Namhun Sung

What Wind Whispers

“Even if we couldn’t speak, the wind did.” This powerful statement by a Jeju native encapsulates the unspoken pain and longing of those who lived through the 4.3 incident, a dark chapter in Jeju’s history where thousands were killed.

Inspired by this, my project, “Wind’s Words,” explores the deep-rooted history of Jeju through photography. I’ve captured images of places connected to the 4.3 incident and then physically damaged the prints, reflecting the fragmented and painful nature of the past.

Just as the wind carried the unspoken grief of the victims, these photographs aim to bear witness to a history that has often been silenced. By using large-format Polaroid film and physically altering the images, I aim to create a tangible representation of the incompleteness and enduring impact of the 4.3 incident.

Sung Namhun studied Documentary Photography at Icart Photo École de Paris and worked for Rapho, a photographic press agency in France. He worked as a visiting professor at the Department of Photography at Jeonju University, president of Onbit Documentary, and general director of Jeonju International Photo Festival. He is currently a representative of the photography group Dream Flower Factory.