Scenes from a January 2009 apprenticeship at a papermill in Gapyeong run by 3rd and 4th generation papermakers about an hour and a half north and east of Seoul.

I spent a month in the mountains, some of it bitter cold, working alongside a family devoted to hanji and all of its manifestations. They fed me three square meals six days a week and the air was fresh. Hard work + gorgeous paper + lovely coworkers = the best month I’ve had in recent memory.

To see a video on how hanji is made, click here.