Gwangbokjeol (광복절)
Gwangbokjeol is a three-part book series exploring Korea’s path to independence, reinterpreting history through a visual and editorial language inspired by the Korean flag’s colors and symbolism. While the national holiday marks liberation from Japanese colonial rule, the deeper story behind it often goes untold, especially outside of Korea.
For 35 years, Korea endured colonial occupation; Gwangbokjeol means “restoration of light,” but the fight for independence was long, complex, and deeply human. This project is also a personal question: How do I design remembrance? I want to challenge passive engagement with history and invite readers to reflect, take pride, and carry these stories forward. Each book in the series is built around a color from the Korean flag and deeper meanings of Yin and Yang, and its trigrams.
The Blue Book
The first in the series.
Blue in the Korean flag represents Yin—darkness, stillness, and sorrow.
This book focuses on the negative space in Korean history: colonization, violence, and sacrifice.
The first in the series.
Blue in the Korean flag represents Yin—darkness, stillness, and sorrow.
This book focuses on the negative space in Korean history: colonization, violence, and sacrifice.
Through detailed texts, I guide the reader through the struggles of the 35-year occupation and the resistance that ultimately led to freedom. It’s about acknowledging pain as part of the path to independence.
The Red Book
The second in the series.
Red represents Yang: brightness, energy, and life.
This book is a visual album of images taken before, during, and after colonization.
The second in the series.
Red represents Yang: brightness, energy, and life.
This book is a visual album of images taken before, during, and after colonization.
There are joyful moments and painful ones, but they live together in a dynamic, image-driven layout. Without words, I wanted the images to speak and to document the spirit of a people pushing forward.
The Black & White Book
The final book in the series.
Black, as used in the flag’s trigrams, symbolizes balance, harmony, and power.
This book is dedicated to Kim Ku, one of the most important figures in Korea’s independence movement.
The final book in the series.
Black, as used in the flag’s trigrams, symbolizes balance, harmony, and power.
This book is dedicated to Kim Ku, one of the most important figures in Korea’s independence movement.
His legacy drives this final piece, which uses a freer, more energetic composition style. It’s my tribute to a leader, and a reminder of his vision that helped build a new future.