When Surl Lee first came to Europe, he made a list. The struggling artist wrote down the names of 50 masterpieces housed in cities across the continent that he wanted to see with his own eyes, to be beguiled by their magic in a way not possible from afar, writes Charlie Campbell. Back in his native North Korea, Surl’s grandfather had been a revered painter, who would create political portraits exalting the family of regime founder Kim Il Sung to mark important anniversaries or celebrations. Surl learned many techniques standing at his grandfather’s elbow and developed a special talent for ceramic sculptures. “I especially liked doing eagles,” he says. “They are free and can fly where they want.” It’s fair to say that the drab London suburb of New Malden was never on Surl’s destination list. But like many North Korean escapees, Surl eventually settled in this unassuming neighborhood, some 11 miles southwest of central London. At its peak, an estimated 1,000 North Koreans lived amongst New Malden’s oak-lined streets of bungalows and squat housing blocks. Little Pyongyang, as some refer to New Malden, is home to purportedly the largest North Korean community outside the Korean Peninsula, though nobody knows for sure. It’s certainly the largest known one in Europe. But times are changing. A tightening of British immigration policy combined with new “shoot to kill” orders at North Korea’s previously porous borders means that an influx of North Koreans has slowed to a trickle. Meanwhile, social and economic pressures combined with concerns over how the British government handled the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many of New Malden’s North Koreans to leave for South Korea. “A lot of people want to go back, or they have gone back already,” says Lee. This confluence of factors means that days might be numbered for one of the most vibrant North Korean communities anywhere in the world. Read more at the link in our bio. Photograph by Catherine Hyland (@cathyland1) for TIME