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On the evening of the 10th, Yonsei PSCORE hosted its first event open to the public. The first half consisted of a partial screening of the film Beyond Utopia. Debuting at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, Beyond Utopia is a documentary directed by Madeleine Gavin that centers around Pastor Seungeun Kim, a South Korean human rights activist and director of the Caleb Mission. Throughout the film, Pastor Kim works to rescue a North Korean family from China and bring them to safety in South Korea. This story is supplemented with interviews from other defectors and field experts. 

The second half of the event featured a testimony from Ms. Soyeon Lee, one of the defectors in Beyond Utopia. She attested to the horrors described in the film, but also detailed how she has used her past to make life better for other defectors in South Korea. Her courage and determination inspired all attendees, and showcased the immense resilience of the North Korean people. 

Photos by Celeste Jingya Yuan and Lauren Yhip

Written by Lauren Yhip for Yonsei PSCORE