SEOUL: An artificial intelligence-created video featuring three South Korean Christian missionaries who have been detained in North Korea for a decade will air this month as part of a campaign to address issues related to detainees, the unification ministry said Tuesday. The video campaign coincides with a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session, scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss North Korea's human rights situation.According to Yonhap News Agency, the AI-generated video featuring the three detainees will be made available on the ministry's website and social media accounts throughout this month. It will also be displayed on large outdoor screens in Seoul. The three missionaries, Choi Chun-gil, Kim Jung-wook, and Kim Kook-kie, were initially detained in North Korea between 2013 and 2014 on charges of spying for South Korea's intelligence agency and have remained in custody since.The video campaign creatively juxtaposes images of the missionaries during their press conference in Nor th Korea following their detention with AI-generated images depicting them celebrating their release and return home. The unification ministry emphasized its commitment to fostering international understanding and collaboration to encourage countries to speak up on North Korea's human rights issues during the upcoming UPR session.
- October 12, 2026
