LiNK Newsletter June
Meanwhile, a good group of folks still believe the South Koreans can be persuaded to do good. It’s all inside this month’s newsletter
Liberty in North Korea | LiNK Newsletter
Updates from LiNK Worldwide
Read on for the latest news from LiNK and the worldwide movement for North Korean human rights!
Message from the Director
Friends,
I write from Seoul, Korea, where perhaps a new consciousness for North Korean human rights and refugees may be stirring among the people. The movie Crossing debuted in theaters here last week, with very positive feedback from audiences thus far, and LiNK is working closely with the film producers to ensure as many people see the film as possible. Our Project: Real Sunshine delegates here this summer have been meeting with defector groups, activists, and advocates to forge new breakthroughs and to press for change in new, untried ways. Korean celebrities have begun to speak openly about a resurgent famine in North Korea, and some have been speaking about the need for South Koreans to take up the cause of their suffering brethren to the North.
This past weekend, LiNK delegates spent the weekend playing sports, singing karaoke and eating with North Korean defector leaders, newly resettled North Korean youth, and even young North Korean children. Amidst laughter, friendly competition and spirited songs, (A favorite karaoke song for one male defector was Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” Go figure.) we saw a heart-warming vision of what could be. For so long, the only images and stories we heard were overwhelmingly those of desperation, struggle, difficulty and heartache. Now, as the community of those who have escaped to freedom grows, we are beginning to see more hope - smiles on their faces, warmth in their words, and the slow emergence of cultural, political and social leaders among them. Even among the youngest we are seeing tremendous potential and vision emerge - and it is no small number among them who have dedicated their lives to helping those they have left behind.
From Seoul, we will do our best this summer to push along a fledgling movement for human rights in North Korea. Read on below for more updates!
Onwards and upwards!
Adrian Hong
Greetings from Project: Real Sunshine!
This year we have nearly 20 participants actively promoting and researching issues affecting the North Korean human rights cause. Our Project: Real Sunshine team will be spending three weeks in South Korea from June 22 to July 14 raising awareness in the streets of Seoul and researching the resettlement experiences of North Korean refugees and Korean public sentiment on North Korean human rights.
While many may be familiar with our “Drop Dead” initiative from Project: Sunshine 2006, this year we have taken a decidedly more inviting approach with our new “FREEZE” initiative. Our participants have been distributing fliers throughout Seoul and inviting the public to learn more about the issue and program we are working hard to promote. The “FREEZE” - incorporated with the arrow initiatives used in 2006 - has been receiving positive public feedback and we hope to encounter even more in the weeks to come.
Please continue to check updates on The LiNK Blog [ here ] and in Korean [ here ].
Update From the Field
Over the past year, reports from Southeast Asia raised concerns about the treatment and processing of North Korean refugees in Thailand. Many waited extended periods of time - some up to two years, without a sense for when processing would culminate in exit to the U.S. LiNK investigated the situation on the ground in 2007 to 2008, and led efforts to advocate on behalf of these refugees. Thanks to the help and support of various groups, organizations, and individuals who helped tremendously in these efforts, we are very happy to announce that last week, 5 North Korean defectors arrived in the U.S. from Thailand. We will continue working to ensure that refugees continue to find safe and viable ways to reach safety and asylum, and are grateful to the United States and the Royal Thai Government for their work on this issue.
Resurgent Famine to Occur in July
Recent reports from various organizations have warned of a resurgent famine in North Korea, comparable to the “Great Famine” that hit the country in the mid-1990s. Reports have indicated that the “Public Distribution System”, North Korea’s state food distribution system, has broken down not only in rural areas, but in Pyongyang as well, typically the last area to experience the same hardships felt in the rural counties. The widespread damage caused from major flooding in 2006 and 2007 has exacerbated the effects of the abnormal weather and low crop yield this season. In addition, North Korea has refused to accept or formally request aid from its neighbor South Korea, ending years of millions of tons worth of unconditional food aid that typically arrives from the South. The U.N. World Food Programme, one of many organizations predicting a major shortfall in food this year, has reported that, “North Korea faces a looming food and humanitarian crisis after a poor harvest that has caused food prices to skyrocket and supplies to dwindle.” The WFP estimates and expects North Korea’s annual food deficit to nearly double since last year to 1.83 million tons, leaving nearly 6.5 million people hungry. In the great famine of the 1990s, North Korea suffered from an estimated one to three million deaths out of a population of 23 million.
DEBRIEF: “Crossing” Screening in LA
LiNK, along with ImaginAsian Entertainment and KoreAm Journal, hosted a private pre-screening of Director Kim Tae-Kyun’s “Crossing” at the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles, which was attended by over 200 guests, including activists, media and representatives of the California State Assembly, the California State Senate, and the United States Congress. The audience was visibly moved and many pledged to increase their involvement in and support for this cause.
Help Send “DEFACE” to the Oscars!
DEFACE - a short film about a North Korean villager who vandalizes propaganda posters after the death of his daughter - has been nominated for Best Short Film at the 80th Annual Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. The film qualified for the nomination after winning Best Narrative Short at the 2007 Austin Film Festival, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
According to writer, director, and executive producer John Arlotto, $10,000 must be raised by mid-July to have a print made of film to fulfill the Academy’s requirements. To donate online, please click [ here ]. To mail contributions made payable to “Fractured Atlas”, please send them to:
John Arlotto
c/o Viviane Meerbergen
PO Box 69943
West Hollywood, CA 90069
If you are in the New York City area, please also consider attending the New York premiere of DEFACE on Friday, July 18th, 6:30pm at the Asian American International Film Festival. To purchase tickets ($8-10), please click [ here ].
DEFACE is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. To view the trailer, please click [ here ].
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 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
