Coincidentally, I just received in my email LiNK Annual Report. It is a recap of the things they have done over the last two years and, for you curious individuals, an income statement. A quick glance shows amazing growth from last year. While I am very happy that they are growing rapidly, I still believe there is untapped potential online that LiNK ought to capitalize. So if you want to everything about LiNK, check it out.
Update: It also came with their newsletter. So here it is
February 2007
Liberty in North Korea | LiNK Newsletter
Updates from LiNK Worldwide
Greetings!
Read on for the latest news from LiNK, and the worldwide movement for North Korean human rights!
Message from the Director
Dear Friends,
We are in the midst of a great many changes here at LiNK: Our first annual report has been finished – if you’re interested, you can read it here, beautifully designed by LiNK member and artist Dan-ah Kim; our brand new website is nearing completion and should be up by March; we are in the middle of screening applicants for new full-time and part-time staffers; and our new organizational infrastructure will be introduced in April.
The year has just begun but it looks like LiNK HQ will be bursting at the seams in these coming months. We have many new initiatives and projects coming, but first we are taking serious steps to strengthen and build this organization into a stable one that will be around to combat this issue as long as necessary. To this end, you will see increasing changes and updates, as we remain dedicated and focused on this cause.
We thank you for your continued support and interest and hope that as we move into 2007, new precedents will be set, significant progress will be achieved, and our commitment as a community of concerned citizens will be even stronger and more compelling.
This is going to be a pivotal year for this movement. Let’s press on until the day we see liberty in North Korea.
Adrian Hong
Executive Director
NYT Op-Ed: Saving North Korea’s Refugees
February 19, 2007
The New York Times recently published an Op-Ed entitled “Saving North Korea’s Refugees”, by Nicholas Eberstadt and Christopher Griffen.
See the article here. Below, an excerpt.
“On humanitarian grounds alone, the case for action on behalf of the wretched North Koreans in hiding north of their country’s border along the Yalu River is compelling. While the exact numbers are unknown, this refugee emergency may be second only to Darfur: the International Crisis Group speaks of scores of thousands of refugees, and recently uncovered Chinese official documents indicate hundreds of thousands.
As illegal immigrants in China (Beijing insists North Korean border-crossers are economic migrants, or worse), they live in constant fear and at terrible risk. Women are forced into the sex trade or coerced marriages; men and children on the run have less obvious utility and thus, by some accounts, correspondingly higher mortality.
Yet the North Korean refugees who end up as victims of exploitation, violence or crime in China may be the lucky ones. A far worse fate awaits those whom China “refouls,” or deports to North Korea in violation of Beijing’s commitments under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. North Korea regards fleeing Kim Jong-il’s paradise as an act of disloyalty close to treason. Captives forcibly returned to North Korea face prison, torture and death, attesting to the refugee status that official”
FAST FOR NK
Mark your calendars: April 11, 2007
On April 11, 2007, thousands of people all over the world will be participating in an exciting new LiNK initiative - Fast for NK. On that day, in solidarity with the North Korean people, to raise awareness of the human rights and humanitarian crisis in that country, we ask that you skip your normal meals, and donate the amount you would have normally spent on food (suggested donation, $25).
Imagine the impact of thousands on every continent sacrificing a day’s meals, talking about the issue, and raising funds for the cause! We have already enlisted several US congressmen, celebrities, and many prominent individuals.
Now is the time to place this issue front and center on the world’s stage so that its existence and urgency can no longer be denied.
Hunger knows no politics.
Fast for NK Capitol Hill Outreach
Meet on: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 @ 9 a.m.
Meet at: Liberty Bell Replica, Union Station, Washington, D.C.
We will be reaching out to US congressional leaders to brief them on NK HR issues and gain support for Fast for NK! If you can join us, please be sure to RSVP to lori (at) linkglobal.org. We need all the help we can get! Dress will be business attire, and you will need to bring a government-issued ID. Please come on time-we will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and should finish by 5 pm.
New Home for the LiNK Store
The LiNK Store is back up after some system repairs! Get the latest in LiNK gear, with proceeds going towards NK refugees in China! LiNK Store proceeds have been a huge part of funds for Project: Safe Haven. Thank you to LiNK member Thomas Pyo for maintaining the site, fulfilling orders and faithfully working to make sure our shelters have funding!
The LiNK Store
Holocaust Now
NK Concentration Camp Overview
Joshua Stanton of the OneFreeKorea blog has written a comprehensive overview of North Korea’s concentration camps, including satellite imagery from Google Earth that you can find on your own desktops. Please help us get the post and the issue the attention it deserves by hitting “Digg” on the article, and helping it rise in the ranks to gain the attention of thousands of netizens!
“Until the international media decides to cover the story of Camp 22, it will remain out of sight and out of mind. Now you know the story, but you’ll continue to be one of the few.” - Holocaust Now: Looking Down Into Hell At Camp 22, OneFreeKorea
OneFreeKorea’s Holocaust Now: Looking Down Into Hell At Camp 22
Upcoming Events
LiNK LA presents: The North Korea Refugee Crisis: Human Rights & International Response
Debut of the report recently released by the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, followed by remarks by leading experts on the NK human rights crisis.
February 24, 2007 – 3 to 6 pm, USC SAL 101
Speakers: Stephen Haggard, Ph.D., Lawrence and Sallye Krause Professor of the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California San Diego
Adrian Hong, Executive Director of Liberty in North Korea
Judy Wood, Esq., Executive Director, Human Rights Project
Young O. Kim, District Representative and Director, Asian Community Affairs, US Representative Ed Royce (CA-40th)
Charles Cho, Jericho Institute
Chaibong Hahm, Ph.D., Director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California
Intern Search
Work for LiNK!
LiNK Headquarters is seeking a few passionate and qualified interns to join us immediately in our offices in the DC-Metro area. If you are a local student or are interested and available, please contact hannah (at) linkglobal.org.
Donate to LiNK!
Put your money where your heart is!
Don’t forget- you can make recurring, monthly donations to LiNK and the worldwide movement for North Korean human rights! With a few clicks, you can set a monthly contribution from your credit card- funds that will go towards LiNK’s growing network of underground shelters in China, rescue missions, humanitarian aid projects inside North Korea, and international advocacy for these vulnerable and voiceless people.
All contributions are, of course, tax-deductible!
Click below to donate today!
Contact Information
email: libertyinnorthkorea@gmail.com
phone: 202.714.LiNK
web: http://www.linkglobal.org
