Park Jongwoo

Park Jongwoo (박종우; born 1958) is a South Korean photographer and documentary filmmaker best known for documentary work on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). He has also produced extensive documentary work in the Himalayas.

In 2009, Park received official permission from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense to photograph inside the DMZ, reportedly becoming the first civilian granted such access.

His photographs were exhibited in the Allied Museum in 2023. His DMZ photographs were published in DMZ: Demilitarized Zone of Korea (Steidl, 2017).

Career From 1983 to 1995, Park worked as a photojournalist for The Korea Times.

Himalayan work Park’s Himalayan work began in the late 1980s and developed into a sustained documentary investigation of high-altitude communities and historic trade routes. In 1987, he participated in the production of the television documentary Trans-Himalaya, filmed across Pakistan, India, Nepal, and the Tibetan Plateau.

He has also worked on television productions including Mongolian Route (KBS-TV, 2001), The Last Capitalism (SBS-TV, 2012), and The Last Power (SBS-TV, 2013).

DMZ and military landscapes In 2009, Park was commissioned by the South Korean Ministry of National Defense to document the DMZ in connection with commemorations of the sixtieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. His later work has also examined military landscapes and fortifications, including anti-tank obstacles commonly known as “dragon’s teeth,” photographed in Korea and parts of Europe. DMZ – Goeun Museum of Photography, Busan, Korea (2020).

Awards Park has received awards including the Korea Press Award (1994), the Steidl Book Award Asia (2017), and the 18th Donggang International Photo Award (2019).

Publications Park’s publications include:

Himalayan Odyssey (Edition Zero Publishing, 2009). Imjin River (Noonbit Publishing, 2017). DMZ: Demilitarized Zone of Korea (Steidl, 2017).