Students hear of humanity in North Korea

Union students gathered on March 3 to hear encouraging and striking words about the lives of the North Korean people.

Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), an international non-government organization focused on rescuing North Korean refugees, gave a 30-minute presentation followed by a question and answer session.

The three representatives, Kevin Seong, Laura Sahng and Arielle Epstein, otherwise known as the “Southeast Nomads,” began their 10-week tour just last week.

The Southeast Nomads shared with Union students and faculty a different perspective on the situation in North Korea. They said they hope to shift the conversation away from the politics to focus on the people. Sahng, the main speaker for the evening, mentioned stats of malnourishment and imprisonment of North Korean citizens while expressing hope that the country will become free “within our lifetime.”

Sol Bee Park, sophomore art major and organizer of the event, believes there is a misunderstanding about North Korea that is portrayed in the media, one of the reasons for hosting the event. While she knows that North Korea is more than just an “evil regime” using nuclear threats, Park, of South Korean descent, acknowledges the truth of the corruption.

“Propaganda does exist in North Korea,” she said.

Park hopes LiNK will “get [students] involved instead of just talking about it.”

Park also hopes to create a “Rescue Team” for the Union campus. The organization would host events and fundraisers in order to further LiNK’s cause of rescuing North Korean refugees. Voting on the creation of this organization by the administration will take place on March 16.

Both Park and LiNK share the same idea of creating change through the stories of North Koreans. Traveling in a 15-passenger van, the Southeast Nomads will span both eastern and western U.S. borders in order to inform people about the humanity of the North Korean situation.

“Our goal is to make this a personal issue on many fronts,” Epstein said.

After the presentation, students stayed to enjoy snacks and to express their interest in LiNK and the cause. Three students pledged monthly donations to the organization while 20 students signed up as being interested in a “Rescue Team.” For more information on LiNK, you can visit their website.

If you are interested in “Rescue Teams” at Union contact Sol Bee Park at solbee.park@my.uu.edu.