It’s been awhile, but another newsletter is up (also, it’s been a year LiNK, update your website!)
March 2008
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,
This month marks four years since a small group of people embarked on a mission inspired by conscience. In 2004, when LiNK began, we had little idea of what we were getting ourselves into, and certainly did not imagine a full-time operation based in Washington, DC, with staff and operations all over the world.
As I write, I have just gotten off the phone with refugees in our shelters in Asia, who have learned quite a bit of English since they’ve entered our protection in hopes of coming to America. “Have a nice day!” never sounded sweeter. I also spoke with a refugee currently in detention in Southeast Asia, where we are working to persuade local authorities to recognize refugees as internationally protected civilians, not criminals. Some refugees, like her, have waited in detention for over a year, awaiting the day they are cleared for release to the land of the free.
In four years, we have learned a great deal. We have come to better understand the powers that govern this world. We have learned to advocate for this cause at the highest levels with forcefulness and persuasion. We have come to understand this issue from different perspectives, briefing and advocating to those who make the decisions that affect us all, in hopes of making a difference.
And we have. We have rescued refugees, saved lives, raised awareness and built credibility for a cause that has too long been neglected and overshadowed.
At the same time, four years since LiNK began, over 10 years since a famine ravaged the North Korean countryside and took the lives of millions in a terrible way, and perhaps decades since concentration camps first emerged on the Korean peninsula, very little has changed. Documentaries produced in the 1990’s remain accurate depictions of the human rights situation in the DPRK. Refugees remain outlawed and hunted by authorities in China, and their protectors remain in hiding, or languish in Chinese prisons.
When I first heard of the terrible reality North Koreans faced, my first reaction was considerable disappointment and anger. How could this be? How could a world consider itself civilized and modern and yet let things like this happen under our watch? Then I consoled myself with a thought I felt had to be true – that someone, somewhere, was probably working to help them. Some government, institution or agency had to have been devoting their full resources toward helping these people. How could they not?
I soon realized this was not the case. The story of the last four years has been the story of a small group of committed activists working to become that group. We have been able to achieve great things with the help of a small, compassionate group of donors and supporters like you. I am proud of what we’ve been able to do. But every time I hang up the phone with a refugee in hiding, or take a call from a mother in freedom begging me to find her young daughter and escort her to safety, I wonder how much more we would be able to do if we had the resources to empower our work to the lengths it must go.
There are cities we have not been able to reach; nations we have been unable to pressure; thousands of refugees remain in hiding throughout Asia, waiting for a chance at freedom; and the policymakers and representatives of our respective peoples around the world have not heard enough from their constituents that this is an issue that matters.
We’ve begun to think of this crisis on a deeper, broader level. It is not enough to shelter refugees from hostile authorities – we must change the way those authorities see these refugees on a fundamental level. It is not enough to simply bring refugees to freedom. We must equip them with the tools to succeed, and afford them every fair opportunity. It is not enough to speak simply of freedom, liberty and human rights. We must train a new generation of North Korean leaders to lead their cause, for themselves.
There will be a day when this crisis is universally known. There will come an hour when news media from around the world report from the dismantled concentration camps of Yoduk. Political leaders and opinion makers will speak of how such a terrible atrocity must never be permitted to happen again, and funds for memorials, museums and education funds will pour in by the millions. That day will be too late.
Until then, we will continue to hasten the day North Koreans can comprehend the meaning of true freedom; fundamental freedoms we take for granted. Freedoms of religion. Speech. Assembly. Dissent. Sacred concepts we know so intimately they’ve become forgotten.
Friends, thank you for your support, particularly those of you who have been with us from the beginning. We know we have many shortcomings. There is much our movement remains to learn and do. But we promise you that we will continue to do our best with what we’ve been given, and the support that you’ve so generously offered our cause.
Onwards and upwards,
Adrian Hong
Executive Director
Valentine’s Update from the Field
Some of the refugees in LiNK’s Safe Haven shelters have sent Valentine’s Day cards and wishes. We hope they serve as an encouragement and reminder to all who are fighting for the cause!
LiNK Satellite Office in Seoul!
Next month brings the opening of the first LiNK satellite office, in Seoul, Korea! We will be stepping up our efforts to advocate for human rights in North Korea, pressuring the new South Korean administration and incoming National Assembly, and building a Korean grassroots movement for this cause. LiNK is also moving to launch “Liberty House Korea,” an initiative meant to assist the Shenyang Six [ article here ], who were recently resettled in South Korea. Liberty House Korea will provide social services, financial support, friendship, mentorship, training and more, helping them resettle in their new homeland, and laying the foundations for a broader program in the future. LiNK Korea is also preparing other exciting initiatives and programs in the months to follow. If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, please contact Esther via email at estherc (at) linkglobal.org.
Accepting Applicants for PROJECT: REAL SUNSHINE
Two years ago, in the summer of 2006, nearly 40 activists from all over the world participated in LiNK’s Project: Sunshine initiative. Delegates arranged to take university finals early, quit their jobs, and rearranged summer plans to participate. For three weeks they held daily symposiums, lectures, debates and screenings, coupled with exciting and dramatic street activism, awareness efforts, dance exhibitions, concerts, and various stunts. The aim was to engage Korea’s student and academic communities on the issue, spark a grassroots movement for the forgotten North Korean people, and raise questions about the South Korean government’s Sunshine Policy. The effort was a success – gaining coverage in major South Korean newspapers, high-level meetings with South Korean government officials, National Assembly members, and even a former President.
This year marks an unprecedented time for renewed hope and change with the new administration and it’s pledge towards human rights in North Korea. This year’s Project: Real Sunshine is seeking skilled and qualified applicants to continue where we left off and to take the initiative to a bigger, louder, and stronger level.
Click here for the application, position descriptions and video clip from 2006’s Project: Sunshine.
Applications are due March 31 (no exceptions)!
Accepting Interns for PROJECT: REAL SUNSHINE
LiNK is seeking a few interns to help coordinate the following for Project: Real Sunshine:
- Advocacy efforts
- Logistics for initiatives
Must be fluent in both English and Korean. Please contact info (at) linkglobal.org for an application.
Call for Volunteers & Part-Time Help
LiNK is seeking part-time and volunteer help in the following areas:
- Finance/Accounting (CPA preferred)
- Web/IT
- Development
- Translation
For additional details and information, please contact info (at) linkglobal.org.
Seeking North Korean Defectors for Leadership Program
Chollima Leadership Program
LiNK is excited to announce a new initiative inviting North Korean defectors from all over the world.
The Chollima Leadership Program is a three-week leadership development program to be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from June 1-21, 2008.
MISSION
Co-sponsored by the International Republican Institute, or IRI, the program’s purpose is to invest in the future of North Korea and empower North Korean defectors by helping them improve skills for leadership, organization-building and advocacy for the rights of North Koreans so that they may use these skills to benefit their country when North Korea opens its doors.
SELECTION
Fifteen North Korean defectors will be selected by an application review board to participate in this intensive training program. Participants will vary in age, gender, experiences, countries of citizenship and residence and will be chosen on the basis of their potential to benefit and grow exponentially from the program.
COMMITMENT
The program, hosted in the Gyodae district of Seoul, will require:
- - One week full-time (morning to early evening sessions)
- - Two weeks part-time (late afternoon to early evening sessions)
WORKSHOPS
Participants will be exposed to a range of topics including, but not limited to:
- - Democracy and governance
- - Rule of law
- - International human rights
- - Comparative movements
- - Comparative Politics
- - Business protocol and etiquette
- - Leadership development
Workshops will be conducted by experts and trainers from various countries and backgrounds, selected by both IRI and LiNK.
FOLLOW-UP PROJECTS
One of the program’s goals is for participants to apply skills learned throughout the program toward specific initiatives or projects they devise or are currently involved in. Upon completion of the program, delegates will be expected to participate in a follow-up meeting to track the progress of their individual projects and initiatives.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
All applications must be submitted with all components completed by March 31, 2008.
CONTACT
If you feel you, or others you know, would be a good candidate for the Chollima Leadership Program, please contact jane (at) linkglobal.org for more information and an application.
Recent Events
KASCON XXII
Friday, March 14 – Sunday, March 16, 2008
Atlanta, GA
LiNK Executive Director Adrian Hong led a seminar about advocating for North Korean human rights and spoke on a panel at the Korean American Students Conference. LiNK was established four years ago at the annual conference, the largest ethnic student conference in the US.
Germantown Friends School Benefit Auction
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
LiNK Deputy Director Hannah Song spoke about the cause and LiNK’s work at an annual benefit auction hosted by the school’s Human Rights Group and Asian Student Association, with proceeds to be donated to LiNK. Past auctions have raised cumulatively over $33,000 for Darfur relief efforts and an AIDS clinic and orphanage in South Africa, and have featured items such as artwork, vacation packages, tutoring services and made-to-order cookies. LiNK is excited to join Germantown in raising awareness for the cause and funds for LiNK’s programs!
LiNK at Seattle University
March 10, 2008
Seattle University School of Law
The Korean American Bar Association and the Korean American Law Student Association at the university’s School of Law recently invited LiNK Executive Director Adrian Hong as a keynote speaker for its event entitled “FORGOTTEN CRISIS: The Plight of North Korean Refugees.” KABA seeks to “provide a vehicle and forum for the expression of opinions and positions [regarding] current social, political, economic, legal or other matters or events of concern.”
LiNK at Pepperdine University
February 19, 2008
Malibu, CA
LiNK Executive Director Adrian Hong spoke to 200 students of Seaver College, a liberal arts college of the university, about the North Korean human rights crisis. The Convocation Series is dedicated to helping students build Christian faith, affirm Christian values, and address the moral and ethical dimensions of current issues. From its beginning, Pepperdine has included regular assemblies such as Chapel and convocation programs to serve as a connection to the university’s Christian mission.
LiNK at The Moth
February 13, 2008
The Players Club, New York City
LiNK Executive Director Adrian Hong was recently invited by The Moth, a non-profit storytelling organization, to retell his experiences working with North Korean refugees to a crowd of about 200. The show’s theme, entitled “Taking Stands: Stories About Convictions,” sought to display stories of those who “[stand] alone or shoulder to shoulder, persuaded by overwhelming evidence, blind faith or gut instincts, each abiding by the message of the little voice.” The Moth was founded in New York in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green and has drawn storytellers such as Ethan Hawke, Moby, Mira Nair, Lewis Black, Lili Taylor, Teri Garr and Billy Baldwin.
“A Call to Conscience” at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
February 9, 2008
Urbana, IL
LiNK Deputy Director Hannah Song shared with attendees her experiences working for North Korean human rights with LiNK and her personal convictions for the cause on a discussion panel hosted by Jayou Initiative. Also on the panel was Professor Jaques Fuqua, the university’s Director of International Engagement and Protocol, who historically presented North Korea’s current position in the world. ABC News’ documentary “Hidden Lives” was also shown at the event.
LiNK at Clark University
January 23, 2008
Worchester, MA
LiNK Deputy Director Hannah Song spoke about LiNK’s efforts to address and alleviate the North Korean human rights crisis at the event, hosted by the university’s Asian Culture Society. “Children of the Secret State,” a documentary that shows North Korean street children struggling to survive, was also screened.
Germantown Friends School Assembly and Lunchtime Q&A
January 16, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
LiNK Executive Director Adrian Hong educated 400 high school students of the Germantown Friends School about the North Korean human rights crisis. The assembly, which was hosted by the Asian Student Association, was followed by a lunchtime Q&A session, where students and members of the school’s human rights groups had the opportunity to learn more about getting involved in the cause.
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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 toward LiNK’s growing network of underground shelters in Asia, 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: info@linkglobal.org
phone: 202.347.2150
web: http://www.linkglobal.org
