South Korea (English and Korean Edition) - Hardcover

Mark Edward Harris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0972784160 ISBN 13: 9780972784160

Publisher: Shashin Press, 2013

Synopsis

From the book's introduction: Few lands have been more devastated by war and conflict than 20th-century Korea. Yet the perseverance of the peninsula s people, though still divided six decades after the signing of the Armistice to stop the Korea War, has managed to keep their culture and shared history intact. For its part, South Korea has emerged as a 21st century economic and industrial powerhouse while maintaining for posterity its cultural institutions and historical structures as well as embracing new ones such as the global phenomenon such as of K-Pop. I started my exploration of South Korea s rich history with a visit to the tomb of Sejong the Great in Gyeonggi Province. While so many world leaders are associated with conquests and wars, it s inspiring to learn about a leader who gave instead of took to earn his fame. He is most known for developing Hangeul,the modern Korean phonetic writing system that brought reading and writing to the masses. After reading The Road to Sampo by Hwang Sok-yong, I came across a quote by the author that was highlighted in the book s afterward by novelist Bang Hyun-seok. It s perhaps symbolic of what South Korea as well as the peninsula as a whole has had to endure, particularly in the tumultuous twentieth century: Without exception, you have to go through Hell even for a low level of achievement. You have to overcome your limitations, and then you can go on for a little while, but soon, before complacency sets in, you need to prepare to go through Hell again. Perhaps it s history itself that has given the inhabitants of the land of the Morning Calm such admirable fortitude.

About this title

About the Author:

After graduating from California State University, Los Angeles with a Master of Arts Degree in Pictorial/Documentary History, Mark started his professional photography career doing the stills for the Merv Griffin Show and various television and movie companies. When the show ended in 1986 he set off on a four-month trek across the Pacific and throughout Southeast Asia, China and Japan. The images created on that trip brought attention to his travel and documentary photography. He since has visited and photographed in eighty countries. His editorial work has appeared in publications including Life, GEO, Wallpaper, Stern, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Forbes Life, AFAR, Islands, TravelAge West, Travel Weekly, Playboy, Vogue Brazil, Elle Canada, Esquire Japan, Harper s Bazaar, Italian GQ, Marie Claire, W Magazine, The New York Times, The London Times, The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, as well as many photography and airline in-flight magazines. His commercial clients range from The Gap for his fashion photography, Coca-Cola for portraiture, to cruise lines airlines and government tourist bureaus for his travel photography. He is the recipient of numerous awards including a CLIO Award for advertising photography, an Aurora Gold Award for commercial directing and an ACE Award for directing and producing a video for television. In the spring of 1998 Abbeville Press published Mark s book Faces of the Twentieth Century: Master Photographers and Their Work recording in both words and pictures many of the great names in photography. In March of 1999, the book won the prestigious New York Book Show Photography Book of the Year and Best of Show awards. Mark s book The Way of the Japanese Bath (R.A.M. Publications), winner of a Premier Print Award, was published in February 2003 to coincide with a touring exhibition beginning at APEX Fine Art in Los Angeles. His third book Mark Edward Harris: Wanderlust (R.A.M. Publications) was released in November 2004. Images in that book led Mark to being named Photographer of the Year at the 2004 Black + White Spider Awards and the book itself being named the people/photography book of the year at the 2005 International Photography Awards. Domicilium Decoratus (Harper/Collins), collaboration with award-winning interior designer Kelly Wearstler, was released in 2006. In 2007 Chronicle Books published his book Inside North Korea. A revised edition of Wanderlust was also published in the same year and was the recipient of the first place award for Fine Art Books at the Prix del la Photographie Paris (PX3). In September 2008 Chronicle Books published Inside Iran. In 2009 a revised and expanded edition of The Way of the Japanese Bath was released. The book was selected as one of PDN s photo books of the year in 2010 as well as an IPA award. Mark is a contributing editor for publications in the film and photography field including HDVideo Pro, DigitalPhoto Pro, Outdoor Photographer, Black & White, and Color Magazine. Harris shares his photographic knowledge through teaching photography workshops around the globe. In 2012, he was a keynote speaker in Yokohama at the International Travel Mart presenting his series on Japanese ryokans and hot springs and at the Travel Photography Festival at the Royal Geographical Society in London. His South Korea and North Korea book tour includes stops at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, the Korea Society in New York, and the Newseum in Washington, DC.

About this edition

• Publisher: Shashin Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0972784160
• ISBN 13: 9780972784160
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112