One photographer’s record

Lee Kyung-mo was born in 1926 to a family that was then among the richest in Gwangyang County, South Jeolla Province. After graduating from a normal school in Gwangyang during the Japanese colonization, he was accepted into a higher school in Gwangju. To celebrate his educational transition, his grandfather bought him a camera. At that time, a camera cost as much as a house. From an early age, Lee Kyung-mo demonstrated a great aptitude for painting. His artistic talent was reflected in the pictures he took. They were always well composed. He used his free time to take many pictures of the Gwangju area and of his hometown during those years. In 1944, when he was 18, Lee entered the 23rd Joseon Art Exhibition for adult participants and won a prize. After that, he wanted to go to college to study art, but this conflicted with his grandfather’s expectations that Lee pursue law. When Lee was 20, he was employed by a newspaper in Gwangju. The vice president of the newspaper, the independence activist Lee Eun-sang, had known Lee as a child and was aware of his talent. Lee's family had cared

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