Message from the Director
Hello Friends,
Happy New Year! We apologize for not sending our holiday greetings to you all as planned, but things did not go according to plan in recent weeks here at Headquarters.
It feels strange to be back here in Washington at LiNK headquarters, typing away at a computer. For those of you who have been following the news, the past few weeks have not been calm and restful- they have been rather dramatic and urgent.
On December 21, 2006, myself, two LiNK field workers and 6 North Korean refugees were caught and imprisoned by Chinese authorities. I was taken into custody in Beijing, and the others en route to Beijing from Shenyang.
We were placed in prison outside of Shenyang after interrogation. The three LiNK workers were released after 10 days. Our 6 North Korean friends remain in Chinese custody.
However, we remain hopeful. The fact that the Chinese have not yet repatriated the North Koreans (they had said they would send them back immediately following our capture) is a very positive sign. We are currently engaged in discussions with the Chinese government regarding their release, and we are hopeful of a positive resolution to the event.
There is of course much more to the story and what transpired, and we will be sharing more with you all as time goes. We know how agonizing it is to think of the possible fate of the Shenyang Six if things do not go well in negotiations with the People’s Republic of China. Please rest assured that we are doing all that we can. The instant there is a role for us all in the grassroots to play, you will hear about it, and we will mobilize internationally for the six. At the moment, we are waiting on high-level discussions and working quietly to secure their release.
Final thoughts: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Accepting Nobel Peace Prize
December 10, 1964
Stay tuned for updates, and thank you for your consistent support and conviction for this cause. Thank you!
Adrian Hong
Executive Director
The Shenyang Six
The Wall Street Journal published an editorial on January 4, 2006, entitled “The Shenyang Six”, about LiNK’s December operation and subsequent events.
The article can be found in it’s entirety at: http://www.xanga.com/LiNKorea/560675965/item.html
Upcoming Events
DC Jewish Community Center NK HR Event
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
DC JCC, 16th and Q
LiNK’s Executive Director will be speaking on a special panel with Joel Charney, VP of Policy for Refugees International, and Debra Liang-Fenton, Executive Director of the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. Refreshments will be provided. For more information or to RSVP, please contact amyle@washingtondcjcc.org.
Mid-Atlantic Conference for APA Law Students
Saturday, January 27, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Levy Conference Center, UPenn Law School
LiNK’s Executive Director will be participating in a special panel on International Law, speaking about the role of law in both the North Korean human rights and refugee crises. For more information, see http://www.law.upenn.edu/groups/apalsa/conference/.
ECAASU-LiNK Benefit Concert
Friday, February 9, 2007
Woolsey Hall, Yale University
LiNK’s Executive Director will be speaking at the special joint ECAASU-LiNK Benefit Concert at this year’s East Coast Asian American Students Union Conference, held at Yale University. For more information, see http://www.ecaasu2007.org.
Korean American Bar Association of Washington 7th Annual Gala
Thursday, February 15, 2007 @ 7 pm
Crystal Ballroom, Washington Athletic Club
LiNK’s Executive Director will the special keynote speaker at the Korean American Bar Association of Washington’s Seventh Annual Banquet. For more information, see http://www.kaba-washington.org.
Facebook Group Raises Over $6000 For LiNK
For the many who have Facebook, you may already be familiar with this group. Created by Harvard LiNK members Albert Hwang and Edward Lee, this group invited the willing to sign up as contributors to donate two dollars for every 1000 people that join the group on facebook. Similar to efforts for the genocide in Sudan, this group both spread awareness about the issue and raised funds on a medium that majority of college students already spend their time on. The donations from each contributor were to support LiNK’s continuing efforts for North Korean refugees.
By January 1, 2007, this facebook group managed to recruit a whopping 32,000 members and 98 contributors donating $2 per 1000 group members, raising a grand total of $6,272. Each donor has been asked to donate their contribution of $64 via LiNK�s website and is asked to do so if not done already. Since January 1st, the group has continued to grow in membership with a current total of 34,084 members.
A few clicks here and there on a social networking site managed to support LiNK’s underground efforts in China for several months! Think big!
Congratulations and thank you for your contributions!
1000 Cranes For Peace
Deerfield Elementary School in Massachusetts
At Deerfield Elementary School in Massachusetts, a group of three sixth grade classes collaborated to send Kim Jong Il a message of peace in the form of 1,000 origami cranes. Triggered by an interview of Kim Jong Il on television, teacher Julie Webster held a discussion with her sixth grade class and the class became inspired and decided to undertake the project. Influenced by the book ‘Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes’, the three classes collaborated to fold 1,000 cranes along with notes and poems, in hopes of sending the message to North Korea that “we are a peaceful people” and that we want ‘peace in the world’. The two large cardboard boxes filled with origami cranes will be sent to Kim Jong Il via Amnesty International or the United Nations. The students don’t expect miracles; all they hope for is that their message will be heard. Whether or not Kim Jong Il ever receives the cranes, the symbolic gesture and the awareness they have generated for the issue of North Korean human rights is inspiring.
Thank you to the students of Deerfield for their message of hope! We have posted some of their letters and pictures on the wall at LiNK HQ- they are truly inspiring.
Recent Events
Tokyo International Symposium
December 12, 2006
Tokyo, Japan
LiNK Tokyo participated in a very important event this past December, along with 7 key Japanese organizations working on issues of North Korean human rights, refugees, and abductee issues.
The International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights was a part of Japan’s NK Human Rights Week, and was attended by government and NGO officials from the entire region.
On December 12, a special discussion on the issue of “How To Prepare For A Mass Influx of North Korean Refugees” was held, with panelists:
Mr. Yukata Kobayashi of the Japanese Diet, LDP
Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa of the Japanese Diet, DPJ
Mr. Adrian Hong of LiNK
Ms. Suzanne Scholte of the NK Freedom Coalition
Mr. Yuh Keun-Ie of the Mindan Center for Refugees from North Korea
Mr. Peter Jung of the Christian Council of Korea
Mr. Hong urged the Japanese government to take leadership on the issue of North Korean human rights at large, not just the abductee issue, and encouraged Japanese leaders to declare Japan open and welcoming towards North Korean refugees, both for resettlement and transit to a third nation.
KAC-DC NK Panel
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
Cannon House Office Building Room 121
LiNK’s Executive Director participated in a special panel on North Korea sponsored by the Korean American Coalition’s Washington, D.C. Chapter.
He was joined by Lee Baek Soon of the Republic of Korea, Advisor to the Ambassador of Korea to the United States, for a lively discussion on North Korea.
Work for LiNK!
LiNK Headquarters is currently reviewing applications for several full-time Program Officer positions, as well as internships. Working at LiNK is immediate immersion in every aspect of the front lines of the global movement for North Korean human rights, from advocacy, to awareness, to field work. We are rapidly building a grand strategy for the elimination of the North Korean human rights crisis. Be a part of making history.
Interested candidates should email hannah (at) linkglobal.org by January 31, 2007. Due to the large number of applications, candidates who qualify for second-round interviews will be notified by March 1, 2007.
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: info@linkglobal.org
phone: 202.714.LiNK
web: http://www.linkglobal.org
