Choi Won-suk is a photojournalist at The Korea Times. Before joining the newspaper, he also worked as a photojournalist with AFP and St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He spent 13 years in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University - Athens. Over the past 11 years, Choi covered various news events such as presidential elections, the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit and 2022 Qatar World Cup. But above all, Choi believes in local journalism and finds a lot of joy telling life stories of ordinary citizens in small neighborhoods.
Along the DMZ
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The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Korea is a strip of land that symbolizes supreme irony. It is one of the most dangerous places on earth, but at the same time is a tourist spot drawing about a million visitors a year with its well-preserved wildlife. The 4 kilometer-wide border dividing the two Koreas is a buffer zone of the two different ideologies which have been confronting since the 1950-53 Korean War. Though it is called “Demilitarized Zone,” it is still a front line in which both South and North Korean troops are patrolling and often encountering each others. The tension is ever high after two South Korean soldiers were seriously injured from a landmine explosion on Aug. 4. The South blamed the North for the “attack” and restarted anti-North broadcasts using loudspeakers on Aug. 10 for the first time in 11 years. The North also began its loudspeaker campaign a week later. Despite the escalating tensions, the DMZ seems to be in peace and calm. Preserved animals, such as egret, travelling freely in the DMZ can be easily seen, as well as a number of rare wild plants nestled in the remains of the war are oftentimes observed - a stark contrast to the people who are turning their backs in the name of ideologies. Photos by Yonhap/Lim Byeong-sik
By Choi Won-suk