British Photographer Walks From Busan to Seoul
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Armed with a camera, a good pair of walking shoes and a handful of Korean words, British photographer Oliver Raw set out to walk from Busan to Seoul in April 2008.
Raw, a Shanghai-based illustrator, wanted to capture the true essence of Korea by exploring the countryside, meeting people and taking photographs of his journey. A selection of Raw's photographs are currently on display as part of his solo exhibition ``Korea on Foot'' at Gallery M, Jung-gu, Seoul, through Wednesday.
``I've lived nine years in Asia, usually in big cities. I thought it would be good to travel and walk, but where? Korea is a good idea, because one, it is not as big as China, and two, it's a country that not many people know about. I wanted to get a new look at Korea,'' he told The Korea Times at the gallery, last week.
Throughout his trip, Raw discovered many unusual things about Korea, which most tourists will probably overlook or ignore. ``This is what was good about a walk, you see unique things that you don't see in other countries, or something you probably won't see if you just took a tour bus in the big city,'' he said.
One of the things that surprised him was the hospitality and warmth of the Koreans he met during his travels.
``The hospitality was something that was very special in Korea. In England, I can't imagine seeing that kind of hospitality. People are more reserved there, whereas here in Korea, they would welcome me. It's more hospitality than I've ever come across before… I didn't expect so much goodwill from people here.''
Raw walked most of the way, and sometimes hitch-hiked, but he always found people to be extremely helpful. Sometimes, he would find a Buddhist temple, where he would be given a meal and even allowed to spend the night.
The usual tourist spots did not interest Raw, who instead focused on little interesting things and quirks about Korea and its people. The contrast between modern and traditional Korea was always a source of fascination for the British photographer. He took over 1,000 photographs, but only picked a few to represent each leg of his trip.
There are photos of rice fields with buildings being constructed in the background in Suwon, a fish vendor in Busan, a couple enjoying the beach, temple food, street stalls and motel rooms.
When he's taking photographs of people, Raw found that Koreans were generally accommodating and would smile for the camera, unlike in China were people were more wary.
One of his favorite photos is of three teenage girls who are admiring their reflections on their phones, with an old king's tomb in the background. Another one is a close-up of a pretty Korean girl with a patch over one eye and holding a colorful juice box.
Raw hopes to publish a book of his photographs of Korea, and is even planning another walk in another country, maybe Tibet, next year.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 4. To get to Gallery M, get off Exit 5 of Chungmuro Station, go straight and turn right at the second corner. Walk for about 200 meters, and you'll find Gallery M on the first floor of Keumpoong Building, in front of Joong-bu Police Station. Call (02) 2277-2437or (02) 2273-5066. Visit www.gallery-m.kr.