People from both South and North Korea are known to refer to defectors as those who are sent to the mountains because of the geographical position of the labor camps.
Trying to understand the North Korean situation is a complicated matter. Its geographical and cultural remoteness summed to the extremely tense political enviroment makes it almost impossible for everyone to keep an eye on every aspect of this dictatorship. The division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War made some North Koreans manage to flee from their homeland for political, ideological, economic or personal reasons. There is not a common term to identify these people. Generally they are considered migrants but referring to different associations and governative organizations they turn to be refugees and/or defectors. This naming difference makes it actually difficult to understand the North Korean migration as a whole phenomenon. The most common strategy of the refugees is to cross the border into northeast China before going to a third country. However, escaping from North Korea is almost impossible, the majority of defectors are caught before they can exit the country, charged with Border Management Crimes and sent to Police Camps and Re-educational facilities, where they face terrible life conditions, torture and starvation.
"Who are they?" is an interactive experience that uncover the North Korean migration phenomenon through data extracted from political and social reports collected in over 3 months of research.
This installation will be part of a temporary exhibition at Politecnico di Milano on data visualization.
Disclaimer: Entering this experience you may experience intense audio, low visibility and/or sudden physical actions.
You should NOT enter this event if you suffer from heart conditions, or are prone to seizures.