Liberty In North Korea Essay

North Korea has long held one of the worst records of human rights abuses in all the world. Former President George W. Bush famously referred to North Korea as part of the “axis of evil” while former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named it an “outpost of tyranny.” Even with investigations carried out by independent journalists and various non-governmental organizations, we know little of the plight of the North Korean people due to the government’s strict control on information that flows in and out of the country. Most information comes by way of North Korean citizens who undertake the treacherous journey to emigrate out of the Hermit Kingdom to safer shores.

One NGO that concentrates specifically on North Korea is Liberty in North Korea. Liberty in North Korea, or LiNK, has a three-part mission. LiNK seeks to aid in the rescue

When refugees manage to successfully escape from North Korea into China, they are still at risk from discovery by Chinese authorities. The Chinese government does not recognize North Korean defectors as anything but “unauthorized economic migrants” that must be repatriated to North Korea immediately (“North Korea: Understanding Migration,” 2008). It is because of this policy that most North Korean refugees see China as merely a temporary stop to their final destination. This is where LiNK comes in by providing assistance to refugees in exiting China to more hospitable shores. LiNK makes use of what they call the “free passage model,” requiring no payment from those they aid with safe passage out of the country and resettlement assistance once they have arrived at their destination. This shields refugees from becoming victims of underground brokers who might seek to take advantage of them or their family providing monetary assistance with their emigration. To date, they have assisted with rescuing 505 North Korean refugees