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, …
Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @nytimes / The coronavirus pandemic has largely put international travel on hold. Even when flights are available, many countries, including South Korea, now require a quarantine upon arrival. For international South Korean adoptees that found their birth family after years of searching, this stipulation has added another layer …
Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @nytimes / November is kimjang or kimchi making season in Korea. Traditionally, families and neighbors would come together to share the demanding task of preparing kimchi for the coming year. Kimjang was a communal and festive occasion, where people enjoyed the freshly made kimchi with …
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. …