Photo and reporting by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @nytimes. In early September, I thought about how Covid-19 would impact Chuseok, South Korea’s most important holiday and a rough equivalent of Thanksgiving in the U.S.

During a normal Chuseok, millions of Koreans travel to their hometowns, clean their ancestors’ tombs and share ritual food together. However, after another spike in Covid-19 cases from a right-wing protest in central Seoul in August, the South Korean government advised against travel this year in order to further prevent the spread of Covid.

For this assignment, I went to a graveyard and photographed people who had come to do Seongmyo – paying respect to their ancestors – two weeks ahead of Chuseok to avoid crowds. I also interviewed a family who had cancelled their reunion for the holiday. I tried to capture the pervasive sense of anxiety and isolation that we all share.

In addition to providing the photographs, this is my first reporting byline for @nytimes. I’m thrilled to have had greater ownership of the story and be recognized for it. Many thanks to @mikkotakkunen for accepting my pitch and trusting me with this story. Kudos to Mike Ives who wrote the article in Hong Kong and to M for all the support throughout.

I would also like to thank my interviewees and those who allowed me to photograph them. You can read the story here.