Long-term foreign resident exhibits 50 years of photography in Korea

U.S. photographer Tom Coyner is exhibiting 50 years of photography in Seoul at his first solo gallery show. The exhibition runs at KOTE Gallery in Insa-dong from Sept. 15-20 and includes framed prints, unframed prints for sale and images on a monitor. Coyner came to Korea with the Peace Corps in 1975 and later worked in Seoul, California and Japan. He says the show focuses on people-only photos from 50 years ago to the present.

Coyner arrived in Korea in August 1975 and spent two years there after coming with the Peace Corps.

During his stint in Korea, he trained English teachers at a rural middle school and later developed an advanced English and American society course for the Ministry of Agriculture.

The exhibition features fifteen framed prints, several unframed prints for sale and many images shown on a large monitor.

Coyner said he has hundreds of thousands of images and chose people-only photos that show what he calls the intrinsic, robust personalities of Koreans.

After the exhibition, he plans to launch a new photo service called SeoulMan Images, offering digital files and prints of Asia and elsewhere.

Published Sep 6, 2026 5:00 am KST

A poster for Tom Coyner's photo exhibition / Courtesy of Tom Coyner

After half a century spent living in Korea, U.S. photographer Tom Coyner is exhibiting his work at his first solo gallery exhibition. Fifteen framed prints, several unframed prints for sale and a large number of his photos displayed on a large monitor, dating back to his arrival with the Peace Corps in 1975, will be displayed at KOTE Gallery in central Seoul's Insa-dong neighborhood from Sept. 15-20.

Coyner came to Korea in August 1975, starting off training English teachers at a rural middle school, and later developing an advanced English and American society course for the Ministry of Agriculture. Throughout his two-year stint, he was busy snapping pictures with his camera.

"It was an interesting challenge of temples, landscapes and people," he said of his photographic adventures in the 1970s. "Much of the time, I waited impatiently for people to get out of the way of my temple shots, only to regret years later, as they gave important time anchors to the timeless temples."

Unlike today, when nearly everyone has a smartphone in their pocket capable of snapping good quality photos, there were fewer rules about public photography in the 1970s, when cameras were much more rare. Coyner got into the habit of approaching people to ask for permission before aiming his camera.

"Many Koreans were thin-skinned about how the rest of the world viewed them and sometimes refused to be photographed," he said. "However, most people were pretty open and cooperative."

Tom Coyner in 2024 / Courtesy of Sue Young

He added: "One rule I have kept over the past 50 years has been if the person does not wish to be photographed, I honor his or her wishes. There are always other, sometimes better, photographs just around the corner."

Coyner began studying photography in 1967 while in high school, and kept at it over the decades as he acquired new equipment and software and moved to different countries.

"A single person's journey through the years in part defines the images' character. Photographs are very much a reflection of the photographer," he said.

"Among other things, serious photography is a philosophy that trains one to continuously 'take photographs,' even without a camera, or these days a smartphone. Photography trains one to observe details many people overlook. Moreover, one often makes mental compositions of one's observations," he said. "As an actual introvert, the camera has given me an alibi to approach strangers. In doing so, I have forced myself to be engaged with strangers, if only for a moment — but those brief moments can be wonderful."

After he finished his two years with the Peace Corps in Korea, he stayed in Seoul working for The Chase Manhattan Bank in Seoul. He then spent a decade each in California and Japan, while making frequent return trips to Korea.

Coyner has had opportunities to share his photos over the years, whether on social media or in newspaper columns, and once in an exhibition hosted by the Irish Embassy.

He said that people have been urging him to display his photos in a proper gallery.

"Several people have been badgering me, but I have resisted due to the expense. I have seen one-man small exhibitions self-financed by the artist, but I have largely found them to be vanity projects. I would rather spend the money on photo gear or travel expenses," he said.

The biggest challenge in preparing for this exhibition has been going through decades of photo archives, determining which images to spotlight.

"I have hundreds of thousands of images, so selection has been a big challenge — particularly in delivering a coherent theme," he said. "I have settled upon people-only photos from 50 years ago to current times that show the intrinsic, robust personalities that make up the Korean people. After the exhibition, I'm launching a new photo service, SeoulMan Images, which offers digital files and prints of Asia as well as elsewhere."

Makgeolli will be served during an opening reception starting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16. Visit @kote.kr on Instagram for more information.

美国摄影师汤姆·科伊纳（Tom Coyner）在首尔举办其首个个人画廊展览，展出其50年来的摄影作品。展览于9月15日至20日在仁寺洞的KOTE画廊举行，展品包括装裱照片、可供出售的未装裱照片以及电子屏幕上的图像。科伊纳于1975年随和平队来到韩国，之后曾在首尔、加利福尼亚和日本工作。他表示，此次展览主要展出他从50年前至今拍摄的人物照片。

科伊纳于 1975 年 8 月抵达韩国，作为和平队成员在那里待了两年。

在韩国期间，他曾在一所农村中学培训英语教师，后来又为韩国农业部开发了一门高级英语和美国社会课程。

展览展出了十五幅装裱好的版画、几幅未装裱的版画（可供出售）以及在大屏幕上展示的许多图像。

科伊纳表示，他有数十万张照片，并从中挑选出只有人物的照片，以展现他所谓的韩国人内在的、强健的个性。

展览结束后，他计划推出一项名为 SeoulMan Images 的全新摄影服务，提供亚洲及其他地区的数码文件和照片打印服务。

发布于2026年9月6日韩国时间上午5:00

汤姆·科伊纳摄影展海报 / 图片由汤姆·科伊纳提供

在韩国生活了半个世纪之后，美国摄影师汤姆·科伊纳（Tom Coyner）举办了他的首次个人画廊展览。展览将于9月15日至20日在首尔市中心仁寺洞的KOTE画廊举行，展出作品包括15幅装裱好的照片、数幅待售的未装裱照片，以及大量他自1975年随和平队抵达韩国以来拍摄的照片，这些照片将通过大型显示器进行展示。

科伊纳于1975年8月来到韩国，最初在一所乡村中学培训英语教师，后来为韩国农业部开发了一门高级英语和美国社会课程。在他两年的韩国之行中，他一直忙于用相机拍照。

“那是一次有趣的挑战，拍摄对象包括寺庙、风景和人物，”他谈到自己 20 世纪 70 年代的摄影经历时说道。“很多时候，我焦急地等待人们离开，以便拍摄寺庙，但多年后我却后悔不已，因为他们为这些永恒的寺庙提供了重要的时间标记。”

与如今几乎人手一部智能手机，都能拍摄高质量照片的情况不同，20世纪70年代相机还远不常见，当时公共场合拍照的规定也少得多。科伊纳养成了习惯，在举起相机之前，先上前征得他人的同意。

他说：“很多韩国人很在意外界对他们的看法，有时甚至拒绝拍照。不过，大多数人还是相当开放和配合的。”

2024年的汤姆·科伊纳 / 图片由苏·杨提供

他补充道：“过去50年来，我一直坚持一条原则：如果被拍摄者不愿意被拍照，我会尊重他们的意愿。总会有其他更好的照片出现。”

科伊纳于 1967 年高中时期开始学习摄影，并在之后的几十年里坚持不懈，不断添置新设备和软件，并移居到不同的国家。

“一个人的人生历程在一定程度上决定了照片的风格。照片很大程度上反映了摄影师的内心世界，”他说道。

“除此之外，严肃的摄影还是一种哲学，它训练人们即使没有相机，或者如今有了智能手机，也要不断地‘拍照’。摄影训练人们观察许多人忽略的细节。此外，人们常常会根据自己的观察在脑海中构建画面，”他说道。“作为一个真正的内向者，相机给了我接近陌生人的理由。这样做，我强迫自己与陌生人互动，哪怕只是一瞬间——但这些短暂的瞬间却可能非常美好。”

在韩国结束两年和平队服务后，他留在首尔，在首尔的摩根大通银行工作。之后，他分别在加利福尼亚州和日本生活了十年，期间经常往返韩国。

多年来，科伊纳有很多机会分享他的照片，无论是在社交媒体上还是在报纸专栏中，他还曾在爱尔兰大使馆举办的展览中展出过自己的照片。

他说，一直有人敦促他将自己的照片在正规的画廊展出。

“很多人都劝我办个展，但我一直因为费用问题而拒绝。我见过一些艺术家自费举办的小型个展，但我觉得大多是出于虚荣心。我宁愿把钱花在摄影器材或旅行费用上，”他说。

筹备这次展览最大的挑战在于要翻阅几十年的照片档案，确定要重点展示哪些照片。

“我有成千上万张照片，所以挑选照片一直是个很大的挑战——尤其是在如何呈现一个连贯的主题方面，”他说。“我最终选定了从50年前至今的人物照片，这些照片展现了韩国人民内在的、坚韧的个性。展览结束后，我将推出一项新的摄影服务——SeoulMan Images，提供亚洲及其他地区的数码照片和印刷品。”

9月16日晚上6点开始的开幕招待会上将供应马格利酒。更多信息请访问Instagram上的@kote.kr。