Too often, conversations about North Korea are framed solely in terms of nuclear threats and geopolitics. But for many working on these issues — including within the State Department — the real story is a humanitarian one. The goal of this screening was to shift that narrative by focusing on the lived experiences of defectors and the emotional stakes of escape, survival, and advocacy.
We collaborated with key stakeholders at the State Department to shape a social video that could both commemorate the event and extend its impact online. Our creative concept centered around Doohyun Kim — a defector from North Korea who attended the screening and participated in a post-film discussion. Rather than summarizing the documentary, we framed the piece around Doohyun’s reaction to it: what it meant for him to watch others live through a journey he himself had survived.
The interview was candid and deeply moving. He described how he grew up believing the United States — and especially the State Department — was the enemy. Sitting in the audience that night, surrounded by warmth and openness, that perception was upended in real time. His reflection became the emotional spine of the video: a moment of transformation, not just in the room, but for viewers watching online.
We created a short-form Instagram video designed to immediately draw viewers in. The opening lines — Doohyun describing his childhood belief that America was the “most evil place in the world” — delivered an emotional jolt that grounded the rest of the piece. From there, we wove in footage of the screening event, paired with a clean, minimal edit that let the story breathe.
The video struck a chord. It resonated with both internal stakeholders and public audiences, offering a rare, human-centered look at an issue so often defined by abstraction. It didn’t just promote an event — it underscored a deeper mission: reframing North Korea not just as a geopolitical challenge, but as a human tragedy that demands empathy and attention.
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