offers documentaries in the natural history, science, and travel and adventure genres to an audience of 60 million across Asia. It tells the definitive stories about our world, inviting people to fall in love with our planet through compelling storytelling. Deep Dive Korea: Song Ji-Hyo’s Haenyeo Adventure joins BBC Earth’s acclaimed line up of travel and adventure content and will premiere in its new ‘Asia Hour’ every Sunday from 9pm SGT.
BBC Studios Asia is committed to creating more Asia-related content through close collaborations with local production companies and has separately agreed a MOU with KOCCA to develop and co-produce new documentary projects with local independent production companies.
Jeju’s haenyeo culture was recognised for its unique cultural value and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
Pippa Considine
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