In order to promote South Korean culture in China, the Korean Cultural Center in Beijing kicked off a two-week event on Friday.

Titled Haenyeo: Women of the Sea, the event includes an exhibition of photos from world famous South Korean photographer Hyung S. Kim and the well-known documentary film Breathing Underwater, directed by Koh Hee-young.

The activity coincides with the one-year anniversary of the inclusion of the female divers, or haenyeo, of South Korea's Jeju province as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. These female divers, many of whom are in their 80s, make their living by diving up to 10 meters underwater to collect sea urchins or abalone without the help of scuba tanks.

The exhibition aims to tell the stories of these women who live off the sea to highlight their strong personalities.

According to Koh, it took her seven years to finish the film, during which time she lived with the locals on Jeju Island recording their lives from the air and even underwater.

Hyung, the photographer behind the posters for popular South Korean dramas such as My Love from the Star and The Chaser, also spent considerable time on the island, documenting the lives of residents through photographs.

A selection of 20 photographs that Hyung took during her five years are on display.