Chained Dogs in the Korean Countryside
Albert Retief noticed a phenomenon that was foreign to him, being from South Africa, where pets are mostly treated differently, when he moved to Ganghwa Island, northwestern Korea, in 2010. All the dogs were tied up or in cages. “I started to explore more of the island while documenting chained dogs,” said Retief. “I returned in 2012 and...
Big Day South: A Mini Guide to Alt Culture in Busan, Ulsan and Daegu
Ever since I moved to South Korea I’ve noticed a heavy amount of Seoul-centralism when it comes to art, music and other creative ventures. Things that happens in Seoul, especially creative things, get much more attention than the same activities happening outside of it. This is not an unusual occurrence; growing up in England, I...
In Pictures: Dongpirang Art Village, South Gyeongsang
Perched above the city of Tongyeong in the far south of South Korea is Dongpirang village. A place at once a living, breathing gallery of street art and a window to a less affluent past. Like other forlorn villages this side of the peninsula, Dongpirang has embraced it rusticity and emblazoned it’s streets with pretty...
Traveling North Korea: “A Lie Against His Own Wish”
Drunk at a noraebang in central Pyongyang, I finally worked up enough courage to ask my Korean guide if he’d ever seen any foreign movies. Well, yeah, of course he’d seen some — to learn English, that is. He could recall two that he’d watched. The first was Titanic, and when I admitted I’d never...
Breaking Into a Haunted Mental Hospital in Korea
Tucked away in the grey and green of the the small city of Gwangju lies a place known as one of the creepiest in the world: Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. The building was left abandoned nearly 20 years ago and has since been closed to the public. However, thanks to its intriguing backstory and sinister aesthetics,...
From Seoul to Busan: Biking Around Korea
Biking from Seoul to Busan on the Four Rivers Trail in South Korea. You haven’t fully experienced South Korea until you hop on a bike and go. Rural Korea is South Korea at its best. As part of a massive river restoration project, the South Korean government has created bike paths that mostly follow four...
Day Trippin’ to Yangsu-ri
Strolling along the winding, dusty paths of Yangsu-ri feels a little bit like being painted into a Claude Monet masterpiece. Clusters of lily pads float on placid water, sun-drunk daisies sway in the wind among tall grass, and friends traverse the lake, umbrellas in hand. Yangsu-ri is located where the north and south branches of the Hangang...
Rural Korea: Exploring Waymook Beach
On the west coast of Korea, hidden by the countryside rice paddies, lies a local beach called Waymook. Famous for its gorgeous sunsets, the small town boasts fresh seafood restaurants and beachside walkways, overlooking a few small islands. While young couples and families tromp around in the sand, shells and sticks, the local residents earn...
