ARGUS PAUL
  • Photography
    • New >
      • Fare Adjustment
    • Ongoing >
      • How to Draw a Line
    • Past Work >
      • 2021 >
        • Reflections Inside The Seoul Metro
      • 2020 >
        • I AM NOT A VIRUS
      • 2019 >
        • Stage Left
      • 2018 >
        • This Is Not an Exit
      • 2017 >
        • Losing Face
        • Heartfelt Welcome
        • School Memories: The Loss in Danwon High
      • 2016 >
        • Wrestling In The Streets Of Seoul
  • Articles / Interviews / Features
    • LENSCRATCH | Argus Paul Estabrook: Half Eye, Half I
    • UP Photographers | Interview with Argus Paul Estabrook
    • Life Framer Journal | Looking Out and In With ARGUS PAUL ESTABROOK
    • LensCulture Street Photography Awards 2021 | Reflections Inside the Seoul Metro
    • ‘What life is about’: LensCulture street photography awards – in pictures
    • New narratives: BJP International Photography 2021 Award Winners revealed
    • The Phoblographer | Argus Estabrook Finds Stories Worth Telling by Using Intimacy
    • The Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017 Winners
    • The Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017 | Losing Face: Inside the Fall of South Korea’s President
    • Musée Magazine | Weekend Portfolio: Argus Paul Estabrook
    • 2018 Critical Mass Top 50
    • 2017 Critical Mass Top 50
    • PDN Emerging Photographer | Vol. 10, No. 1
    • CRITIC’S VIEW: Politics, Strangers & Art Not to Miss at Spring/Break 2018
  • Contact
  • CV
  • Photography
    • New >
      • Fare Adjustment
    • Ongoing >
      • How to Draw a Line
    • Past Work >
      • 2021 >
        • Reflections Inside The Seoul Metro
      • 2020 >
        • I AM NOT A VIRUS
      • 2019 >
        • Stage Left
      • 2018 >
        • This Is Not an Exit
      • 2017 >
        • Losing Face
        • Heartfelt Welcome
        • School Memories: The Loss in Danwon High
      • 2016 >
        • Wrestling In The Streets Of Seoul
  • Articles / Interviews / Features
    • LENSCRATCH | Argus Paul Estabrook: Half Eye, Half I
    • UP Photographers | Interview with Argus Paul Estabrook
    • Life Framer Journal | Looking Out and In With ARGUS PAUL ESTABROOK
    • LensCulture Street Photography Awards 2021 | Reflections Inside the Seoul Metro
    • ‘What life is about’: LensCulture street photography awards – in pictures
    • New narratives: BJP International Photography 2021 Award Winners revealed
    • The Phoblographer | Argus Estabrook Finds Stories Worth Telling by Using Intimacy
    • The Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017 Winners
    • The Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017 | Losing Face: Inside the Fall of South Korea’s President
    • Musée Magazine | Weekend Portfolio: Argus Paul Estabrook
    • 2018 Critical Mass Top 50
    • 2017 Critical Mass Top 50
    • PDN Emerging Photographer | Vol. 10, No. 1
    • CRITIC’S VIEW: Politics, Strangers & Art Not to Miss at Spring/Break 2018
  • Contact
  • CV
ARGUS PAUL

How to Draw a Line


"How to Draw a Line" explores the border towns directly south of the DMZ. As a biracial Korean-American and as someone who has lived in one of these towns in the past, I felt a personal connection to this space caught between two worlds — where military camps, secluded villages, and tourist attractions all coexist while separating the North and South still officially at war.

My memories guided and motivated me to revisit this area. During the Fall of 2019, I trekked multiple times between the northeast and northwest coasts of South Korea. While the routes can be drawn as literal lines on a map, the images draw a conceptual "photographic line" that traces the overall journey. Throughout these travels, I witnessed a liminal existence: subdued yet expressive, in spaces simultaneously active and still. The camera captures the subtle surreality of these isolated areas, offering an unexpected yet often overlooked view into Korean life.


Picture
Photo Stand-In at Yeonpyeong Island in Ongjin-gun, Incheon, SK
Picture
Food Stall in Sintan-ri, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Apartment Complexes in Wontong-ri, Inje-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Child Sleeping in Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Dongmak-ri Community Center in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Photo Strip Booth in Sanyang-ri, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Police at Daegwang-ri Railway Station in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Bumper Car at Goseokjeong Land, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Public Bus Leaving Sintan-ri, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Shaman Cloth Tied to a Tree, Yeonpyeong Island, Ongjin-gun, Incheon, SK
Picture
Custodian at Yanggu Bus Terminal in Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Farmers Enjoying Soju in Bangsan-myeon, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Poodle on a Daybed in Wontong-ri, Inje-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Park Benches at Goseokjeong Land, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Man Waiting at Sintan-ri Railway Station, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Beauty Salon in Munsan-eup, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Video Game Arcade in Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Parking Lot Attendant at Munsan-eup, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Honorary Guard Sign at Imjingak-ro, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, SK
Picture
Sun Above the Taebaek Mountain Range in Wonam-ri, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Public Soccer Field at Yeonpyeong Island, Ongjin-gun, Incheon, SK
Picture
Alleyway in Downtown Ganseong-eup, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, SK
Picture
Sampo Beach at Night in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, SK