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Ae-sun’s mother, Jeon Gwang-rye, dies after falling ill with diving sickness linked to her work as a Jeju haenyeo, the women divers who harvest seafood by free-diving. The series’ official Netflix material confirms her job but does not name a medical cause of death. The specific illness comes from a character synopsis and secondary plot reporting.
What happens to Gwang-rye
Gwang-rye is Ae-sun’s mother, and Netflix’s official description of the series identifies her as a Jeju haenyeo who dives for seafood. Her death is part of the early story that leaves young Ae-sun to grow up without her, and it shapes the emotional direction of the series from its opening episodes. Netflix Tudum’s show guide describes her haenyeo work, which includes free-diving for abalone and seaweed.
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The reported cause: diving sickness
The in-story cause of Gwang-rye’s illness is diving sickness. A Wikipedia-derived character synopsis, hosted on a mirror site, states that she became ill with it, and that character list is the source for the specific diagnosis. A TIME feature on IU and the series also connects her death to the physical hazards of the diving work. Read together, these sources describe the illness as a consequence of the dangerous labor that defines her life, not as an unrelated accident.
What the official sources do and do not say
Netflix’s public series page and release announcement establish the basic premise: Gwang-rye is a haenyeo, and her loss is central to Ae-sun’s early life. Netflix’s material does not give a cause of death, and it does not name a diagnosis. The diving-sickness detail therefore rests on secondary plot reporting, and it should be cited as such.
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Two points are not established by the sources. First, none of them describes the illness in medical terms, such as its progression or treatment within the show. Second, the diving-sickness link is a story detail, not a real-world medical statement about haenyeo divers. Any general claim about diving illness among haenyeo would need its own medical or historical source, and none is supplied here.
Why the death matters to the story
The death frames the rest of the series. Ae-sun is left young, and the loss is tied to the hardship of her mother’s work, which the series presents as both a family story and a record of Jeju’s diving culture. The series is set against that culture and the wider history of Korea.
Director Kim Won-suk described the approach in a TIME interview: “I think [the series] is an attempt to acknowledge that distinctive culture and history of Jeju people, and yet, at the same time, to incorporate the story into the larger, general history of Korea.” He also framed the work as a tribute to earlier generations: “This series is a tribute to past generations of our fathers and mothers, and it’s also an anthem of encouragement for the daughters and sons who will now navigate the world ahead.” Both quotes come from the TIME feature on IU and the series.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to watch
The series is available on Netflix. The official Netflix series page lists the episodes. Netflix’s release announcement says it premiered on March 7, and that date is the one to use when citing the premiere.
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