The Traces Left Behind
Photography by Catherine Hyland
Words and art direction by Gem Fletcher
New Malden, an often-overlooked suburb of South London, has the biggest community of North Koreans outside of the Korean Peninsula. Around 600 defectors have settled there to build a new life, free from the regime. Defectors live complicated lives, traversing the gulf between then and now. Starvation, propaganda, political pressure and punishment; the brutality of the regime is almost impossible to comprehend.
Resettlement involves a psychological and cultural adjustment that can be laden with challenges, both practical and emotional. Even recounting their stories carries an unimaginable burden that family members left behind could be punished for their honesty.
The Korean Senior Citizen Society is a haven for refugees. Founded by women for women, the centre serves the practical, spiritual and emotional needs of the community. Together they celebrate traces of their heritage, the rituals and gestures that bond us as humans. Performance is a cathartic experience that connects past and present and their joy is a symbol of power, resilience and an eternal gratitude to be free.
Sun-Hwa Lim
When we perform, we have this depth of feeling. It taps into our personal histories and our memories of Korea, both positive and painful. It all comes out in the movement. Dance is a whole body language, and for many of the group who find it difficult to process their experiences or who don't speak much English, it's a powerful way for them to express how they are feeling. Movement is very healing for us.
Our group is full of all different types of people, young and old, rich and poor, highly educated and not educated at all. Some North Koreans and some South Koreans. When we perform, our differences don't matter, and we can unite. We dance and create together.
Lee-Sook Sung
I left North Korea in 1999 and headed to China. I started losing my sight in 2002; I couldn't receive treatment because I was in hiding and had no money. I can't read lyrics, so I practice by listening to the songs repeatedly. I now am part of such a wonderful and joyful world. I am dancing and singing and doing all these things at my age. If I were still in North Korea, I wouldn't be able to do anything.
Soon-Hee Jee
In North Korea, it’s unimaginable for grandmas to be standing up on stage and dancing at this age. When I dance, I feel so happy. I feel younger. I loved music so much when I was in North Korea. To be honest, when you grow old, you become very lonely. When we all come together, eat together and perform together, we all feel like siblings.
Jeom-Soon Ha
As a woman, I have spent a lot of time focused as a wife and mother, and I forgot about myself as a woman. When I reached fifty, I realised that it was a mistake, and I should have done more to protect my identity. This community has kept me going; it's given me an escape when I couldn't cope; it's helped me in so many ways. Being together as women, we understand each other better. It's so important and inspiring to share passions, revisit the traditions of our upbringing and support each other. We all have different stories, but we care deeply for each other. It gives us so much joy.
When I listen to these traditional Korean songs, it transports me somewhere else – it's a spiritual feeling. I'm not a professional dancer, so my mind is often occupied with the movement. Once I learn it and take the rhythm, I feel like I'm flying.
Art Director @gemfletcher
DOP @dieguez_dieguez
Editor @carlyrbaker
Sound Designer @sarahnatasha02
Translator/Co-Producer @eojinyeon
Colourist @cheat_it Karol Cybulski
Makeup & Hair Designer @susanamota
Sound Ben Band
Additional Camera @ciaroncraig
1st Assistant Mark Griffiths
Graphic Designer @tim_george
Set designer @dannyhyland
Set Assistants @joshoajames Tors Beedles, Mitchell Fen, Nienta Nixon
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