Talk, Screening and Q&A by Dongryung Kim and Kyoungtae Park
The US military presence has cast a long shadow over South Korea since the peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. The United States and the Soviet Union occupied the south and north for three years until 1948 when separate governments were established on each side. The Korean War broke out two years later, intensifying Cold War tensions and solidifying the US defense line against potential communist invasion for the next seven decades, up to the present day. The film Tour of Duty explores the ways in which US military bases impact the lives of three military sex workers. Militarism is a highly racialized and gendered experience for these Korean women, who endured traumatizing relationships with US GIs stationed in South Korea. Dongryung Kim and Kyoungtae Park listen to their stories, inviting the women to engage with their camera to recollect their memories in the military camp towns.
After the conclusion of the film, there will be a Q&A session with directors Dongryung Kim and Kyoungtae Park.
This event is part of “Wonders and Witness: Contemporary Photography from Korea” an exhibition of Korean photographic works.
It is sponsored by the following organizations:
The Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Arts, the Center for East Asian Studies, East Asian Studies Department, and the School of Government and Public Policy.
This event is free and open to the public.
