■ Winter stories of the people of Oyster Village - Dongam Village, Tongyeong The oysters produced in the seas off Tongyeong, Geoje, and Goseong amount to 28,000 tons a year, which accounts for 70% of the oyster production in Korea. The story of the mothers of Park Shin-jang in Dongam Village, Nammyeon, who stand for 12 hours a day to shuck oysters. We will be with the people of Oyster Village for their passionate 72 hours. ■ The hot winter of Park Shin-jang in Dongam Village, an oyster shucking village In November, when the beginning of winter begins, there is a saying that if you want to find a woman in Tongyeong, go to Park Shin-jang. Many women gather at Park Shin-jang around this time when demand for oysters skyrockets for the kimchi season. Shucking oysters is hard work that requires standing for 12 hours a day, but if you have good manual dexterity, you can make money without any special skills. Shucking oysters has been a solid means of livelihood for the women of Tongyeong who have to support their children. Even this winter, when oysters are abundant, one in three mothers, or approximately 8,000 mothers, are working at the oyster farms. Among them, Dongam Village in Dongdal-ri, Yongnam-myeon is a representative oyster village with 11 oyster farms located right next to each other. With over 200 mothers commuting to and from work, this is the workplace of the so-called “oyster freelancers,” and their heated stories of shelling oysters for 12 hours a day begin. ■ From oyster freelancers to golden carriages, a unique sight in Tongyeong in winter A unique sight that can only be seen in Tongyeong in winter unfolds from 4 a.m. In the pitch-black night, a yellow van crosses downtown Tongyeong, transporting oyster mothers one by one. This vehicle is the oyster farm’s dedicated commuter bus. However, the mothers riding the oyster bus look unique. They are wearing masks, rubber gloves, mussel baskets, and tacky lace gloves, so unique that outsiders might mistake them for beggars. Another unusual sight is the mobile mart called the 'Golden Carriage'. All the women of Tongyeong gather at Baksinjang, so it is hard to find people in the village. The Golden Carriage sells various items such as rubber gloves, vegetables, tables, and daily necessities and comes every other day. The most popular people are the fruit vendor Ahn Chang-gyu, the table seller Jeong Yun-gi, and the rubber glove man who dries wet hands. We introduce an unusual sight that can only be seen in the Tongyeong Oyster Village in the winter. ■ When a mother goes to dig oysters in the shade of an island, she stands all day to open the oysters that are like chunks of ice that she pulled out of the cold sea for 12 hours a day, and her hands become numb and her whole body tingles. That is why there is no mother who does not suffer from occupational diseases among the mothers working at Baksinjang. Nevertheless, the reason they silently endure this difficult labor is because of their undying maternal love for their children. A 77-year-old grandmother working to pay for her grandchild’s tuition, a 60-year-old woman who hurt her back but is preparing for retirement without relying on her children, and young women in their 30s and 40s who are thinking of their mothers and becoming real mothers. They are all strong mothers who jumped into action for their children, even though they are all different in age and appearance. Grandmother Park Soon-am, who makes sackcloth in front of the village, is also like our mothers in the past who devoted their lives to supporting their children. We meet the passionate maternal love of these mothers. Also, a sad story of the people of Gul Village that no one knew about. The heartbreaking story of Park Shin-jang, Kim Jin-yeol, and Moon Shin-sun, who always live with bright smiles but have unbearable wounds behind them, unfolds. “We raised our babies by breastfeeding them… When we go to work at sea, our breasts get sore that it hurts. Then I think, ‘My baby must be crying.’” “I feel precious and grateful to Gul. I earn this money to buy pretty things for my grandchildren. It’s a great pleasure for me. I enjoy working.” ※ This video is [Documentary 3 Days] aired on November 27, 2011. #Tongyeong #Sea #Winter #Tongyeong Oysters ✔KBS is Documentary KBS Official YouTube Channel [KBS Documentary] 🔔Subscribe👍Like➡️ / @kbsdocumentary 📝Contact: [email protected] Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI training) are prohibited. ∙Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI training) are prohibited. ∙The current situation and content may be slightly different depending on the time of broadcast. ∙Defamatory and malicious comments may be deleted by the operator to protect the cast.