Pictures of South Korea

All the pictures from the 2024 trip to South Korea are finally processed. I took about 1041 and ended up picking 142 to see the day of light, which is a very high number compared to the photographic yield of other trips. For comparison, I spent about a week in Cape Town and that resulted in about 100 or so usable pictures. With the years, I have become more selective in my self-curation, I suppose. But also: South Korea has so many amazing faces, literally and figuratively. This is a selection of 35 of those 142 pictures that are probably my personal favorites.

This one has some kind of old-Korea charm, for example, but it was taken at the gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, very much in the urban heart of Seoul. It’s a very honest portrait of an elder man in Korean traditional outfit, with a rather stern expression.

This was the first trip after buying the Nikkor 24-70 2.8, which proved to be as versatile as expected. This portrait is of a dumpling maker at Gaeseong Mandu Koong (also known as Gung), a legendary third-generation family-run restaurant specializing in North Korean-style (Gaeseong) dumplings. It has been a Michelin Bib Gourmand fixture for years, which is not suprising: It’s basically three generations of dumpling wisdom served to your table in the heart of Seoul. I liked how the 24-70 managed the right subject isolation while allowing me to use some of the atmosphere of the restaurant as context.

Seoul, like most of the prominent asian urban centers, is both a living museum o a certain imperial past and a modern behemoth eager to adopt the new. Injeongjeon Hall at Changdeokgung Palace, originally built in 1405 and reconstructed at least twice, stands as a fine example of South Korea’s commitment to their historic patrimony. It is an insanely beautiful building.

I was luck to visit it on a rather tourist-less day.

Strolling around the halls and palaces in Seoul is a placid little journey into history framed by the new urban skyline. Jongmyo shrine hall is a good place to start. It is the premier Confucian royal shrine of the Joseon Dynasty and the world's longest single wooden structure, renowned for its minimalist, elegant design, featuring 19 spirit chambers housing 49 tablets of deceased kings and queens. 

And when it comes to “the new”, Seoul subway stations are an almost endless source of amazing street shots.

A critical stop in Seoul is Gohyang Kalguksu, Cho Yonsoon’s stall in Gwangjang Market. She is famous for her handmade Korean knife-cut noodles (Kalguksu) and became a culinary icon after being featured in Volume 1, Episode 6 of the Netflix docuseries Street Food: Asia. This stall is highly sought after, so you better arm yourself with patience if you want to try the noodles.

The Leeum, Seoul´s museum of art run by the Samsung foundation, is an example of Seoul embracing the avant-garde. The Gravity of Center Installation, part of the permanent contemporary collection gallery is basically impossible not to photograph.

Not too far from Seoul is Gyeongjyu, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE) and a critical place to visit for any history buffs. This picture I took at the Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, a Silla-era former palace and artificial pond constructed in 674 CE as part of the palace complex of ancient Silla.

The place is gorgeous even when the sky is gray.

Roaming around the historic area of Gyeongju, I found these two who seemed to be overseeing the city from the hill.

Observing the city from Gyeongju’s hills and getting lost in the forests is indeed a fine idea. Unlike the more urban Seoul, the historic patrimony here is framed in green.

Taking what seems to be a good break from work on that spot sounds just right.

For an urban center of its size and importance, the city is quite green indeed.

The Woljeonggyo Bridge dates back to 760 A.D, but it was lost during the Joseon Period and reconstructed in 2018. For a visitor coming from the west, it delivers the idyllic post-card of asian architecture.

It is possible to cross the river through it. On this picture, the Nikkor Z 14-24 2.8, which is my not-so-secret weapon for finding interesting perspectives even in boring scenes, delivered a wide-angle perspective of the covered part of the bridge that I find very interesting. Unless I have to travel very light, I never leave without that lens. I wouldn’t mind Nikon giving it a very respectful refresh as it did with its other flagship professional zooms.

At night, the bridge literally shines with artificial light. I am happy that I was able to see it both at daytime and when sun was gone.

Bulguksa temple is one of the most critical stops for travellers with some curiosity of the historical kind. It is a head temple of the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism and is considered a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla Kingdom.

Getting lost in the temple area rewards a curious traveller with the colourful sight of prayer slips and paper lanterns.

The colors and textures of the paper lamps contrast with the more austere palette of the temple. Some of the calligraphy in the prayer slips is so beautiful that I wished I could read them.

On that day of the summer of 2024, the city was rather empty. It was possible to roam around the Gyochon traditional village taking sneak peeks of the inner courtyards in the stillness of the night. The village is very close to the Woljeonggyo bridge, so the two “attractions” can be visited on the same day.

It was a silently haunting experience to walk around the vicinity of the Gyochon village at night and catching some everyday pictures of the empty alleyways. I wonder if the city feels this empty on a regular basis.

Later in Busan, the main source of photographic inspiration were the middle-aged ladies (the Ajummas) in the city marketplaces. I was able to shoot a few candid portraits (such as this one) that I am proud of and the set resulted in this photo-essay about their foundational story of resilience and dignity with echoes of pre-feminism. They are in many ways a bridge between the Korea of the past and the modern economic powerhouse that it has become today.

Busan’s BIFF square is a paradise for hardcore street photographers. It is in the heart of Busan’s modern movie district that dates back to the time Korea freed itself from Japanese colonial rule. The area was renovated before the first Busan International Film Festival around 1996.

Unlike most buddhist temples, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is located by the sea. It is quite a marvellous sight to behold in Busan if only because in “the west” we are not used to seeing swastikas affixed to the facades of religious places. At least not anymore, at least not for now, depending on whether the incumbent is able to cancel the next American presidential elections.

This statue of the reclining Buddha at Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is very important for Buddhism because it depicts the Buddha in its final moments. Tradition says that while in this reclining position, surrounded by his disciples, the Buddha’s final words were: "Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your own salvation with diligence."

Found this little guy hidden within the foliage at the temple. This is apparently a well rooted custom in Korea called Dongja-seung (Little monk statues).

In Zen Buddhism, a child-monk represents the "Original Mind"—a state of being that is pure, simple, and free from the complex attachments or "pollutions" of adult life. Their smiling or sleeping expressions symbolize the peace that comes from reaching enlightenment through a childlike, uncomplicated heart.

This picture I took in Busan is the first one I posted after crossing the 1000 followers mark. Interestingly, I dropped below the 1000 followers mark in a few hours again, but I suppose this lighthouse in Busan is special in that way and that I owe Rafael Heredia some kind of prize for being the original customer #1000.

The Huanyeoul Culture Village coastal walking path offers a few cool panoramic views of the Busan skyline.

In Jeju Island, the Parnas hotel is a rather pricy lodging option, but it is architecturally awesome and very well located by the sea. This picture of the hotel atrium is one of my favourites of the whole trip.

These are Komsin, the traditional Korean shoes worn by the Haenyeo, the sea-women who dive for mollusks, seaweed and other sea life at Jeju Island as a form of subsistence. They are one more example of female strength in Korean tradition.

The Jeongbang waterfall, also in Jeju, is famous for being the only waterfall in Asia that falls directly into the ocean. It’s a very beautiful sight located inside a green oasis by the sea. It is possible to come very close to the water.

This stone bridge is part of the natural park that hosts the beautiful Cheonjiyeon waterfalls, also in Jeju.

And so is this one. The statues are apparently deities that protect Jeju. They remind me of some of the statues found in San Agustín Archaeological Park, in the Colombian south.

And this is probably the ferry to Udo Island, at the base of Seongsan Ilchhubong (Sunrise Peak) in Jeju.