Tucked away in Sokcho, South Korea, lies a small village made up of resettled North Korean refugees who fled south during the Korean War. Abai Village became home to thousands of North Koreans who believed they would go back home once the war ended. When the Korean War Armistice agreement was signed on  July 27, 1953, the border officially closed. Anyone who had fled to the south were not able to go back home. And due to the ongoing tensions between North and South Korea, thousands of aging North Koreans have never returned home. 

This is a portrait series of displaced North Koreans who, despite the passage of seven decades, continue to long for and hope to return home. Matched with photographs of their surroundings, this project aims to convey the painful yearning displaced people have for their home. These individuals are aging, and the stories of those who have passed are part of critical Korean and world history. It is my hope that this photos will spark a broader dialogue on the ramifications of the Korean War and the cost of regional and global conflicts, and that their stories will also provide insight into the larger global issue of displaced people.

The Korean War displaced hundreds of thousands of North Koreans who believed they would go back home once the war ended. The war never ended. Instead, in 1953, an armistice agreement was signed and the border was permanently closed. This is a portrait series of a few of the displaced North Koreans who, despite the passage of seven decades, continue to long for and hope to return home.