1000 Visit NKHR Kkotjebi Exhibition


A collection of artwork featured at the exhibition including pieces by former kkotjebi
 and South Korean children. Image: Daily NK

Hosted at  gallery IS in the Insadong
neighborhood of Seoul, the exhibition focused on the kkotjebi, homeless children
in North Korea, by illustrating their difficult journey to freedom through
works by North Korean defectors and the South Korean youth. The show also
featured  audio and visual installations portraying the stories of three
former kkotjebi who currently reside in South Korea.

Artwork by defector artist Sun Mu showcased
prominently at the gallery, as well as  pieces by Kang Chun Hyeok, a defector
rapper and artist who recently rose to fame when he rapped about Kim Jong Eun
and Ri Sol Ju on the Korean reality show
Show me
the Money 3.

Last year in April, we
held an exhibition in Jakarta, Indonesia on the political prison camps in North
Korea. Not only was it popular among the Korean diaspora there, many local
people were interested too, so I thought it would be a great idea to hold a
similar one in Korea as well,
said Cha
Mi Ri, assistant administrator for the campaign team at NKHR.

Lead vocalist of popular K-pop group Epik
High, Tablo, made a surprise appearance on August 10th to show support for
Kang. Other special guests included Casey Lartigue and Yeonmi Park from OTV
s North Korea Today who filmed the second show in their series live at the gallery.

The response was great.
We expected around 50-100 people to attend the opening but there were over 150
people. In total, I think around 1000 people visited the exhibition; it was
definitely a success overall,
Cha
said.

In addition to these exhibitions and
guest speakers, NKHR packed the weekend with author readings, book signings,
and a silent auction. These interactive events underscored the exhibition
s mission to engage more people in North Korean issues.

When North Korean human
rights are mentioned, people often think of the topic as very grave and serious
which it is. However,
we wanted make the topic more accessible, which is why we incorporated a
literary aspect to these grave issues,
Cha
explained. Although plans are not yet confirmed, Cha expressed NKHR
s intention to hold a similar exhibition next year.

Some of the works featured in the
exhibition can be viewed here and here.