This exhibition is the first major U.S. showing of the work of Korean photographer Han Youngsoo, who captured the dramatic transformation of Seoul in the years after the end of the Korean War.
After taking part in bitter frontline fighting as a young South Korean soldier during the Korean War (1950–53), Han Youngsoo returned to Seoul at the conflict’s end and found a devastated, impoverished city. Choosing photography as a profession, he witnessed a period of profound transformation in Seoul that saw the rapid creation of a modern city and urban society. His photographs, rarely seen outside of Korea until now, offer a fascinating window onto the changing everyday lives of the city’s inhabitants during a historic moment.
Han Youngsoo: Photographs of Seoul 1956–63 has been organized by ICP Adjunct Curator Christopher Phillips and Waterfall Mansion & Gallery (New York City) Adjunct Curator Doo Eun Choi, with the collaboration of the Han Youngsoo Foundation, Seoul.