 |
| E Ji-sung, center, with Lee Eun-koo, left, and Casey Lartigue, the co-founders of Freedom Speakers / Courtesy of Casey Lartigue |
By Casey Lartigue
I learned many things in my six years as a student at Harvard University.
However, my education about freedom came before that when, as a pre-teen in Missouri City, Texas, I read all three of Frederick Douglass' autobiographies.
Douglass was born a slave in 1818. He escaped to freedom at the age of 20 and later became a leading advocate and activist against slavery. His words about the importance of locomotion, individual dignity and education struck a chord in me way back then. His actions in saving people also had me thinking about the freedom of others.
I have been engaged in freedom issues my entire professional life, but I didn't "do" freedom until I encountered North Korean refugees. Meeting people who had escaped from modern slavery made me feel that my work had been little more than toasting freedom at cocktail parties.
The first logical thing it seemed was to get involved with rescues. North Koreans needed freedom. I guessed that it would not be a good idea for me, an American who is not Korean, to attempt to rescue North Koreans from China. I would probably be captured quickly. I did realize, however, that I could help those North Korean refugees who had escaped to freedom by helping them adjust to life in South Korea and empowering them to tell their stories.
In the past 10 years, about 500 North Korean refugees have studied English, public speaking and career development at Freedom Speakers International (FSI), the NGO that I co-founded with South Korean researcher Lee Eun-koo. Several North Korean refugees who have studied with us have published books, given speeches around the world and gained confidence in themselves as humans.
Still, in the back of my mind, I thought about rescuing people from slavery to freedom. Lee and I have gotten involved with some rescues of North Koreans, mainly by assisting their relatives who were trying to rescue them from China. Some colleagues who have known about my work have called me an abolitionist, but that still seems more of a dream than a reality. It has not been part of our main mission.
Several years ago, I began hearing about a "Superman" who was rescuing North Koreans. I had met many people involved in North Korean human rights, but Superman seemed to be more of a myth than reality. Was there really one man who was responsible for more than 4,000 North Koreans escaping to freedom?
The more North Korean refugees I met, the more often I heard about Superman. Perhaps he really was real.
Then I met E Ji-sung. He is a best-selling author in South Korea who wanted to do more than write best-selling books. He wanted to make a difference in this world by supporting organizations and people who were helping North Koreans get to freedom.
Meeting E has been a turning point in my life. Instead of thinking about being a modern-day Douglass rescuing people, I remembered something Douglass wrote: "The tools to those who can use them." That is, we can make a difference using our skills.
E uses his many skills ― as a writer, polemicist, activist, abolitionist, intellectual, fundraiser, mentor and liberator. Superman uses his skills to rescue people from dangerous situations. It is appropriate that it is E who is telling Superman's story.
The day will come when they will be recognized as liberators of North Koreans.
I am thrilled to be starting a partnership and working closely with E. After reading an advanced copy of his book "10,000 KM: Days with North Korea's Schindler," I directed our team at FSI to translate it so I could share his book with people around the world. His publisher praised me and asked me to write a recommendation for the book and gave me the honor of adding my name on the book cover and my photo to the official marketing materials.
Next week I will be attending the Harvard Crimson's 150-anniversary celebration with E as my special guest. I have shared the translation of his book with Harvard University students, alumni and staff.
This may be the start of us "doing" freedom together for North Korean refugees by rescuing them from China and North Korea, helping them adjust to living in freedom and sharing their stories globally.
Casey Lartigue is co-founder and co-president of Freedom Speakers International along with Lee Eun-koo and co-author of "Greenlight to Freedom" with Han Song-mi. This excerpt is from his recommendation in E Ji-sung's book "10,000 KM: Days with North Korea's Schindler."
![[REVIEW] 'The ODD Of LOVE' concert: Taeyeon shows why she is among K-pop's top vocalists](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/e385d0918b054c1286a1cfaa3142439e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'One Day Off' star Lee Na-young, director on creating subtle, feel-good series](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/796618f56a44402eabe81fe4530ab988.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
