Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @nytimes / I photographed the restored Hyangwonjeong pavilion at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. The pavilion was built in the 1880s by Gojong, the last king of the Joseon Dynasty. Many parts of the palace, originally built in 1395, were destroyed under Japanese colonial rule and in the Korean War in the 20th century. The work on the pavilion took four years and is part of a long-term project to restore the palace to new glory by 2045. I had the rare privilege of being allowed inside the pavilion while the restoration was in progress. When visiting the palace grounds on school field trips as a child, I felt a little bored. However, observing a master paper craftsman applying Hanji papers and seeing the elaborate patterns on the ceiling in the present day, I was in awe. As I grow older, I find that I appreciate my country’s traditions and heritage more and more. I hope Korea’s traditional masters and their crafts get the spotlight they deserve, as they are undoubtedly the foundation for the country’s more recent global, cultural successes. Many thanks to photo editor Jessie Schwartz for this assignment. You can read the article here.