Every year, thousands of North Koreans risk their lives to escape political and economic oppression. Even if they make it to China, they face grave danger because the Chinese government arrests and forcibly repatriates North Korean refugees. If sent back, they undergo interrogation and are at risk of execution or extremely harsh punishments including torture, forced labor, forced abortions, and internment in a political prison camp. Even if they manage to evade the authorities in China, their illegal status leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by sex traffickers and unscrupulous employers. In these dire circumstances, many North Korean refugees do not have the resources or connections to get themselves out of China. That’s where Liberty In North Korea (LINK) comes in.
Liberty in North Korea's team is strategically based in the United States, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. From these locations they work alongside the North Korean people as they affect change inside the country. Their fundraising capabilities allow them to provide a sustainable and effective refugee rescue program. The staff also possesses the skills necessary to create important media and effective campaigns in order to change the narrative on North Korea.
In their 2018 IRS 990 form, LINK describes their main purpose as to work alongside the North Korean people to accelerate change by focusing into two main strategic areas: working directly with North Korean refugees and changing the way the world views North Korea. They rescue North Korean refugees and children born in China to North Korean mothers through a 3,000-mile modern day underground railroad, bringing them to safety and freedom without cost or condition. After resettling in South Korea or the United States, many refugees send back money and information, further accelerating grassroots marketing and eroding the effectiveness of the regime’s propaganda.
They have been supporting and investing in the long-term ambitions, potential, and strength of the North Korean people, encouraging and empowering resettled refugees in their new lives in freedom. The programs focus on building a community that will equip them to pursue their dreams and become agents of change on this issue. According to their 2018 annual report, they’ve successfully rescued 1,063 refugees since 2010, with 326 people rescued in 2018 alone The GuideStar’s description of LINK also mentioned that as of October 2019, they have rescued over 1,150 North Korean refugees and over 90 children born in China to North Korean mothers, reached over 80,000 people at over 4,000 speaking events with policymakers, mobilized over 350 Rescue Teams in 19 countries, and even created three documentaries (“Jangmadang Generations”). Of course, 100% of your donations goes to funding all these works.
I hope you consider your donation to LINK, but more importantly, I hope this organization can provide you with deeper perspective about the country.
Liberty in North Korea's team is strategically based in the United States, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. From these locations they work alongside the North Korean people as they affect change inside the country. Their fundraising capabilities allow them to provide a sustainable and effective refugee rescue program. The staff also possesses the skills necessary to create important media and effective campaigns in order to change the narrative on North Korea.
In their 2018 IRS 990 form, LINK describes their main purpose as to work alongside the North Korean people to accelerate change by focusing into two main strategic areas: working directly with North Korean refugees and changing the way the world views North Korea. They rescue North Korean refugees and children born in China to North Korean mothers through a 3,000-mile modern day underground railroad, bringing them to safety and freedom without cost or condition. After resettling in South Korea or the United States, many refugees send back money and information, further accelerating grassroots marketing and eroding the effectiveness of the regime’s propaganda.
They have been supporting and investing in the long-term ambitions, potential, and strength of the North Korean people, encouraging and empowering resettled refugees in their new lives in freedom. The programs focus on building a community that will equip them to pursue their dreams and become agents of change on this issue. According to their 2018 annual report, they’ve successfully rescued 1,063 refugees since 2010, with 326 people rescued in 2018 alone The GuideStar’s description of LINK also mentioned that as of October 2019, they have rescued over 1,150 North Korean refugees and over 90 children born in China to North Korean mothers, reached over 80,000 people at over 4,000 speaking events with policymakers, mobilized over 350 Rescue Teams in 19 countries, and even created three documentaries (“Jangmadang Generations”). Of course, 100% of your donations goes to funding all these works.
I hope you consider your donation to LINK, but more importantly, I hope this organization can provide you with deeper perspective about the country.
Jae,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job describing the organization and presenting the information in a clear way. I vaguely remember hearing about an organization like this a while ago, but I haven't really thought about this issue much. It was probably the same organization. I glad you put a name to the organization because it really solidifies it in my brain. I am really drawn to the mission of LINK. Many aspects of North Korea are shrouded in secrecy, so many violations of human rights go unnoticed. Much of what we know about life inside North Korea comes from the accounts of these refugees. I'm glad this organization exists to help those people when they escape and record their experiences, so that they could be used to shed light on the crimes of the North Korean government. You mentioned that many of the refugees that resettle in other places send back money and information. Could you possibly explain how that works? I would also find it interesting to hear how you found out about this organization. Great charity pitch!
-Andrew Werner
This is a great pitch and I think I find it even more interesting because both our organizations try to target social injustices. I’ve never heard of this organization before and this is one of the many beneficial aspects of the charity pitches. The work LINK does, such as the modern-day underground railroad, is admirable and it seems that those who would perform these actions for freedom are extremely dedicated. Personally, I find this important because the devotion an individual has towards the issue will reflect in their call to action. As stated, they were able to rescue more than 1,000 refugees in 2019 alone which proves their dedication towards the issue. You mention that not only do they rescue refugees, but they are also trying to change the way others looks at North Korea. I believe this is crucial because the way in which we view North Korea will directly tie into the refugee or immigrant human experience. In regard to COVID-19, I know this is an extremely difficult time for any individual trying to migrate, stricter policies are being enforced and the regulations on social distancing I can see as a challenge for organizations that directly work with people. I hope they are able to push through and accommodate to this tough time!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you pitched this organization! I've heard of LINK before from other students at Bing, and I think the work that they do is amazing. I feel that North Korea can be a controversial topic when brought up in the United States, but that should not invalidate the lives of those living in North Korea. Refugee work can be extremely dangerous and those who work for the organization are putting their own lives at risk to get this done. This shows how much heart and passion has to go into the organization. I also like how LINK is taking the approach to change the way the world views North Korea. I feel like the general view of North Korea is very negative, and that may be due to the lack of information that is well-known about the country. Especially in the U.S., we are on the other side of the world so it can be harder to empathize or even sympathize with those living in those situations. Nonetheless, they are still people who need help and if they want to escape oppression, why should they be denied that ability? I hope this organization continues to grow so that more awareness can be raised along with it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting and unique charity pitch! Your charity's mission is unlike that of any of the past charity pitches we've heard so far. I appreciated how educational this post is about the topic of the pitch while still conveying LINK's inspiring mission. One of the things I like the most about it is how multifaceted it is. It is both launching efforts to rescue refugees and children in China with North Korean mothers, and helping them settle into their new lives; while also speaking with policymakers and creating documentaries. By doing so, it is both aiding in the current, pressing problem of the lives of refugees, and also helping to address the root of that problem by spreading information, which addresses systemic issues in North Korea and China that lead to those problems faced by refugees in the first place. As we've seen from Anand Giridharadas's critique of billionaire philanthropy, simply addressing the effects of systemic problems is not the best place to solely focus one's efforts. To enact lasting change, we need to also fight the root causes. LINK does both, and I think that makes for a very inspiring, effective organization.
ReplyDeleteIn a world that seems to have been turned upside down by COVID-19, and in a country filled with short-sighted people who resent their personal liberties being partially restricted for the sake of public health, it was an unexpected wake-up to be reminded that there are still people whose personal liberties are restricted for much worse reasons, in a much more extreme and destructive way. We are very lucky, and I wish the quarantine protesters across this country could be reminded of that.
Jae,
ReplyDeleteI have not personally heard of LINK before, but your post inspired me to research them and find out more. I really appreciate that this organization works to help an often overlooked population. Unfortunately, in our country many people forget that there are innocent citizens living in North Korea under the tyrannical rule of Kim Jong-un. It is all too easy for the world to look at North Korea and solely see Kim Jong-un and the threat he represents. The 3000 mile "underground railroad" LINK provides is an invaluable resource to North Korean citizens who have managed to escape North Korea but are unable to reach a safe country. However, I think the information campaign they run could be an even more valuable asset. By attempting to "change the narrative" LINK is able to bring attention to their cause and garner more support. By showcasing escaped citizens, they put a human face on the issue and evoke compassion from possible donors. Overall, I think LINK is an incredible organization and is most certainly worthy of receiving our class's donation.
-Ryan Marrone
Thanks for posting about this organization! I appreciate how you presented LINK, but I'm specifically drawn to the ways that they are changing the way thee rest of the world views North Korea. Given all the confusion and secrecy surrounding the government of the country, I think a lot of people find it relatively easy to forget the human side of it and the fact that there are real people living and suffering there. I hope that during your pitch you will further expand on how they increase awareness, as it is a very important aspect of the organization, as long as it is done correctly and not in an exploitative manner. As refugees, their lives are already difficult, and they should not be put on display simply for the sake of increased awareness. Regardless, it is a very important cause, in both helping the actual humans involved and in helping increase understandings of life in North Korea.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your pitch, I've heard of LINK before but honestly never really looked into them, but now I'm glad I did. The work they do for the both the people of North Korea, and for those outside is amazing. The fact that they are putting so much effort into changing the way in which those outside of North Korea, and especially in the United States, view North Korea, and more importantly its people is truly impressive. Although there are many rumors surrounding what day-to-day life is like for North Koreans, one thing that has been made abundantly clear is that they need help to bring true change to their living conditions. I really like how you mentioned how they show particular escaped refugees, that makes it personal. Unfortunately, a lot of the time it is hard for people to truly care about an issue that is not directly affecting them or someone they know, and I believe that this approach really helps bridge that gap and make this a personal issue that people will care about and want to see improve. Overall, the pitch was very detailed and informative, and I believe that LINK is a charity that everyone should seriously consider giving our money to.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this to our attention Jae. To be honest I am a little ashamed to be so focused on social issues around me that I neglect issues like these ones. This is an important topic because people often speak about the harsh treatment of people in North Korea but there is no news of what happens to them when they try to escape. It is a real shame when citizens of a country are forced to live there or risk their lives trying to escape. That’s why LINK is especially doing great work in that regard. They take in children born in China and give them a future that their mothers wanted them to have. Although I admit I do not know much about the topic, I can sort of relate it to the warfare happening in South America and the people that flee to the United States as a result.ICE is similar to the Chinese government, capturing refugees and sending them back where they “belong”. I would imagine that rescuing refugees from North Korea is expensive, but they manage to do it with little to no cost. Refugees usually leave everything behind at a chance for freedom and for LINK to be so accommodating makes the whole situation easier on them. I love organizations like these because they inspire hope in people who originally only saw despair.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good pitch. And I applaud you for bringing awareness overseas. There has been so much happening in the United States, we often forget there are people overseas that are struggling also. I also appreciate that you bring light to refugees during an administration that has proven time and time again refugees are not welcomed here. This ties into my point that this class is full of voices that are willing to join social causes for a shot at equality. This is way after we voted for the charity pitches but I do feel as a class we made a great choice in supporting this organization.
ReplyDeleteNia Johnson