Roger Shepherd

HIKE KOREA is a sole proprietorship company. Roger is the sole owner/operator of HIKEKOREA, recruiting extra staff to help out with larger projects. He has trekked extensively all over the Korean peninsula, recording mountains of the Baekdu Daegan in North & South Korea, promoting them via books, television media, and photo exhibitions. He is a foreign expert on hiking in Korea. Roger dropped out of high school before completing an apprenticeship as a car painter, then left his native New Zealand for England where he continued to paint cars for a year. Additional travel through Europe inspired him to see more, and he ended up in southern Africa where he remained for almost nine years. He acquired the necessary skills and worked in the wildlife industry as a game farm manager, safari guide, and wildlife ranger in South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia. He returned to New Zealand contemplating a career in tourism and took a job as an English instructor in South Korea, where he started exploring their mountains. However, needing something sturdy, he returned to New Zealand and joined the New Zealand Police. He stayed there for the next eight years becoming a diplomatic protection officer and attaining a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies. While on leave, a return to Korea to hike its numerous peaks saw him develop a new love. He left his enjoyable role in the police and started an adventure as a mountain guide, photographer, and writer. He has been based at the foot of Jiri mountain, South Korea, for the past ten years.