I am so excited to share with you some photographs from Korea’s very first Kinfolk gathering hosted at the beautiful Ongdalsam last weekend! Jacqui and I have been talking about organizing this gathering since early summer, especially because of the opportune “preserving the season” theme. Korea has such a rich history of seasonal pickling and fermenting, and Ongdalsam is just the perfect place to experience it.

I am so happy to have been a small part of it, even from thousands of miles away now. There were some amazing women were involved in organizing and making this event possible: Jacqui, Sonja, Yoo Jeong, Bora, and of course, the lovely traditional food specialist, Suh Mi Soon. And even Ji Sun and Sooji for stepping in, and helping organize the bus trip to Chungju.

Here are some dreamy analog photographs of the event captured by Jun:

All photos posted here are by Jun Michael Park.
You can also view photographs taken by Jo Song Hee at the Ongdalsam website.

I love having a late summer birthday–when the days are still long but the air begins to smell like early autumn. When I was young, my birthday usually marked the start of a new school year. Last year, I spent it moving into my new place in New York City. This year, I ate so much delicious food and cake in Korea, surrounded by loved ones. My time in Korea was already coming to a close.

In time for my departure, my uncle suggested taking a road trip to Yeoju–a city famous for ceramics and for housing the tomb of nation’s beloved King Sejong. It’s also my grandparents’ hometown, my father’s childhood home, and the site of so many old family stories.

It was my first time there.

Our trip to Yeoju began with an epic meal. My uncle raved about this fish hot pot restaurant, where the hot pot comes with all these delicious small complimentary side dishes.

Red peppers drying out in the sun? It’s kimchi season!

The pagoda near my father’s childhood home, now housed inside a public park.

“다시 밟을 내 고향아 / 남한강아 잘 있느냐” “Motherland I will set my foot upon once again. How are you, Han River?”

My uncle looking out at the Han River, remembering the days before the bridge, and crossing over the rough waters on a small boat. My father told me one of his most vivid childhood memories is of nearly drowning in the Han River and being saved by a soldier.

I remember my grandmother telling me that she walked all the way from Seoul to Yeoju when the Korean War broke out. She tried to drink from the Han River, but it was red. It took her a week to reach Yeoju, and she arrived all alone.

A young couple talking under a shaded area by the tree, where my father’s childhood home used to be. My uncle says they had to walk down the mountain and through several other villages for hours to get to school each day.

And finally, I wanted to share an exciting news! Ongdalsam hosted a photography exhibit, featuring a collection of photographs I took during my time there. My new and old friends, Jacqui, Sonja, Ji Sun, and Sooji traveled to Chungju over a very special weekend at Ongdalsam. It was wonderful to be able to share life in the mountains with them, and Sooji wrote a lovely post about her experience.