Movies Similar to School for Defectors

A Mother Youngsoon(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.

Ryeohaeng(2019)

A group of women climbs a summer mountain situated in South Korea. They are refugees who have settled into South Korean society after fleeing from North Korea. For them, climbing the mountains has been an unavoidable journey for survival - a matter of life and death.

Shadow Flowers(2021)

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.​

Beyond Utopia(2023)

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

Why I Left Both Koreas(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.

North Korea: All the Dictator's Men(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?

I Am Sun Mu(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.

Mrs. B., a North Korean Woman(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.

Propaganda(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.

The Defector: Escape from North Korea(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.

The Rainy Season(2020)

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

An Eleven-Year-Old's Arari(2024)

Hostage 93340(2025)

In Our Prime(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.

Apostle(2014)

In a small North Korean village near the border of China, there are believers who get together in an underground church, away from the eyes of the persecuting government. When the missionary from China, their only support route, is cut off, things begin to get very tense. Chulho, who had been arrested along with his wife, returns. After losing his wife in the interrogations, Chulho had been released and unseen for 2 years before coming back to his home, claiming that he had been commanded by God to lead the believers across the border and into South Korea. The brothers wonder if Chulho is trustworthy, and whether it is the right thing to do to leave their homeland.

Fist & Furious(2019)

Looking for a new interesting story, VJ reporter Guk-hyun is fascinated with a story of a former detective Gi-man, living a life with a blade in his head for certain reason. Guk-hyun convinces Gi-man to take him upon condition that he make a record of Gi-man's revenge on Tae-hwa, the head of drug cartel. While searching for Tae-hwa's whereabouts, they decide to head towards unknown Island where Tae-hwa is expected to be staying.

One Summer Night(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.

The Mine(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.

Traveler from the North(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.

Crossing(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.