OCTOBER 25, 2021 – Recently, my sister and brother-in-law attended a fund-raising dinner for LiNK. No, not Linkedin but Liberty in North Korea. They were so impressed by the people they encountered—and by the mission of LiNK—I thought the least I could do was call attention to this amazing organization.
Founded in 2004 by mostly “American Koreans,” LiNK is dedicated to bringing attention to the people of the DPRK, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea—“North Korea.” The organization runs an “underground railroad” in northeast Asia, but its strategy soars around the world. Well-funded and highly sophisticated, LiNK works wonders to oppose the unspeakable oppression of “KCF”—the Kim Crime Family—which for more than 75 years, has ruled Korea north of the 38th Parallel.
The objective of U.S. Government policy is to ensure that North Korea doesn’t “go nuclear,” or rather, now that it has gone nuclear, to prevent it from using its nukes. This political and military strategy revolves around KCF. The suffering of the North Korean people is left in the background, a case of “too bad, so sad.”
LiNK, however, questions this approach. As stated on its website, “Nuclear weapons and Kim Jong-un make for exciting headlines. But that narrative makes North Korea seem hopeless and unchanging. And leaves us feeling powerless.” LiNK argues that by focusing the narrative on the 25 million people of North Korea imprisoned by KCF, the regime will be undermined more effectively than by sanctions or the threat of military force.
LiNK’s approach is a savvy, multi-pronged method that relies heavily on breaking the regime’s control of the narrative and ending the people’s isolation. By sharing people’s stories, LiNK is determined to create empathy and expand international support for North Koreans. This goal is advanced by an Advocacy Fellowship program, whereby resettled North Korean refugees themselves are nurtured to become leaders and advocates. In this regard, LiNK has produced an impressive track record. In tandem with the fellowship program, LiNK has produced and disseminated remarkable documentaries and developed articulate spokespeople for reaching out to the world. Finally, LiNK has its pulse on changes inside North Korea itself—communications, the expansion of private markets and the rise of the “Jangmadang Generation”—young people taking more aggressive action to improve their lives despite the regime.
And then there’s the “underground railroad” by which LiNK rescues North Korean refugees who must run a 3,000-mile gauntlet through China, fraught with perils at every step. These rescue efforts cut out avaricious brokers and by so doing, ensure that refugees are treated with dignity and respect.
Who are on the vanguard of this effort? “A roomful of young, amazing, successful people,” my sister reported. “And when it came to raising serious money, there was no holding back. No namby-pamby silent auction. The M.C. flat-out asked for big donations. The people responded, spontaneously and magnanimously.”
Youth have always held the keys to a better future. Today’s youth are opening the doors to a better future.
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© 2021 by Eric Nilsson
