INTERVIEW Photographer behind President Lee Jae-myung’s image

Photographer Kang Young-ho, who has documented President Lee Jae-myung for eight years, stands in front of a portrait he took of the president ahead of this year’s election. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki

When Lee Jae-myung launched his final presidential campaign, one photograph stood out: a direct, unembellished front-facing portrait. It was a stark departure from the typical “politician angle” of profile poses and polished smiles.

The image, showing Lee with a calm and composed expression, filled the frame with clarity and intent. It was hailed by some as a masterstroke in visual communication — a portrait that aimed to reverse negative preconceptions and present Lee not as a combative figure but as a composed, grounded leader.

The man behind the lens was Kang Young-ho, a veteran photographer better known in past decades for iconic movie posters and commercial imagery.

“I didn’t want to beautify him or add artificial flair,” Kang told the Hankook Ilbo in a recent interview. “The goal was to convey a message — that he’s ready to face the people directly.”

That message, Kang said, was “taeyeonjayak," a Korean expression meaning “serene and unshaken.” He captured the photograph in a studio in Mapo District, Seoul, where Lee’s campaign team gathered for the official shoot.

“What I saw in Lee was someone who had endured every form of adversity,” Kang said. “He had become, in a way, like a sage.”

President Lee Jae-myung, left, and photographer Kang Young-ho / Courtesy of Kang Young-ho

Real moments of politicians

Kang, 55, is no stranger to powerful imagery. His career began in commercial photography in the 1990s, taking off with the poster for the 1999 film “Interview” starring Shim Eun-ha and Lee Jung-jae.

In the 2000s, he shot campaigns for top Korean films and advertising brands. But his foray into political photography came later — and surprisingly, it began with Park Geun-hye.

“I thought, whether you liked her or not, Park was a historic figure,” he said. “She had a story that deserved to be documented.” Kang followed Park closely during the 2012 presidential campaign, capturing her in intimate, documentary-style photographs.

That experience gave Kang a new sense of mission: to chronicle the real lives of politicians — not the staged, sterile images of protocol, but expressions that reveal emotion, conviction and humanity.

His portfolio expanded to include figures across party lines: Moon Jae-in, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yoo Seung-min and Kim Moo-sung. His signature look — black turtleneck portraits in high-contrast black and white — became a trend in political circles.

Photographer Kang Young-ho’s portraits of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung from the 2025, left, and 2022 elections show a visible change in expression and impression. Kang says he could sense the maturity of a politician who has weathered many trials. Courtesy of Kang Young-ho

A portrait of pragmatism

But with Lee Jae-myung, the relationship went deeper. Kang first met Lee in 2017 while producing an interview column. They reconnected in 2020, when Lee reached out personally and asked for help with an upcoming campaign.

“He told me, ‘I’m a pragmatist,’” Kang recalled. “That clicked with me. He wasn’t trying to be ideological — he was focused on solving problems.”

From October 2020, Kang embedded himself with Lee for six months, documenting every step in words and images. He accompanied him across the country, interviewed him at length and read every past interview Lee had given.

The result was a photo-essay book titled “Now, It’s Lee Jae-myung,” published in 2021 — a title that would later become Lee’s campaign slogan.

“I saw a different man in that portrait session,” Kang said. “He was more grounded, less hurried than before. There was a maturity in his face and presence.”

The campaign adopted Kang’s suggested slogan, and the portrait became the centerpiece of the official campaign poster.

Kang does not rely on heavy post-production. “No retouching,” he said. “What you see is what was there.” Instead, he creates an environment to draw out emotion.

During the shoot, he played music to evoke the mood: Mercedes Sosa’s “Gracias a la Vida,” Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and the Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana," which was used for the opening of "Raging Bull." “The mood was that of a fighter preparing for the ring — alone, calm but ready,” he said.

While one official poster photo was selected, hundreds of frames were taken. “You know when you see the shot,” he said. “And when I did, the whole crew agreed. Even the candidate was pleased.”

Photographer Kang Young-ho is known for his signature black-and-white portraits of politicians in turtlenecks, designed to strip away visual cues and highlight facial expression. Clockwise from top left are former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, former Saenuri Party floor leader Yoo Seong-min, and former party leader Kim Moo-sung. Courtesy of Kang Young-ho

A visual consultant

Asked whether the president had ever disappointed him, Kang paused. “You might expect that in daily life,” he said. “But with Lee, the more I saw, the more I liked him. He respects professionals. He gives you time. That’s rare.”

Kang sees his role not just as a photographer, but as a visual consultant. “A photographer’s job is to have an eye — to see attitude, language, the unspoken,” he said. “It’s not just technique. It’s empathy.”

He draws inspiration from Pete Souza, the former White House photographer for Barack Obama. Souza’s photographs of Obama hugging his daughters, pausing to pray alone or playing with staffers’ children showed a leader not just in position, but in character. Kang believes Korea deserves that level of storytelling too.

“The president’s photo should not just be a certification shot,” he said. “It should have narrative and emotional depth.”

Kang’s reverence for image-making extends to his own appearance during shoots. “When I photograph a future president, I wear a suit,” he said. “Not because it’s expensive, but because it shows respect.”

His book "Now, It’s Lee Jae-myung" includes not just images, but phrases from Lee that reflect his political identity. Kang’s favorite line? “‘I do politics because it’s fun,’ he said. ‘Because helping someone is the strongest, most lasting happiness I’ve ever felt.’ That struck me as genuine.”

Photographer Kang Young-ho captured this portrait of President Lee Jae-myung ahead of the 2025 election, revealing the scar on his neck from a knife attack. Kang says Lee’s expression reflects a sense of calm that comes from surviving a brush with death. Courtesy of Kang Young-ho

He flipped to one of the final images in the book — a photo showing the scar on Lee’s neck, the result of a near-fatal knife attack during the campaign. “That moment changed him,” Kang said. “He became almost monk-like. It’s sad, but it gave his face a new gravity.”

Asked what Lee means to him now, Kang offered a single word: “Friend.”

“He’s not my senior or my political ally,” Kang said. “But we connect. We collaborate. That’s what friends do.”

And what does he wish for his friend, now president?

“That he succeeds,” he said. “Not just for himself, but for all of us.”

Kang Young-ho says he always wore a suit when photographing Lee Jae-myung, believing that the person behind the camera should also show respect and formality. “It’s not about expensive clothes — it’s about attitude,” he says. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.