'Seoul Hates You' by Hong Chanhee

Seoul Hates You is a series of portraits by Seoul-based photographer Hong Chanhee. Since 2023, Hong has photographed young men of his own generation, all born in the 2000s, beginning with friends before widening out to acquaintances and strangers he approached himself, so that he stands as both subject and witness to what it means to come of age in the city.

Shirtless and in jeans, the men mostly face the camera in their own rooms, with apartment blocks and Namsan Tower visible behind them, and together the 27 portraits form a quiet, unguarded picture of youth in Seoul. Taking its title from Chief Keef’s “Chicago Hates You”, the series deliberately leaves the feeling behind “You” open, so that the viewer is left to decide whether it is the city that hates its young or the young who hate the city.

Size: 29.7 x 29.7cm
No. of Pages: 120 pages
Print Type: UV Color Print
Cover Type: Softcover
Edition: First Edition of 250
Publisher: foot