Meet the North Koreans who haven't been able to return home for over 70 years

Editor’s Note: This article is published as the world marks the 74th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

Located on the east coast of South Korea is an unassuming village home to resettled North Korean refugees who fled south during the Korean War, often called the Forgotten War in the United States. Abai village, inhabited by about a dozen displaced people from the north, occupies a small tract of land in the coastal town of Sokcho. It initially served as an unofficial refuge for thousands of North Koreans who believed they would eventually return to their home country when the war ended.

Amid growing tensions between the north and south before the war, some individuals made the decision to settle in Seoul in order to avoid potential conflict. However, it was above all the outbreak of war that led to a mass exodus of thousands of people from the north.

Schoolchildren walk around the village of Abai on September 10, 2023. The village is now a tourist destination due to its history as a village of displaced people from North Korea. Only a few dozen displaced people remain. — Schoolchildren walk in Abai village on September 10, 2023. The village is now a tourist destination due to its history as a village of displaced people from North Korea. Only a few dozen displaced people remain.

Friends Lee Hwa-ja, Jun Sook-ja (center) and Choi Gi-hwal rest after collecting trash around Abai Village in Sokcho, South Korea, September 12, 2023.

A meal of kimchi, fish, tofu and rice sits on a small dining table in Kim Yong-jae's living room at her home in Sokcho, South Korea, September 11, 2023. — A meal of kimchi, fish, tofu and rice sits on a small dining table in Kim Yong-jae’s living room at her home in Sokcho, South Korea, September 11, 2023.

Kim Yong-jae, 82, gets off the Gaetbae ferry in Sokcho, South Korea, September 12, 2023.

King Yong-jae, 82, is silhouetted near her window at her home in Sokcho, South Korea, September 14, 2023.

During the Third Battle of Seoul in 1951, the North Korean Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army formed an alliance with the aim of putting pressure on United Nations forces to withdraw from the Korean peninsula. Many Koreans and UN forces fled south toward Busan.

It was at this time that approximately 6,000 North Koreans from Hamgyong Province decided to resettle in Sokcho, South Korea, hoping to return home, given its proximity to the north. While awaiting their return, they created their own community, known as Abai Village. Word abay (아바이) comes from the dialect of Hamgyong Province and means “uncle” or “elderly person”.

The land was too muddy to build houses, so the refugees’ houses were, at first, more like temporary shelters, as most people planned to return north.

The signing of the Korean armistice agreement on July 27, 1953 marked the official closure of the border but not the end of the war. Therefore, those who had fled south were not allowed to return to their home countries. Due to ongoing tensions between North and South Korea, thousands of elderly North Koreans have been permanently separated from their homeland.

<strong>LEFT :</strong> The residence of a resident of Abai village is seen on the evening of September 13, 2023. <strong>To the right :</strong> Kim Yong-jae, 81, holds her dress in the morning in Sokcho, South Korea, September 14, 2023.” srcset=”https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/155e94f/2147483647/strip/true /resize/1760x^/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F11008x8256%2016%200%2Fresize%2F11008x8256%21%2F%3Furl %3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2Fce%2F2734e87441378013183960540106%2Fdsc-6772.jpg 2x” width=”880″ height=”0″ loading=”lazy” src=”https: //npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d5b9103/2147483647/strip/true/resize/880x^/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip% 2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F11008x8256%2016%200%2Fresize%2F11008x8256%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2Fce%2F2734e8744137801318 3960540106%2Fdsc-6772.jpg”/></p>
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<div class= — **LEFT:** A local’s residence is seen in Abai village on the evening of September 13, 2023. **RIGHT:** Kim Yong-jae, 81, holds her dress in the morning in Sokcho, South Korea, September 14, 2023.

Kim Yong-jae, 82, left, and his friend Kwon Gye-soon, 70, watch news reports of a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Kim's home in the Abai village, September 12, 2023. . — Kim Yong-jae, 82, left, and his friend Kwon Gye-soon, 70, watch news reports of a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Kim’s home in the Abai village, September 12, 2023. .

Old photos of Kim Yong-jae's mother and grandmother (L) sitting in a frame at Kim's home in Sokcho, South Korea, September 12, 2023. — Old photos of Kim Yong-jae’s mother and grandmother (L) sitting in a frame at Kim’s home in Sokcho, South Korea, September 12, 2023.

Kim Yong-jae, 82, peels garlic at her home in Sokcho, South Korea, September 9, 2023.

Kim Yong-jae, 82, sits on the Gaetbae ferry while visitors take photos around her in Sokcho, South Korea, September 17, 2023.

One of these people is Kim Yong Jae, who has resided in Abai Village since 1951, when she was 10 years old. Having fled the north during the war with his mother and grandmother, Kim primarily considers Abai village his home and, despite the death of several of his friends and seeing his children move to more big cities, she says she finds comfort in this confinement. of the village.

Kim spends most of her days shopping, preparing seafood dishes (banchan) for her friends, seeing neighbors, and playing with her Nanta drum group.

Looking back on her life before the war, she remembers the abundance and comfort she experienced. His father’s employment in the railroad industry provided him with financial stability and a comfortable life. She remembers her beautiful home and the many relatives who visited her frequently.

Others, like Jun Sook-ja, Kim Kim Chul-hwan, and Lee Geum-soon, have found ways to spend time in the village, from volunteering to clean up the island to preparing washing dishes for their families and friends or playing Hwatu, a role-playing game. Korean traditional gambling game. Being the only ones still alive in the north, they know each other and consider themselves family.

Kim Il-dong walks through his alley in Abai village in Sokcho, South Korea, September 16, 2023.

Kim Il-dong (L) and his friend Kim Chul-hwan, sit together at Il-dong's home in Abai village in Sokcho, South Korea, September 11, 2023. — Kim Il-dong (L) and his friend Kim Chul-hwan, sit together at Il-dong’s home in Abai village in Sokcho, South Korea, September 11, 2023.

Kim Chul-hwan, 85, shaves while sitting in his bedroom at his home in Abai village, September 10, 2023. Kim left North Korea at the age of 13 and is displaced for 70 years, living in the village since 1953. .

An aerial view of Abai Village in Sokcho, South Korea, September 12, 2023.

A group of friends, all elderly people displaced from North Korea when they were young, play Go-Stop, a Korean card game, in Abai village, September 10, 2023. Lee Hwa-ja ( (left to right), Lim Joeng-ok, Lee Geum-soon and Choi Gi-hwal all lived in the northern provinces of Korea before the country was divided. All fled with their families to escape the war, thinking they would be able to return home once the war was over.

Until the late 1980s, Abai village had the highest concentration of North Koreans resettled in South Korea. Currently, the largest group of displaced North Koreans resides in Seoul, while Abai Village has become a cultural tourist destination.

Today, the generation that once knew and experienced a unified Korea is gradually transitioning into a historic chapter of the country. The transformation of Abai Village has left only a few vestiges of its original character. Among the small tin-roofed houses you’ll find cafes, bakeries, a quiet beach and a relatively small restaurant all serving similar dishes – cold North Korean noodles with spicy pollock and various squid dishes.

For North Koreans who have moved to the South, the legacy of the war remains a deeply personal matter. This legacy encompasses a myriad of emotions, including different opportunities, loss, growth and a deep sense of longing for the life they knew in the North.

Jun Sook-ja, 91, (left), sits at a restaurant in Abai village as tourists pass by, September 9, 2023. The village has become a tourist destination known for being a village of displaced people who settled here after the Korean War. .

This project was supported by grant from the National Geographic Society.

Hannah Yoon is a documentary photographer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can see more of his work on his website, hannahyoon.comor on Instagram at @Hanloveyoon.