South Korea she waits frozen in the Seoul of my mother in 1978 my grandfather rests in peace in a skyline that was once my father’s playground of trees each year she draws a line on the door frame to mark her growth since the war with her name the bitter disputes of republics past and assassinations and cold war nations didn’t last Now she stands tall but in pain prosperity flowing through her veins while her people waste on vanity in vain She waits for me for my plane I hear her say Discover me not my past not my today but find in me what you lost along your way
seoul, south korea
destination south korea
seoul, south korea 1950
background South Korea has gone through an unprecedented rapid change emerging from the rubble of the Korean War armistice in 1953. Despite the length of its history and culture extending to 37BC the country was only established in 1948; at just 68 years old the country is younger than my grandmother. It has seen 5 major overhauls to their government during this time resulting from assassinations, revolts, corrupt leadership, and coup d’etats. It has gone from being under immense debt to the IMF to having the 11th strongest economy in the world today – literally rising from the ashes to prosperity in 60 years. This leaves a big question mark as to what happens to a country that undergoes such massive and rapid change: How has the architectural vernacular changed over these 60 years as a result of rapid growth? How has the socio-political climate shifted as a result of war, changing government regimes, and the acceleration into economic prosperity? And what effect does this have on architecture? How does a country create an infrastructure, architecture, and an urban plan to accommodate for the unforeseeable?
stasis My father is from a rural area in Korea, and my mother is from the capital city of Seoul. They emigrated from South Korea in the late 1970s during a time where South Korea’s government was under a different republic. They came to the USA with no practical English skills and even today my parents need my help translating their mail. The exit from South Korea and incomplete assimilation to the USA left my parents in a stasis where they are not culturally aware of either country. The South Korea they know is still locked in the 1970s while the USA they know is predominantly the Korean immigrant community. I wonder what the Korea they see looks like. South Korea still retains much of its history and remote parts of the country, that are too far separated from urban development, move forward in stasis, preserved for when my parents want to find their way back home one day -- or for me to discover.
examples of my personal photography
impetus I will discover the clash and unity between the Korea my father knew versus the Korea my mother did; the Korea my parents know versus the Korea I know; the Korea of 1953 versus the Korea today. Travelling throughout the country to the most remote and the most developed regions, I hope to understand how the country evolved in the last 60 years. Visiting areas like my father’s once rural hometown will create a snapshot of what the development towards urbanization might have been like in my mother’s town. My discoveries will be documented by black and white photography using my film SLR to capture a glimpse of South Korea’s timeline. Upon returning back to the USA I will have a photo exhibit of how the country evolved and perhaps a better understanding of my roots. And just like my identity in Korea is shaped by what my parents shared with me, I will share this photo exhibit with them and share with HMC.
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