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Thursday, September 19, 2024

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Interview with Liberty in North Korea’s Ilhwa Choe: Escaping North Korea, Finding Freedom

Opinion

2023/03/11

Rectangle 106

1

2023/03/11

The Robinson Review was invited exclusively to a valuable interview session held by the organization LiNK–Liberty in North Korea–with a North Korean guest who fled her fatherland during her youth. LiNK is a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the natural rights of the North Korean people, making efforts to elevate the privileges of North Koreans to be on par with those of people around the world. They support the fleeing of North Koreans via a confidential route - exceeding 5000 kilometers - without financial requirements. The organization holds approximately 290 clubs across 16 different countries, which already gathered $570,000 in terms of fundraising.

Choe, possessing a North Korean origin, explained her early life in her hometown, Musan, a small town adjacent to the Chinese-North Korean border. Hence, her view of North Korea is limited, as she has experienced less than a percent of what her country offers. Choe explained: similar to her situation, other North Korean residents, too, have a bounded perspective of their own country. People not originally from North Korea tend to generalize their perceptions of North Korea, establishing stereotypes, especially regarding politics. Choe, as a North Korean, believed in the vitality of the guarantee of natural rights–the rights to listen to music, watch movies, read novels, travel, et cetera. She thought her limited privileges were unjust, which influenced her to flee her home country.

After successfully emigrating from North Korea, now a member of LiNK, Choe now works as a supporter of North Korean defectors. She is making efforts to eradicate stereotypes of North Korea and assists the defectors to better adapt to the environments of South Korea. Currently, LiNK supports approximately 1300 defectors by offering support curriculums, including basic education and foreign languages.

The Robinson Review appreciates the efforts of LiNK and will continue to make meaningful collaborations with other clubs and organizations.

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