Capturing Life’s Essence: How a Seoul Couple Transformed Their Photography Business in Cheorwon

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Episode 3 of EBS1’s Korean Journey, “Sunlight in My Life, Family,” follows Jo Sun-ho and Ha Sun-hee — a couple who walked away from Seoul’s Gangnam wedding-photo scene to open a tiny portrait studio in a mountain village in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

They now create longevity portraits for local elders and late-in-life wedding photos for older couples, using their cameras to capture warm, lasting memories for individuals and their families.

Jo and Ha built a strong career running four studios in Gangnam, long regarded as the mecca of wedding photography. But burnout from the cutthroat wedding industry pushed them to make a bold change: they announced an early retirement and moved to Cheorwon in 2017.

The couple had come hoping for a simpler life and even dreamed of farming. Instead, the stories of their new neighbors drew them back to the camera — but with a different purpose. They swapped flashy studio lights for natural daylight and shifted from capturing single moments to documenting the full arc of a person’s life.

They no longer shoot glossy celebrity profiles. Instead, their lens turns to elders preparing for life’s later chapters. In these longevity portraits, Jo and Ha are more than technicians — they listen to the wishes of their subjects, help them present their best selves with gentle styling, and capture the candid expressions that emerge in relaxed moments. Each photo becomes more than a record; it becomes a heartfelt gift for the family.

The little studio has welcomed especially moving clients. One elderly couple — who had never had a wedding because they met through remarriage — came in to be photographed. Their bent backs and matching wrinkles bore the imprint of 50 years together, and the quiet ache of having lost a child was visible in their faces. In the hush of the Cheorwon studio, they stood before the lens as the most radiant bride and groom of their lives.

This small Cheorwon studio continues to fill life’s pages with warmth. By trading urban glamour for mountain quiet, the couple has created a place that offers meaningful keepsakes and consolation. Time will tell how many people find comfort and meaning in the records they make.

EBS1’s Korean Journey debuted in August 2009 and has become the network’s signature long-running documentary. The series travels across Korea — to mountains, seas, villages, and alleys — documenting seasonal landscapes, local culture, and the everyday lives of residents over time.

The show explores one theme each week in a five-part series. Each episode runs about 30 minutes and offers a calm, immersive look at local lifestyles and moods.

Korean Journey favors authentic moments over sensational scenes or heavy staging. Centered on the stories of people in their real-life settings, it pairs restrained narration with straightforward scenes of nature, community, and regional character.

The series covers a wide range of places — mountain villages, fishing towns, farming communities, island settlements, and urban neighborhoods and workplaces. Through this approach, it brings viewers rarely seen local landscapes, residents’ lives, and each area’s cultural traits.

Korean Journey currently airs regularly on EBS 1TV, continuing to record new themes and places across the country each week.

The show airs Monday through Friday at 9:35 PM. Find broadcast information on the EBS1 Korean Journey preview page.