In 2016, Ji-Sung lost her daughter. 4 years later, she was given the chance to talk to her one last time.

Would you use virtual reality technology to see someone you love who isn't alive anymore?

When Jang Ji-Sun was asked this question, her mind and heart immediately knew what to say: a resounding yes. 

It's a decision not everyone would agree with or choose, but it was an opportunity that Ji-Sung felt she couldn't pass up – the chance to see her daughter Na-yeon one last time. 

In 2016, Ji-Sung lost her seven-year-old daughter suddenly who had an incurable blood-related disease. Their time together had been cut drastically short as Na-yeon had only been told of her terminal diagnosis one week before she died. 

In the years since, Ji-Sung had felt completely lost, wishing she had been given the chance to have a proper goodbye with her daughter. Ji-Sung also felt a sense of guilt and hopelessness – pouring over every detail and wondering if she could have done anything to have had a different outcome.

Then in 2020, Ji-Sung met a documentarian/producer called Kim Jong-woo who offered her the chance to experience a final moment with Na-yeon. And it was to be done through the incredible technology of artificial intelligence and virtual reality (VR) software.

As Kim explained to The Korea Times: "The mother was desperate. Not just mourning over her daughter's unexpected death – she wanted to remember her. Many of those who have lost their family members are left with words forever unsaid."

Watch: how virtual reality can assist grief. Post continues below.

It took months of work from a team of dozens to make it happen. The producers sourcing old videos and photos of Na-yeon, and personal accounts of how she dressed and spoke, to ensure the final virtual recreation was as accurate as possible. Ji-Sung also had to undergo a mandatory evaluation with a family therapist before going ahead with the VR experience. 

When Ji-Sung arrived at the production company's studio – all the tech equipment and VR headsets front and centre – she was excited to see her daughter again. But of course, it wasn't actually Na-yeon. It was a digitised re-creation of the child that Ji-Sung could see through a virtual reality headset. 

But for Ji-Sung, it was more than enough. 

What Jang could see through her headset was projected onto a monitor, so those in the room and later viewing the documentary could see exactly what Jang was watching. And the figure that Jang saw in front of her looked, moved and talked exactly like her seven-year-old girl.

With the virtual reality headset on, Ji-Sung was 'transported' to a park where a virtual version of Na-yeon emerged from the bushes and ran towards her, yelling "Mum!"

Through sobs, Ji-Sung tried to hug her make-believe daughter, whispering "Mum missed you so much, Na-yeon. My little girl."

The mother and daughter went on to have conversations together, pretend hugs, and Jang also got to watch Na-yeon eat her favourite dishes – seaweed soup, rice cakes and even a birthday cake as well. After finishing her food, Na-yeon turned to her mum and said she was no longer in pain. 

Saying goodbye to virtual Na-yeon, Jang said: "I still have things to do in this world and when I'm done, I will be with you Na-yeon. I love you." 

After the experience, Ji-Sung said she felt like she "had a nice dream".

Jang and her daughter reuniting via virtual reality. Image: MBC Global Media.

Documentarian Kim said that Jang truly felt "like her daughter was there". And for Jang's husband and their three surviving children, they were also able to see the recreation of Na-yeon through the monitor screen too.

This story of love and grief was featured in the Korean documentary Meeting You, which went viral across the world. Just one clip of Ji-Sung and Na-yeon reuniting, posted onto YouTube, has more than 19 million views online – and plenty of commentary too.

Every single one of us will lose someone we love during our lifetime. Death is a part of our lives – but that doesn't mean we're very well accustomed to it. Nor do we have many avenues available to express our grief.

A century ago, it was commonplace for families to engage in 'death photography'. In Victorian England it was seen as a way to commemorate and remember the dead, families often posing with their deceased loved one for a final portrait together. And it was most commonly done with children or infants who had died far too soon.

Some still recognise the practice of cutting a lock of hair from a deceased loved one, hoping that single lock – often encased in a hair pendant necklace – would keep the memories alive. The same can even be said for those who reach out to psychic-mediums, desperate to know that there is 'life after death'. 

It just so happens that the 21st-century version of all of these practices is virtual reality, with society's technological triumphs determined to find a way to bring the dead back to life. 

For Ji-Sung, she said the whole experience had been "very emotional" and likely reminded her of what she has lost. 

But for her personally, she said she would do it again in a heartbeat – thankful she was finally able to have a proper goodbye.

If you find yourself needing to talk to someone after reading this story, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Feature Image: Meeting You Documentary/MBC Global Media.