“Having Fun in Neverland, Peter?”
Written and photographed by JT White
I’m JT in fact, not Peter.
I’ve recently released my first solo zine, of which I’m quite proud. The photos are early photographs from when I’d first come to Korea. They are street and documentary photographs. I’ve always seen photography as a self-portrait. My photos are a portrait of my time in Korea. They say as much about me as they do about the subjects. Perhaps they are only about me. Selfish, maybe.
I came to Korea in 2007, much to the chagrin of my parents. Well, in fact I left law school in Canada mid-semester to come secretly. A week-long struggle studying and a Google search later, I’d signed a contract to come to the Far East.
I didn’t take many photos when I came to Korea at first. Honestly, I didn’t take photos at all. I started to take photos after being here nearly a year. I did so in an attempt to show my parents that my life here was normal – that I’d made a good decision to come.
My father called me “Peter” whenever he called me. It was our joke – our inside joke.
Peter, as in Peter Pan.
Korea was Neverland. Neverland, as in the place where people come to never grow up. He called it Neverland because he said it was the place I’d come to avoid growing up. That’s fine, and I think it’s true on most levels. I think the reason most foreigners like it here is somehow related to this. My father didn’t think this was how he’d imagined his son living his twenties. He didn’t like the idea of me coming to Korea. Eventually, he came around. Just before he passed away, he told me he was proud of me for coming. Proud of me for following my heart.
To Neverland.
Korea is my home, and it’ll continue to be so. I went back to school eventually. I finished for my father. I came back to Korea for him, too. I feel like he would’ve wanted me to live here. I feel like he would’ve wanted me to live:
In Neverland.
My zine is available for purchase at www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1429842.
You can find me online at instagram.com/jt_inseoul.
The Author
Born on the small island of Newfoundland, off the east coast of Canada, JT grew up with a hockey stick instead of a camera. After moving to Korea in 2007, he began taking photos during his daily commute and hasn’t stopped since. His work has been published throughout the world, and he has hosted several Leica Akademies in both Canada and South Korea. He now calls Iksan, South Korea, home, where he lives with his wife, Seonju.