A widower broke down in tears when he was reunited with his deceased wife through virtual reality.
South Korean man Kim Jung-soo, 51, has been longing to see his wife, Seong Ji-hye, after losing to her an illness four years ago.
But his five children opposed the idea of a virtual reunion because it was “too painful” and they did not want to recall memories of their deceased parent.
Speaking in a documentary “I Met You”, eldest daughter Jong-bin said they wanted to move on and try to live a happy life following their mother’s passing.
Jong-yun, another daughter, agreed for her father to take part in the documentary because she remembers how much he loved their mother.
In a segment shared by broadcaster MBC on YouTube, father Jung-soo is seen visiting his late wife at a crematorium before heading to the studio to try on the virtual reality experiment.
He puts on the equipment and realises the familiar space as he steps into the green screen, which is designed to be exactly the same as his home.
As he looks around, he hears his wife calling his name.
“Ji-hye,” he says, his voice quavering. “Are you not in pain anymore?”
His children, who witness the moment from a monitor in the studio, are filled with overwhelmed emotions. Their eyes are red and some of them ended up crying.
Jung-soo tries to hold back his tears while holding his wife’s hands in the virtual reality and dancing in the living room.
The scene has touched viewers’ hearts as they watched the father spending time with the wife.
Some commented that they hoped the virtual reality technology brought closure to Jung-soo but others criticised the programme for being too “emotionally manipulative”.
Last year, the broadcaster helped a grieving mum to reunite with her deceased child as she wore the VR headset to talk to her.