Photographer Kim Jung-man has compared Korea’s easternmost outcropping, Dokdo, to a man. “Dokdo is like a taciturn father or a mother’s bosom. It is an island with a mystic power,” said Kim.

The high-profile photographer explained his feelings about the collection of islands when asked about his two year-long project to photograph Dokdo. “To be honest, I didn't regard Dokdo as a beautiful object,” said Kim. “Islands in the Yellow Sea hold a female beauty, but Dokdo is more masculine,” he added. “Dokdo is like a man from Gyeongsang-do (Gyeongsang Province). It is reserved and weighty.”

Kim has put every effort into his project over the past two years. The result is reflected in about 20,000 works of photography. He explained the uneasy photo shoot by saying, “It felt like asking a taciturn man on a date.” He said he could not even approach the island in winter. He managed to get to the island four or five times, after making seven or eight trials.



“Taking photos of Dokdo is a very inspiring work for all photographers. I am much honored,” Kim said. He said he used all the cameras he could muster for the project. Among all his photos, the exhibition is showing 55 of them.

Kim has donated all the photos he worked on over the past two years to the Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF), a Seoul-based historical research center. “I hope my Dokdo photos become popular and are exhibited overseas,” said the photographer.

“I initially thought of something abstract for the title of this exhibition, but I decided to choose the exact, detailed address of Dokdo as the exhibition title because it includes all of the islands that encompass Dokdo, including the small outlying rocks,” said Kim. The title of the photo exhibition is “1-96 Dokdo-ri, Ulleung-eup, Ulleung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.”

“Photography work on Dokdo should continue. I will continue to take photos on the island whenever I get the chance,” said Kim. “Personally, over the past two years I haven’t had an opportunity to visit the island in winter. I really hope to take photos in the winter, to show people what it's like.”





NAHF President Kim Hak-joon said, “Up until recently, photo exhibitions about Dokdo focused more on introducing and recording the scenery and ecosystem of the island. This exhibition, however, shows the beauty and the uniqueness of Dokdo reflected in the way the photographer felt. Through these works of art, Kim strived to focus on transforming the island into objects of art,” said the historical research center's president.

The photo exhibition will run until August 11 in the main hall of the Sejong Museum of Art in downtown Seoul. Admission is free.

By Jeon Han, Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writers
hanjeon@korea.kr