School for Defectors

Mar 5, 2026

1h 33m

★ 0.0

Overview

In an industrial corner of Busan, South Korea, stands the tiny Jangdaehyun School. It is home to 20 students, all of whom are North Korea defectors. With unprecedented access to a community never seen on film, SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS gives voice to young people whom the world might otherwise overlook—illuminating not just what they’ve endured, but who they are about to become.

Genres

Documentary

School for Defectors Trailers

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Cast

No Cast found.

Ryun-hee Kim, a North Korean housewife, was forced to come to South Korea and became its citizen against her will. As her seven years of struggle to go back to her family in North Korea continues, the political absurdity hinders her journey back to her loved ones. The life of her family in the North goes on in emptiness, and she fears that she might become someone, like a shadow, who exists only in the fading memory of her family.

5.0

The Rainy Season

Feb 27, 2020

A documentary about joys, sorrows, ups, and downs experienced by the civil society activist, Lee Eun Taek.

7.8

Beyond Utopia

Oct 23, 2023

A courageous pastor uses his underground network to rescue and aid North Korean families as they risk their lives to embrace freedom.

8.0

Propaganda

Feb 14, 2013

An anti-western propaganda film about the influences of American visual and consumption culture on the rest of the world, as told from a North Korean perspective.

7.1

North Korea: All the Dictator's Men

May 23, 2018

North Korea has nuclear weapons. How did it manage to get them quietly? Donald Trump is under the impression that as US president he could convince Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, to disarm his nuclear weapons and make peace with South Korea. But how was it possible that one of the poorest countries in the world could acquire the knowledge to produce nuclear-tipped rockets?

6.2

The Defector: Escape from North Korea

Jun 6, 2012

Dragon smuggles North Korean defectors across borders for a living, and his latest undercover trip with Sook-Ja and Yong-hee takes an unexpected turn when they are left stranded in China. This is just the start of an extraordinary 5,000 km journey.

6.6

I Am Sun Mu

Oct 3, 2015

Operating under a pseudonym which means 'no boundaries' - North Korean defector Sun Mu creates political pop art based on his life, homeland, and hope for a future united Korea. His hidden identity is nearly compromised when a massive historical exhibit in Beijing is shuttered by Chinese and North Korean authorities.

6.1

Mrs. B., a North Korean Woman

Feb 22, 2017

Portrait of Mrs. B., a tough charismatic North Korean woman who smuggles between North Korea, China and South Korea. With the money she gets, she plans to reunite with her two North Korean sons after years of separation.

0.0

Hostage 93340

Jun 1, 2025

No overview available.

0.0

An Eleven-Year-Old's Arari

Nov 16, 2024

In a Seoul studio, Eunjoo—a North Korean defector—prepares to record an interview about her escape. At the same time, 11-year-old Yesol travels with her family to Jeongseon, a quiet town in Gangwon Province. There, Yesol stumbles upon Eunjoo's memoir. Page by page, she comes to recognise the meaning of human rights and the power of solidarity, as two distant lives begin to rhyme.

0.0

A Mother Youngsoon

Sep 24, 2022

Youngsoon defected from North Korea in 2007. Her husband killed himself and her eldest son is in North Korea. She does her best for her little son who came with her. But he thinks that his mother only loved his big brother in the North and resents her for having brought him to South Korea only to be stigamatised as North Korean defector. Youngsoon, who was born as the daughter of a South Korean prisoner of war detained in North Korea, was always poor and her only hope was her eldest son with exceptional talents. To her, her little son is more work than hope.

0.0

Why I Left Both Koreas

Nov 3, 2017

This documentary sheds light on the lives of North Korean defectors in Europe. North Korean defectors who crossed the ideological boundary over to South Korea are often called forth to bear witness to the plight of North Korean society. Rather than creating a discourse about the recovery of divided culture, the focus has been very much on the conflict of ideology. The increasing number of North Korean defectors is a sign of victory. However, the film testifies that a growing number of people are leaving both Koreas behind.

0.0

The Mine

Jun 2, 2022

A boy steps on a landmine during a border crossing with his mother. When his mother disappears to find help, the boy follows a group of mysterious soldiers only to find himself in a terrifying situation.

8.0

In Our Prime

Mar 18, 2022

Ji-woo, an outcast at a prestigious private school, meets Hak-sung, the school janitor who is actually a mathematical genius who defected from North Korea.

5.8

One Summer Night

Oct 21, 2016

Caught in forbidden love, Yong Joon defects from North Korea, leaving Jae Sung behind. Years later, a reunion forces him to choose between past and present.

7.0

3670

Sep 3, 2025

Despite the close bonds among fellow defectors, Cheol-jun—a young North Korean defector—felt isolated while hiding his gay identity. Finally, he takes his first step into South Korea's vibrant gay community and forms close ties after meeting Yeong-jun at a casual gathering. Yet, a trivial misunderstanding shatters these fragile bonds.

7.1

Crossing

Jun 5, 2008

Yong-soo is an ex-soccer player who lives in a small coal-mine village in North Korea with his wife and young son, Joon. Although living in extreme poverty like many other families in North Korea, the family is happy just to be with each other. Then one day, Yong-soo's pregnant wife becomes critically ill. Let alone medicine, Yong-soo can't even find food for her in North Korea. So he decides to secretly cross the border to China hoping to find the medicine for his wife.

0.0

Traveler from the North

Jan 1, 2013

GeumSook is a single mom, who has escaped from North Korea and has settled down in South Korea. However GeumSook is always overwhelmed by the harsh stares of people around her and by the burden that she has to nurture her daughter, SoonMi who is just 100 days old by herself. One day, GeumSook left SoonMi alone and set out on a trip with her friend. However, she had her purse stolen and wandered here and there in a strange city alone.

7.3

My Name Is Loh Kiwan

Feb 19, 2024

After defecting from North Korea, Loh Kiwan struggles to obtain refugee status in Belgium, where he encounters a dejected woman who has lost all hope.

School for Defectors

Overview

Genres

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