Forum to raise awareness about N. Korea refugee issues
Ken Eom speaks at a Teach North Korean Refugees speech contest in Myeong-dong, Seoul, in February. / Courtesy of John Redmond
By John Redmond
Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) and Seoul University of Foreign Studies (SUFS) will co-host the third “Stories from the North” forum at the university on Aug. 5.
The joint forum offers speeches by two North Korean refugees who have been studying English and public speaking with TNKR since 2015.
North Korean refugee Ken Eom will discuss his life as a college student in North Korea. Eom is a rare graduate of a North Korean university who is now in graduate studies in South Korea. He was recently named to TNKR’s board of directors, one of three refugees on the five-member board.
The second refugee speaker is Helen, a refugee undergraduate student who will discuss her escape from North Korea. She joined TNKR in late 2015 as a beginning learner. In 2016, she had 70 one-on-one tutoring sessions with TNKR volunteer tutors. This is her second public speech in English.
Hwang In-cheol, a South Korean national, will discuss his 15-year effort to have his father, Hwang Won, released from North Korea. Hwang Won was an MBC producer who was abducted to North Korea when a North Korean agent hijacked a Korean Air airplane in 1969.
The junior Hwang is representative of KAL Abductees' Repatriation Committee (KALARC) and TNKR’s fellow in human dignity.
Shin Hye-young, researcher at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration, will also speak on related issues.
The forum will be moderated by Tony Docan-Morgan, professor of communications at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and TNKR senior fellow of communication and advocacy.
Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder and international director of TNKR, says the event has three main goals ― opportunities, awareness and inspiration.
“One, we try to give opportunities for refugees in our program to practice their speech skills before live audiences. There’s nothing like a real event,” Lartigue said.
“Two, we want to raise awareness about issues that refugees find important and give them opportunities to express themselves. Three, we want to inspire people to get directly involved with helping North Korean refugees adjust to living outside of North Korea.”
TNKR is a Seoul-based NGO that provides free English language lessons for North Korean refugees. The group was established in 2013 by Lartigue and National Director Lee Eun-koo.
Over the years, 300 North Korean refugees have studied with 600 volunteer tutors and coaches in TNKR.
The “Stories from the North” forum will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at SUFS.
Entry costs 10,000 won in advance or 15,000 won at the door. Visit teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org/event for more info or to RSVP.