Military Displays as Entertainment in South Korea

Suntag Noh (born 1971, Seoul) is known for his documentary pieces on the subjects of Korean history and social issues. Winner of the 2014 Korea Artist Prize, Noh has attracted attention in recent years as one of his country’s leading photographers. In the series entitled reallyGood, murder, he photographs members of the public as they attend military drills and arms fairs, which are open to civilians in South Korea. These lyrically expressive images close in on a stark reality: that weapons are glorified in the name of scientific progress and national security, while military displays turn into a form of entertainment. The jarring juxtaposition of military hardware alongside ordinary people enjoying a day’s holiday may well provoke uneasiness in the viewer. Against the background of the fragile truce that currently holds in the Korean peninsula, Noh’s study of the military environment and its impact on civilian life poses universal questions about the position of the individual amid changing social conditions.