Roger Shepherd

Roger Shepherd is a New Zealander based in Korea. He works full-time as an individual freelancer, specializing in Korean Mountain Culture from North & South Korea. His main mediums are photography and photo-art book publishing, but is now branching into painting as his new medium of expression.

“Covid-19 suddenly provided me with a hole to fill. So I decided to use the spare time to fulfil a promise to my high school art teacher that I would one day draw again.”

Roger is the first person to have explored the Baekdu-daegan (a 1400km mountain spine of the Korean peninsula) in North Korea over several visits and the first foreigner to have walked and documented the Baekdu-daegan in South Korea. He has held several photo exhibitions throughout South Korea, as well as in Pyongyang, Kyoto and New Zealand. His exhibitions and photo art books of the Baekdu-daegan symbolize Korea as one mountain and one people.

“I am a supporter of self-determination for the Korean people. Through arts, I aim to create a paradigm for the peaceful coexistence of North and South Korea. I seek commonalities rather than differences."

Roger also runs a hiking company called Hike Korea, which has helped him discover most corners of the Korean penin...

MA Strategic Studies, Victoria University, New Zealand.

Major Photo Exhibitions: Korea Tourism in Seoul 2010, Korea Forest Service in Seoul 2011, 2012, National Assembly of Korea 2013, Pataka Gallery in New Zealand 2012, Otani University in Japan 2015, Pyongyang 2013, 2015, 2017, Gimpo City Art Hall 2016, 2017, 2019, Cheonan City Hall 2015, Seoul Museum of Art 2017, Kim Dae Jung Culture Hall in Mokpo 2016, Korea New Zealand Foundation in Auckland 2019, Modern History Memorial Hall in Seoul 2019/20, Chungnam Office of Education 05/2020, Busan Office of Education 06/2020, Gyeongnam Office of Education, 08/2020, Suncheon Wetlands Park 10/2020, Unification Tower Goseong-gun 10/2020, LG Corporation Jinju 12/2020, Hanji Theme Park in Wonju 12/2020, Samgaksan Art Gallery 07/2021.