Meet Yoyojin (Hojin Im)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yoyojin (Hojin Im) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yoyojin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In 2010, I was dispatched to Zambia, Africa, through a UNESCO program, which became the starting point for nearly nine years of living and working there. Drawing on my academic background in media content production and youth educational counselling, I helped establish a community-based filmmaking group with youth in the village. And also participated in a collaborative project called “Art4art” with local artists, where we created educational animations about HIV/AIDS. Through these experiences, I came to realise the many ways art can contribute to society deeply. Working alongside local artists on various projects, I naturally found myself drawn into the path of art.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As I have already shared about my background, art, for me, is a language — a way of communicating with the world.
More specifically, I see art as a means of exchanging unique individual perspectives through various forms.

Since I was young, I loved drawing.
Later, while living in Zambia, I taught myself animation and produced animated films aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention.
I also shared my knowledge of filmmaking with villagers, offering it as a tool for them to express their own voices.

Though these were meaningful artistic projects, I often found myself questioning:
Why am I drawn to doing this kind of work?
The answer I eventually arrived at is quite simple — I am someone who loves peace.

Peace sounds like a beautiful word, yet its essence lies in a fragile balance of tensions — tensions between nations, between individuals, and even between different parts of oneself.
I believe that it is through maintaining this delicate balance that peace becomes possible.

As such, I often reflect on how we can preserve our own inner peace, and contribute to peace in the wider, entangled world around us.
Sharing these reflections has become an important part of my artistic practice.

For instance, in the exhibition “Meet Me at Exit 2 of Hanti Station” (2023), I explored the question:
“If a war were to break out, where would we meet?” — a conversation I had with a loved one.
Our answer was simple: the nearest safe spot, Exit 2 of Hanti Station.
Through this work, I invited audiences to imagine how familiar spaces, such as subway stations, might transform into places of refuge — a quiet meditation on how peace might migrate from aboveground to underground in times of crisis.

In another project, “Image and Peace” (2024), I began with a personal question:
“If I keep painting, does the world become a better place?”
The exhibition filled an entire room with drawings, creating a space where I could engage visitors in conversations about peace, art, and their role within our complicated, turbulent world.

Through these projects, and many others, I have come to understand that art, for me, is a way of sharing my reflections on peace, life, and the fragile beauty that exists within them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite neighborhood in Seoul is Haebangchon.
Located halfway up Namsan Mountain, right in the heart of the city, Haebangchon has a unique and fascinating history.
It began as a settlement for people — both from within Korea and abroad — who were displaced and wandering after the Korean War ended in 1953.

Because it sits beside a former U.S. military base, Haebangchon has always been closely tied to the idea of peace.
Its history and its mix of foreign influences with the old atmosphere of Korea have created a special, vibrant character that I truly love.

When I returned to Korea after living in Africa, I found the towering buildings of Seoul overwhelming and heavy.
In Zambia, no matter how urban the surroundings were, the wide, open skies and crimson sunsets were always visible.
I missed that openness deeply.

As I was searching for a place where I could feel at home again, I discovered Haebangchon.
Because it is nestled on the hillside, it offers a panoramic view over Seoul — an openness that resonated with me.
Standing there, looking out across the city, I thought to myself, “Maybe I can live here.”
And so, I moved without hesitation.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I never formally studied art.
However, the friends I met in Zambia became a tremendous source of inspiration for me.
I had ventured to Africa, driven — perhaps naively — by a desire to contribute to a better world.
In truth, I realise now that I spent more time doing what I wanted to do, rather than what I was supposed to do.
This led me into countless reflections and moments of uncertainty.

During those times, I often found courage by watching the work of friends around me.
Through collaborations with artist friends from Art4art (art4art.com), which I joined in 2011, I began to deeply explore how art could impact society.
It was through these experiences that I found both practice and thought pathways to imagine how art might connect to a larger world.

Another profound influence has been Julia Taonga Kaseka of Modzi Arts (modziarts.com), an art center I have remained connected to since 2016.
Modzi Arts, one of the few grassroots art centers in Zambia, provided me with opportunities to broaden my perspectives, to experiment, and to think differently about how we engage with the world through art.

Above all, I am deeply grateful to the villagers who embraced me when I first moved into the community and lived there for three years.
Their warmth and openness allowed someone as clumsy and restless as myself to grow, to see, and to experience life in ways I had never imagined.

There are countless other small and large movements striving for change in this world, and each of them continues to inspire me.
For me, Zambia was and remains a place full of extraordinary people, shining with quiet, brilliant light.

Website: https://yoyojin.com

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Youtube: http://youtube.com/yoyojin