KOREA FOUNDATION

1. Please briefly introduce yourself.

My name is Hyungwon Kang. I was born and lived my first 13 years in Korea before my family emigrated to the United States.

My transformative 20 years were in Los Angeles where I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a political science and international relations degree and worked for the Los Angeles Times for 10 years from 1987 to 1997.

I was on the LA Times staff that won the Pulitzer Prize in Spot News category in 1993 for our coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. I was the first journalist of Korean descent to win a Pulitzer Prize.

The Associated Press (AP) Washington, DC bureau, the largest AP bureau in the world, offered me to run its photo department in 1997. My team won a Pulitzer Prize in feature photography in 1999 for our coverage of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.

After my tenure at AP, I worked as a White House staffer during the transition of President Clinton’s administration through the beginning of George W. Bush’s administration, before joining Reuters in 2001.

I covered the White House, the US Congress, and the Pentagon in Washington as a photojournalist and as a desk editor until 2012 when I was transferred to the Thomson Reuters North America Pictures Desk in Toronto, Canada.

Since retiring from Reuters in 2019, I have been documenting Korean history and culture in pictures, and in the words in my columns, for the benefit of future generations.

2. You are the first Korean to win the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize of the journalism world, twice—first in 1993 and again in 1999. When was it that you felt the greatest pride in being a photojournalist?

One of the most tragic historical events for Korean Americans were the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

My images of Korean Americans picking up arms to defend Koreatown, Los Angeles, in the absence of LAPD protection, were a game changer for the perception of Asian males in the media in American history.

Asian males were never portrayed in such a masculine way in American media history before the LA riots which began on April 29, 1992.

Even 30 years later, Asian males continue to appear as masculine and sexy main characters in some American films.

3. Leaving behind a splendid career and many wonderful titles as a photojournalist, you have returned to your native land to work on the “Visual History of Korea” project. What motivated you to take such a different life path?

I wanted to leave a definitive record of Korean culture and civilization for future generations as part of a legacy from my generation.

The Visual History of Korea project is an effort to create English reporting on Korean history and culture with pictures for the collective benefit of people of Korean descent and people who are interested in Korea. Visual History of Korea is an objective and archival documentation of Korean history and culture in early 21st-century Korea.

4. What is the most significant aspect about the project?

Because Visual History of Korea is a self-funded project, free of influence from any government or advocates, it will have enduring historical value for eternity.

5. As a visual storyteller, which part of photographing Korean history is most meaningful to you?

Photography is a universal language that transcends language and cultural barriers. An unforgettable visual impact is the beauty and the art of photojournalism. Words cannot possibly say all that pictures can show when done right.

6. Is there a Korean cultural treasure that particularly appealed to you?

The Bronze Mirror with Fine Linear Design, one of Korea’s national treasures, distinctively differentiates Korea from other cultures that went through the Bronze Age all over the world.

7. Please tell us about your future hopes and plans.

I would like to document visual records of Korean culture and history which are still surviving in Japan, China, and other Asian countries.