Photographs of Kunsan and Chonju, 1970-71 by Michael L. Fogarty
I've always divided my life into two parts: before and after I went to Korea. I arrived at Kunsan in August of 1970, aged 22 to spend a year as a weather observer at Kunsan Air Force Base. I had never been out of the United States before, much less lived in Asia. The image of Korea in my mind had mostly been formed by stark black and white photos and newsreels from the Korean War era. The first night, my new roommate Ed Trout, showed me around downtown Kunsan. He took me to a restaurant, ordered bulgogi and showed me how to use chopsticks. I was pleasantly surprised to find I had come to a colorful, inviting place...with good food.
A short marriage had just ended and, not being anxious to return home, I looked forward to exploring this completely new world. I bought a Yashica 35mm camera and found that Koreans enjoyed being photographed. The first things I noticed were the delightful children that were everywhere, and the innate dignity of the people I came into contact with. That is what I tried to capture with my photographs.
Apart from Kunsan, the place that drew me back over and over again was the city of Chonju. I loved the beautiful park with the observation pavilion and the friendly people, many unused to seeing westerners. Whenever I had a couple of days free, I went there and stayed in a small hotel I had discovered. My whole year was spent in these two cities, and I think I captured some very special images from this corner of a rapidly changing Korea.
The young people in my photographs, now in their 60s and 70s, are the generation that built Korea into the world class economic powerhouse it is today. Fifty-five years ago theirs was a very different world.
Michael L Fogarty