The 38th and 41st Parallel North
North Korea is never far away from the headlines. Tensions between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un continue to boil due to the DPRK’s (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) move to establish itself as a nuclear armed state. The 2017 image of Oh Chong-song’s daring defection to South Korea was regarded internationally as confirmation of the brutal circumstances faced by North Koreans under the Kim's rule. The photographs of living conditions and public daily life is strictly controlled by the DPRK regime. However, imagery from inside the country is still widely enjoyed and observed by foreigners across the world. The lifestyle of North Koreans living inside the hermit country is of great fascination and many tourists pay a visit to the land borders of Korea to try to catch a short glimpse of the country.
To the South of the DPRK lies the infamous DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone) where the two Korean countries face each other, constantly prepared for war. To the North, the DPRK meets its closest ally – China. This border is seemingly unguarded and transportation continues to cross between the countries despite international trade sanctions against North Korea.
This project explores these borderlands and the culture of living in proximity to North Korea, whilst looking at how the story of the DPRK varies depending on which border you visit. With upcoming face-to-face talks between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, as well as the unified Korean team competing in the recent PyeongChang winter olympics, real peace seems hopeful. However, the future of North Korea's borders in the coming years remains mysterious and current policy may not change even if a peace treaty is struck.