38 NORTH

38 NORTH explores the so-called Reclaimed Area north of the 38th parallel and south of the Military Demarcation Line, which today is the border between the southern Republic of Korea and the northern Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The 38th parallel was the line where, at the end of World War II, the initial division between north and south was established. On 25 June 1950, North Korean armed forces invaded South Korea by crossing this line. This was the start of the Korean War, which would last until the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27 July 1953. By that time, the border on the eastern side of the peninsula had shifted north. As such, an area which used to be part of North Korea between 1945 and 1950, now had become part of South Korea.

38 NORTH portrays this area, in particular the part situated in Gangwon province. Before Korea’s division, Gangwon-do was a thriving region, centrally located on the peninsula. However, in 1945 the province was split in two, a division perpetuated in 1953 with the establishment of the Military Demarcation Line and Demilitarized Zone. A scar was created in the landscape, and in Korean society. Over the next seven decades, Gangwon-do would see its population and economy dwindle, one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders constantly looming at its doorstep. What’s left today is a reality far removed from Seoul’s glitz and modernity. 




38 NORTH is a work in progress, started in June 2025