North Korean Defectors, Participatory Installation , Counter-mapping, Geopolitics, Spatial Storytelling
A Long Way South refers to both a direction and a detour. For many North Korean defectors, reaching South Korea is geographically “south,” yet the direct route is politically impossible. Instead, the journey often becomes a prolonged and dangerous passage: crossing into China, moving through hidden transit networks, reaching Southeast Asia, and only later arriving in South Korea. The title reflects this extended southward movement, as well as the uncertainty, waiting, dependency, and risk embedded along the way.
This project is an interactive spatial narrative that traces North Korean defection journeys through a map-based interface and a series of immersive 3D scenes. Viewers encounter fragments of information through places, objects, sounds, and environmental details, moving between border crossings, temporary shelters, transit spaces, and moments of waiting. Rather than presenting defection as a single dramatic escape, the project emphasizes its fragmented and prolonged nature.
Grounded in verified reports, documentaries, academic sources, and research, A Long Way South uses counter-mapping as a method to challenge oversimplified defection storytelling. Its goal is not to sensationalize escape, but to create a careful, evidence-based space for understanding defection as a complex human journey.