Park Jongwoo

Park Jongwoo (박종우)
Born	1958 (age 66–67) Seoul, South Korea
Occupation(s)	Photographer, Documentary Filmmaker
Known for	Documentary photography and video of the Korean Demilitarized Zone
Website	https://park-jongwoo.com/

Park Jongwoo is a South Korean photographer and documentary filmmaker best known for his in-depth visual exploration of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} as well as his long-term project on the Himalayas. Since 2009, he is the first civilian to obtain official permission to photograph the demilitarized zone. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

His photographs were exhibited in the Allied Museum in 2023. The exhibition was curated by Florian Pauls. ^{[7] [8]} He also published his photographs in the 2018 book DMZ: Demilitarized Zone of Korea. ^{[3] [9]}

Career

Originally active as a photojournalist, Park moved to documentary photography and film. Since 2009, he has received rare permissions to photograph within the DMZ, a zone largely inaccessible to civilians since the Korean War armistice in 1953. ^{[4] [2] [1]}

Exhibitions

His major solo exhibitions include:

• Himalayan Monograph – Goeun Museum of Photography, Busan, Korea (2009).
• On the Border – Dong Gang Museum of Photography, Yeongwol, Korea (2019). [10]
• In the Shadow of the DMZ – Allied Museum, Berlin, Germany (2023); exhibited Park’s extensive documentation of the inter-Korean border zone. ^{[11] [1]}

Publications

Park has published multiple photography books:

• Himalaya: Twenty Year’s Odyssey (2009, Edition Zero) – covering two decades of Himalayan expeditions.^{[ citation needed ]}
• DMZ: Demilitarized Zone of Korea (2018, Steidl) – a monograph of images taken inside the DMZ with unprecedented access. ^[12]

References

1. "Fotograf Park Jongwoo: Das Alliiertenmuseum zeigt Bilder von der Grenze zwischen Nord- und Südkorea". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN   1865-2263 . Retrieved 2025-08-02.
2. Yu, Wen (2024-01-02). "From Military Facility to Cultural Heritage: The Goseong GP in Park Jongwoo's DMZ Photography After the Korean War". Photography & Culture . 17 (1): 101–104. doi:10.1080/17514517.2024.2370693. ISSN   1751-4517.
3. Siddons, Edward (2019-07-25). "Park Jongwoo's best photograph: unearthing bodies in Korea's DMZ". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-08-02.
4. "DMZ by Park Jongwoo (Steidl)". Capture magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
5. Kozma, Leila. "The Korean Demilitarised Zone". Tank Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
6. Kirkham, Matthew (2018-02-20). "Korean Demilitarized Zone: New photos reveal beauty from inside 'sc..." Express. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
7. Borowczyk, Ulrike (2023-08-01). "AlliiertenMuseum: Wo der Kalte Krieg heute noch andauert". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-02.
8. Szola, Ricarda (2023-07-24). "In der demilitarisierten Zone des Korea-Krieges". fotoMAGAZIN (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-02.
9. "Book Review: DMZ: Demilitarized Zone of Korea by Park Jongwoo". Musée Magazine. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
10. "2019DIPF". DIPF2024 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-08-02.
11. "DMZ – Die letzte Grenze des Kalten Krieges". AlliiertenMuseum (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-02.
12. "Park Jongwoo". Steidl Verlag. Retrieved 2025-08-02.

External links

• Official website