Documentary Empathy - Hanging a Hope on the Single Line of Tuna Fishing in Geomundo ▣ A Welcome Guest in the Sea of ​​Geomundo, Tuna A two-hour speedboat ride from Yeosu reveals a beautiful island in the middle of the blue sea. It is Geomundo, an island at the end of the southern coast. Since ancient times, people from Namhae have visited Geomundo to treat their honored guests. Their sole purpose was to buy tuna from Geomundo. Tuna, which starts to taste good in the fall, becomes plump and fattest in the winter. Among Chujado, Cheongsando, and Naro Island, tuna from Geomundo has been the tastiest. When I was young, one tuna was worth a sack of rice. ▣ Where have all the tuna from Geomundo, the treasures of the winter sea, gone? In the early morning, tuna fishing boats head out to the sea in competition at Geomundo Port, where darkness still falls. The tuna fishing boats from Geomundo are characterized by the fact that the captain works alone. The ship of the protagonist, Kang Gil-moon (61), also goes out to sea. They cast a line with 70 fishing hooks with silver plastic resembling anchovies, and when they quickly run through the water, tuna will bite them thinking they are anchovies. This is the traditional tuna catching method of Geomundo. It is much harder than catching with a net, but it is possible to catch fresh and flawless tuna. Last year at this time, Geomundo had a bumper tuna harvest. When we went out on a boat, we would catch at least 20 to 30, but this year, for some reason, there aren't many tuna. In addition, the price of tuna has dropped sharply because trawl fishing boats have been catching tuna in large quantities in the nearby sea. So where did all the tuna from Geomundo go? ▣ Geomundo, once called 'Money Island' Geomundo has long been one of the three largest fishing grounds in the country along with Cheongsando and Heuksando, and was a forward base for the fishing industry from the 1930s to the late 1970s, where mackerel and tuna sales were held. It was so abundant that even dogs passing by would carry money in their beaks, so it was called Money Island. In particular, the quality of Geomundo tuna was so excellent that it was exported entirely to Japan. We hear the vivid testimony of 82-year-old Kim Bok-nam, who traveled the seas of Geomundo to catch tuna at the time. ▣ A fisherman's winter, fishing for hope with a single line Kang Gil-moon, who goes out to sea twice a day to catch tuna, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, cannot let go of the fishing line he has lowered below the water's surface. This is because he never knows when the tuna will bite. After holding a single line weighing about 100 kg for six hours, his hands cramp up and his whole body aches. But that heavy single line also becomes a strong support for Kang Gil-moon on days when the waves crash and the boat rocks. And as long as he doesn’t let go of the single line or give up fishing, there is always a big tuna waiting for him at the end. Life is the same. Even if things don’t go as planned, if you don’t give up and live diligently, a good day will come someday. Kang Gil-moon places his life’s hope on his single fishing line with that one belief. #Geomundo #TunaCatching #MoneyIsland ✔KBS 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 differ slightly depending on the time of broadcast. ∙Defamatory or malicious comments may be deleted by the operator to protect the performer.