Meet the Brave Haenyeo Under the Sea!
Workshop 오미경 (Oh Mikyeong)
Through storytelling and a hands-on clay activity, this workshop introduces children to the life of the haenyeo—Korean female divers known for their strength, independence, and deep connection to the sea and family. Participants will explore the culture and daily life of haenyeos and create their own clay haenyeo figures to deepen their engagement with the story.
오미경 (Oh Mikyeong) (Korea)
Oh Mikyeong began her career as a children’s writer in 1998 when her middle-grade novella The Shoe Ghost Tree won a competition hosted by the Farmers Newspaper. In 2012, her full-length children's novel Family in Adolescence received the Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award of the Year.
She finds great joy in writing stories that deeply explore the hearts of children and in becoming their friend through her books. Throughout her career, she has written picture books, children's stories, and young adult novels that explore themes such as the environment, dreams, the love and meaning of family, death, and Haenyeo (female divers). She hopes to continue writing engaging and heartfelt stories that inspire children to grow up healthy, bright, and confident.
Her picture book A Granny Diver intertwines the legend of the selkie, a seal fairy from Northern European folklore, with the story of Jeju Island’s Haenyeo. It depicts the ever-changing sea, a grandmother who bravely and skillfully dives like a seal, and her granddaughter, who anxiously watches over her, fearing the loss of her beloved grandmother.
Programme dates and times are subject to change.