Capturing Korea

[Anchor Lead]

British photographer Michael Kenna is known to Koreans for his black and white photos of Solseom Island in Samcheok, Gangwondo Province. This time, he has showcased photos capturing areas all across the Korean Peninsula.

[Pkg]

At a length of 183 kilometers this barbed wire fence separating land from sea on the east coast has long been a symbol of Korea's division for the past 60 years. A watchtower stands near the dividing fence. This rail line in the demilitarized zone stands motionless and cannot be extended any further. A North Korean guard post seen through a telescope appears as blurry as the distance between South and North Korea. These are the works of world renowned British photographer Michael Kenna known for his black and white landscape shots. The photos are a grim testament to the divided Korean Peninsula.

[Soundbite] Michael Kenna(British photographer)

His photos capture extraordinary moments that viewers may not have realized before through the most ordinary of landscape scenes. They convey a certain quality of depth almost reminiscent of an Oriental ink painting. Kenna is known for only using a film camera and naturally, his pictures are the product of patience, waiting, and slow living.

[Soundbite] Kim Mun-jeong(Jongno-gu Dist., Seoul) : "Looking at his tranquil photos, I can feel the sound of the wind and of his footsteps and movement."

Kenna has released some 50 landscape photos of the Korean Peninsula taken since 2005 and hopes one day to capture scenes of a unified Korea.