Underpaid and overworked, lifeguards are in short supply

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Underpaid and overworked, lifeguards are in short supply

Published: 16 Jul. 2025, 15:42

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Around 20 civilian lifeguards from Haeundae Beach receive lifesaving training at the beach on July 14. [LEE EUN-JI]

At Haeundae Beach in Busan, lifeguards plunge into the waves under a punishing sun, hauling their bodies through rescue drills — all for little more than minimum wage.

As temperatures hit 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, 20 lifeguards pounded through two hours of rescue training, followed by land drills, before clocking in for six hours of beach patrol. For nine hours of grueling labor, they earn just 92,500 won ($66) a day — about 11,500 won per hour, barely above the legal minimum. On a five-day workweek, that comes out to a monthly wage of around 2.5 to 2.6 million won.

“It feels like passion pay,” said Jeong Woo-sung, 19, one of the lifeguards. “I'm doing this just to improve my swimming skills quickly.”

Despite its reputation as Korea’s most popular summer destination, Haeundae barely scraped together enough staff this year, hiring 65 lifeguards for Haeundae Beach and 35 for nearby Songjeong Beach — nearly all local college students majoring in physical education or leisure studies.

The shortage is even more acute in Gangwon, where local authorities failed to find enough recruits. Yangyang County recruited just 85 of the 99 lifeguards it needed across 21 beaches, while Goseong County hired 142 of a 150-person quota. Since beach safety was handed to local governments in 2015, lifeguard teams have been cobbled together on a seasonal basis, often relying on undertrained students.

Around 20 civilian lifeguards from Haeundae Beach receive lifesaving training at the beach on July 14. [LEE EUN-JI]

“These are temporary hires for the beach season, so pay is based on the standard for short-term workers,” said Kim Joo-hyun of the Haeundae District Tourism Facilities Management Office. “Lifeguards and part-time litter pickers are paid the same, so most lifeguards don’t return the next year.”

With 70 percent of lifeguards new to the job, safety concerns loom.

Choi, a 21-year-old university student and first-time lifeguard, admitted, “I’ve only been swimming for three months. We train for two to four hours a day, but I’m not sure I’d be able to handle a real emergency.”

Experts say the solution is clear: Professionalize the job.

“Only by institutionalizing the team as regular staff can we build up experience,” said Seo Min-jung, who helped launch Haeundae’s civilian lifeguard unit and has led it for 11 years. “Wages must be raised to match the job’s intensity.”

Seo also called for better equipment and facilities.

“Ocean rescue requires fins and wetsuits to prevent hypothermia, but current lifeguard certifications only involve indoor training without such gear,” she said. Seo urged the government to remodel the aging Haeundae Tourist Information Center into a professional underground training facility — and to support the transformation of lifeguards into a capable maritime safety force.