Since the Korean War broke in 1950, there was large number of Koreans who either fled or being separated from their family and hometown. Many artists depicted this sentiment through several motifs. First of all, the motif of the absence of father figure was common in both South and North Korea. For instance, the painting painted by a North Korean artist, Hong Eun Sam, depicted a mother with three children in front of an abandoned house (Fig 10). The sorrowness was emphasized by the blizzard in the background. Similarly, Sim Suk Ja’s painting Mother and Two Children describes a loving mother gently embracing one of the fighting brothers in order to separate them (Fig 11). The emphasis on a motherly female figure underlines the poignancy as a woman who has to endure the loss of husband as he contributes in wars. (Han, 46) Furthermore, Mother and Two Children also involves a scene of brothers fighting over each other with one of them holding a sharp toy (or weapon) in his hand. This indicates the common motif of siblings fighting which symbolizes the warring between South and North. (Roe, 58) North Korea also adopts similar motif to indicate the separation of their country. South Korean civilians are usually described as brothers and sisters who were forcefully separated by imperialists. (Kim Suk-Yong, 201) This common motif of referring South and North as siblings can also be found in state establishments such as The Statue of Brothers and Monuments to 3-Charter of National Reunification established respectively in both South and North. Similar to these state establishments, paintings such as Donsaeng eul Chajaseo (Finding the Younger Sister) painted by a North Korean artist depict two female figures in Korean traditional dresses who embrace each other in a blizzard (Fig 12). Indicated by the baggage, the elder sister traveled a long journey alone in the snow to find her younger sister. This painting demonstrates the hope in reunification despite any obstacles and long division between two states because they are siblings who are related by blood.

Artists from both states also show interest in the issues of DMZ. Wood board prints such as Unification is the Aim of Our Dreams produced in North Korea depicts the map of Korea being divided by the military demarcation line (Fig 13). The map is also filled with banners and slogans which state their hope in peace and a unified nation. Likewise in South Korea, exhibitions and projects such as DMZ_2005 and Real DMZ Project were curated near the DMZ zone in Gangwondo Province. The Real DMZ Project began in 2012 and it is planned to be proceeded as a long term project bases on art works that research into issues upon the DMZ and Cheorwon Gun area. (“Real DMZ Project”, Real DMZ Project) Artworks such as Tour exhibited in 2013 indicate the fact that the area has turned into a tourist spot (Fig 14). By pairing the two opposite idea of ‘tourism’ and ‘war’, it questions the sign of war becoming more and more distant from reality. This could be regarded as a sign of relief and a step towards peace. However the fact remains that the military threats continuously posed by North Korea and issues between two states still remain but evaded.