Life after a Korean Family Reunion for Der Spiegel

Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @spiegelmagazin / 2020 marked the 70th anniversary since the Korean War broke out. Although an armistice was declared in 1953, the two Koreas technically remain at war until today and continue to live with the aftermath of the conflict. At the time, not only 3 million people — mostly …

South Korea’s Hiking Culture for the Economist

Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @theeconomist / In October, I set out for Seoraksan mountain in the Gangwon Province together with Lena Schipper, the Economist’s Seoul Bureau Chief. We profiled South Korea’s hiking culture, which, as Lena writes in her piece, “reflects its social pressures and offers a reprieve from them.” View this …

How to Live with the Virus for Bloomberg Businessweek

Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @businessweek / In November I joined Bloomberg’s Matt Campbell on a 5-day journey to report on South Korea’s relative success against COVID-19. We interviewed restaurant and pub owners in a popular nightlife district in Seoul, a scientist at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the health minister, …

South Korea’s Covid-19 Contact Tracing for Le Monde

Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @lemondefr / In late November, I spent an afternoon following two public officers from the Seocho District Office in southern Seoul. These officers work as epidemiological investigators at the frontline of South Korea’s battle against Covid-19. The country has contained the coronavirus through aggressive testing and contact tracing, …