Documentary Empathy 'Catch the Giant Octopus, the Big Fish of the East Sea!' ▶ From a veteran captain with 18 years of experience to a rookie on his first fishing trip, the Cheonggyeongho crew is busy preparing for fishing from dawn. The 23-ton Cheonggyeongho, which has finished preparing for departure, sets sail under the darkness to catch the giant octopus. During the 4-hour sea journey, the crew can sleep, but Captain Kim Ki-ho guards the ship all night in case there is a collision. 6 of the 7 Cheonggyeongho crew members are Chinese. They range from a veteran crew member who has been in his 6th year to a rookie crew member who has been in Korea for 2 weeks... Wang Ha-yang, a rookie crew member who has seen the sea for the first time in his life. He completely collapsed from seasickness on his first day on the ship. ▶ 1,400 waits, harvesting the traps The giant octopus fishing operation involves tying 70 traps together in a frame, casting the net, and harvesting them after a week to ten days. During a 2-night, 3-day operation, there are as many as 20 fishing points visited, and the number of traps harvested per day reaches 1,400. There is a rope-raising machine to pull up the traps from a depth of 150 m, but to raise the traps from the bow, the crew has to bend down and lift them manually. Furthermore, each giant octopus trap weighs 10 kg, and when the weight of the water and octopus is added, it comes to about 60 kg. 70 traps on one frame! Their combined weight comes to about 4.2 tons. But if it were full of octopuses, my heart would be at ease... Recently, as the number of octopuses has decreased, if you take out one trap, you can only catch about 10 at most. ▶ Find the lost trap! The area where giant octopus fishing takes place is far out in the ocean, so the current is fast. The wind is strong, and waves as high as 2-3m are common. When the waves and wind get stronger, the traps and ropes become weapons that threaten the crew. If the rope breaks and bounces at people, or if you accidentally trip on the rope that goes down quickly when casting the net, it can be a serious problem. Captain Cheonggyeongho and the crew cannot let their guard down during the fishing operation. The traps that come up in the rough waves are bent here and there and are likely to burst. In addition, it is not uncommon for the traps to be lost because the lines break due to the bottom-scraping trawlers. If you lose one trap with 70 traps tied together, you lose about 4 million won. Even if they are fishing, they have to waste time looking for lost traps during the time they are not enough. However, finding a trap 150m deep is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. At this time, the captain's sense and experience are what help them find the lost traps in the vast ocean! ▶ The power that enables them to endure the hard work, family The only time the crew can rest is when they finish the fishing that lasts nearly 18 hours a day and go to their bedroom. The bedroom is a small space that is only half a pyeong (about 1.5 m) wide where they can lie down, but here they look at pictures of their families in China to relieve their longing. Family is the driving force that allows them to endure the hard work while leaving their hometown and living in an unfamiliar foreign land to raise their families. The captain of Cheonggyeongho not only guards the ship, but also takes responsibility for the livelihood of the crew members' families, so his shoulders are always heavy. It is good to have a full boat so that everyone can eat well and live well, but his dream is to work on the ship safely and healthily, just like yesterday, and just like today, tomorrow. ▶ Heading to the deeper Korea-Japan border waters in search of giant octopuses The Cheonggyeongho crew members are struggling to catch large octopuses. Captain Kim Ki-ho, who was worried about returning due to the worsening weather, instead of returning to the sea, heads to the EEZ of the Korea-Japan border waters to catch the giant octopus. This place, located 7 hours away from Yangpo Port, is a place that other ships rarely visit. It is said that large octopuses are often caught... The crew members who are pulling out the traps with high expectations let out cheers. As if to reward their long wait, a 45kg giant octopus was caught. Its body, which looks to be 2-3 times the size of an adult's head, and its legs, which are thicker than a person's forearm, fill the trap tightly, leaving no space. The giant octopus is so big that several crew members have to work together to lift it, as it is impossible to lift it alone! Only then does Captain Kim Ki-ho smile. Although the fishing continues from dawn to night, the appearance of the giant octopus makes the sailors feel excited about the hard work. The sailors of Cheonggyeongho dream of tomorrow while catching the giant octopus of the East Sea. Let's go on a 2-night, 3-day journey of catching giant octopus wi