Portraits of North Korean Defectors employs intimate portraiture to explore the lives of individuals who have fled from North Korea. The photographs capture nuanced expressions and personal details that reveal the resilience and complexity of these subjects amid their fraught histories.

The book’s visual approach is focused on humanizing the defectors through close-up imagery that emphasizes emotional depth over context or environment. The contained format of 96 pages allows for a concentrated and contemplative viewing experience that invites reflection on identity and displacement.