Places & Food

A Gurongpo Haenyeo Among the World's Top 100 Women: Pohang Fishing Village Travel Guide

AI-generated fishing harbor on Korea's east coast with orange buoys, rope and nets on the quay and small boats moored behind. White lines trace the buoys, with the handwritten note morning at the harbor.

AT A GLANCE

News
Seong Jeong-hee, head of the Gurongpo fishing village association, named to the FAO's 100 women list (announced Oct 15)
Place
Guryongpo-eup, Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang
See
Gurongpo Japanese House Street (free, always open), Gurongpo Modern History Museum (free)
Museum
10:00–17:30 (last entry 17:20), closed Mondays, 054-276-9605
Gwamegi
2025–26 season output 3,206 t; this year's batch is about to ship

A haenyeo, one of Korea’s traditional women free-divers, from Gurongpo in Pohang is the only Korean named to the FAO’s list of 100 women talents. Seong Jeong-hee has been diving for about 40 years and heads the Gurongpo fishing village association. Here is her story, plus places to visit in the village and news on gwamegi, the local winter specialty. Checked on 2026-10-22.

The hero image is AI-generated and is not a photo of a real place.

Who is Seong Jeong-hee?

According to Herald Business, Seong has worked as a haenyeo for about 40 years and now serves as head of the Gurongpo fishing village association and president of the Gyeongbuk Haenyeo Association. On October 15 the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced that she is the only Korean on the FAO’s list of 100 women talents in agrifood systems and rural and fisheries development. About 600 nominees from FAO member countries were narrowed to 100, to mark 2026 as the UN’s International Year of the Woman Farmer and Fisher.

Per the Kyunghyang Shinmun, in 2021 she became the first haenyeo in North Gyeongsang to serve as a fishing village association head. She set up a direct-sales outlet in Gurongpo, the Haenyeo Welfare Business Town, where haenyeo sell to consumers and set their own seafood prices. According to Munhwa Ilbo, when the Gyeongbuk Haenyeo Association launched in September 2023, she was elected its first president by unanimous vote. The association has about 100 members, mainly from Gurongpo and Homigot, plus divers from Gyeongju and Yeongdeok.

Meet the haenyeo’s seafood at the direct-sales outlet. It is in Guryongpo-eup. Ask the town office or the fishing village association about its hours before you go.

A half-day route in Gurongpo

Marker illustration of an old wooden house, a harbor boat and a seashell joined by a dotted line, labeled half-day route

  • Gurongpo Japanese House Street: around 277 Homi-ro, Guryongpo-eup. 47 Japanese-style wooden buildings remain, and it was the setting of the drama When the Camellia Blooms. Entry and parking are free and it is always open. It is also a place that shows the history of fishing-rights exploitation under Japanese rule.
  • Gurongpo Modern History Museum: a restored two-story Japanese wooden house built in the 1920s by Hashimoto Zenkichi, from Kagawa, Japan. Pohang bought and restored it in 2010 and opened it as a museum, and the second floor introduces the house street. Entry is free, open 10:00–17:30 (last entry 17:20) and closed Mondays. The address is 153-1 Guryongpo-gil, phone 054-276-9605. Guides in English, Japanese and Chinese are available with advance booking.
  • Nearby: the Gurongpo Gwamegi Culture Center, the Pieora Stairs media art, the Gurongpo columnar joints, the Gurongpo Living Culture Center (Ara Art Village) and the harbor. Furusatoya, a Japanese house, is now a teahouse offering yukata experiences.

Gwamegi news

According to Gyeongbuk Maeil (October 18), Gurongpo’s gwamegi output in the 2025–26 season was 3,206 tonnes with sales of ₩91.5 billion, up 50.7% and 19.1% on the year before. 156 companies are registered with the Gurongpo Gwamegi Cooperative. This year, catches of ocean-caught saury (the fish gwamegi is made from) are weak, raising worries about raw material, and Pohang plans to secure Taiwanese saury imports to steady supply. With this year’s gwamegi about to ship, check with a seller whether sales have started before you go.

Good for / not for

Good for

  • Anyone who likes seaside alley walks and photos
  • People interested in Korean modern history and architecture
  • Anyone who prefers a quieter fishing village to a crowded sight

FAQ

Is the Modern History Museum free? Yes. It is open 10:00–17:30 (last entry 17:20) and closed Mondays.

Is there an entry fee for the Japanese House Street? No. Parking is free and it is always open.

What award did Seong Jeong-hee get? It is not an award but a selection to the FAO’s list of 100 women talents, announced by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on October 15.

For more autumn food trips, see our autumn food festival trip post and the autumn festival calendar.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-22. Opening hours can change.