Jeju Lullaby (Kor.Wongi-Jalang) is a project that has taken shape over the years as layer upon layer of photographs documenting my hometown accumulated since 2011. Only when I, a descendant of Jeju 4·3 victims, returned home after feeling I had failed in life in my late twenties did I begin to ask fundamental questions about myself and my family. I came to realize that the place that raised me held complex layers of history and perspectives. Over time, my family, who had long remained silent about so much, began sharing stories, feeling that the times had finally changed enough for them to speak. I thought this history is not so different from what was happening today in my friends’ lives on other side of island(struggle against Gangjeong Naval base), and I initially set out to shed light on what was happening on the island. 
Over the years, what began as a desire to bring awareness to my hometown’s issues grew into an evolving body of work that includes photographs, writing, film, sound, and plays. The images primarily capture sites of the Jeju 4·3 massacre, Gangjeong Naval Base, the proposed site of the Seongsan 2nd Airport, and the people and events in these places. Though these landscapes may seem like silent remnants of past events, tragedies are often cyclical. From that perspective, today’s landscapes mark both the places where past tragedies have occurred and where future ones may yet unfold.
Central to my work are portraits of my family and friends—people who live their lives here, carrying with them the past, present, and future. Wongi-Jalang takes its name from a lullaby sung by Jeju women divers (haenyeo) as they lulled their babies to sleep before diving into the sea. This title reflects a wish for peace for all, whether dead, half-dead, or alive. It also embodies my resolve to work with the same grit and resilience that these haenyeo women carry in every dive, enduring whatever challenges may arise.