Joong-wha Choi, a former soldier in North Korea, lives today with his wife and children in New Malden - the south London suburb that is home to Europe's biggest North Korean population. Despite enjoying the new-found comforts of his British life, he would like to return to his homeland. Joong-wha reflects on both why he left North Korea and the state of his day-to-day life over the course of several months, in a portrait of loss, longing, and the complexities of healing from trauma.
Joong-wha’s story links with those of other refugees in the community he lives alongside. With exclusive access to one of the world’s largest communities of North Korean defectors, this documentary brings an original and unique take to the experiences of refugees in Britain and the human rights situation in North Korea.
- Directed by: Roxy Rezvany
- Produced by: Roxy Rezvany, Matt Diegan and Aya Kaido
- Director of photography: Beatriz Sastre
- Editor: Christian Sandino-Taylor
- Executive producers for the Guardian: Charlie Phillips and Lindsay Poulton
- Commissioned by the Guardian and Docsville
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