Farming at the Edge of the World: an interview with Min Il Lee
" I had a business in Seoul and came to the DMZ to farm after my body and mind succumbed to exhaustion. I basically had a burn out. To get out of the pain of disease I practiced traditional Korean medicine (you would call it Oriental medicine) as described in the famous Dongui Bogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) fostering holistic health through the use of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion. It is a book dating back to 1610. "
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Min Il Lee. I am 71 years old and I have been a farmer now 12 years. I farm at the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), the 4 km wide stretch of land (the length is over 241 km) between North and South Korea. It has been labeled as a natural habitat by UNESCO.
Where are you from? What are your roots?
I come from the Anseong Lee clan about 90 km from Seoul. My ancestors came from the SONG Dynasty in China. They were scholars to the Chinese emperors.
What connects you to France? To French culture?
I worked for a well known French company for many years. My current business partner is from Paris.
Can you explain your link with Albert Camus?
When I first worked at the French company in Seoul as a young man I came across a book by Albert Camus and his theory of the absurd. I can relate to that since our Korean history sometimes borders on the absurd and our current daily lives we face the same absurdity locally and globally.
What event led you to devote yourself to an agriculture that is more respectful of nature and ancestral traditions?
I had a business in Seoul and came to the DMZ to farm after my body and mind succumbed to exhaustion. I basically had a burn out. To get out of the pain of disease I practiced traditional Korean medicine (you would call it Oriental medicine) as described in the famous Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) fostering holistic health through the use of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion. It is a book dating back to 1610.
What does your job consist of today?
DMZ is a place where we farm soy beans to make pesticide free soy sauce and rare Korean ginseng. We farm with the morning sun and leave when the sun sets.
What value is really important to you?
Health. When a person gets older, his body aches here and there. I want to learn the wisdom that my ancestors acquired from nature to make the body more comfortable and pain free.
What is your relationship with clothing?
Clothes are wings. Wearing new clothes makes me feel good and lightens my steps.
What parallel could you draw between your activity and the production of a garment?
If a mistake is made in weaving, and the fabric becomes faulty yet you continue to finish the piece of clothing, sooner or later the thread will become undone and your wearable will become unwearable. Same thing in farming, if I do not prepare the soil properly, nurture it and sew it, my crops will not withstand inclement weather. In both cases, preparation and attention to detail and processes are crucial.
How did you find out about hollington?
Through my French business partner.
What did you like about hollington and on what occasion do you wear it?
Its simplicity, quality and humility. I am a simple farmer who likes quality and each day nature humbles me. I wear hollington now all the time.
Papyeong myeon, Paju-si
July 29, 2026
