Freedom Walk & Run 2026, Seoul
What Does Freedom Mean to You?
This fall, 200 people will gather along the Han River in Seoul to honor the 26 million people living in North Korea by answering one question: What does freedom mean to you?
Before setting out, every participant in Liberty in North Korea’s Freedom Walk & Run will write their own answers on the race bib they’ll wear for the 6 kilometer race.
The course is divided into three sections, each representing a different freedom: the freedom to leave, the freedom to lead, and the freedom to learn.
Each represents a different part of LiNK’s work and a different way North Korean people are pursuing greater freedom and choice in their own lives.
0-2km: Freedom to Leave
The first two kilometers represent the freedom to leave.
For North Koreans who decide to leave their country, reaching safety can mean a long and dangerous journey through multiple countries.
LiNK helps North Korean refugees navigate a secret route to safety. To date, over 1,400 North Korean refugees have reached freedom through LiNK’s networks. Every person who makes that journey has their own reason for leaving, their own hopes for what comes next, and their own idea of what freedom means to them.
Reaching safety opens the door to the next part of their journey.
2km-4km: Freedom to Lead
The next two kilometers represent the freedom to lead.
Starting over in a new country comes with countless possibilities, but just as many challenges. North Korean people resettling in South Korea or the US are learning a new system, while pursuing education, beginning careers, building relationships, or deciding what they want their future to look like.
LiNK’s programs support resettled North Koreans as they pursue education, language learning, and career development, providing mentorship, scholarships, and so much more.
And then comes the final stretch.
4-6km: Freedom to Learn
The last two kilometers represent the freedom to learn.
For people living inside North Korea, access to information from outside of the country is heavily restricted. Official media is centrally controlled, while foreign films, television, music, news, and other outside information are accessed illegally and often at significant personal risk.
Despite the government’s efforts to control information, curiosity about what freedom looks like proves impossible to suppress.
“No matter how much you try to control it, you can’t get rid of curiosity.”
Information gives someone a new point of reference. It introduces possibilities they had never encountered before. It gives them the chance to imagine a future beyond the North Korean regime.
North Korean people are finding ways to access outside media, through USB drives and microSD cards. LiNK’s Information Access Programs build on these existing channels by working with North Korean defectors and engineers to develop tailor-made technology and content that help people inside the country access more information more safely.
This is a growing part of our work, and one we believe has enormous potential to contribute to long-term change.
Get Involved: Support information access in North Korea
This fall, we’re giving supporters a closer look at this work through an upcoming documentary about information access in North Korea.
Make a gift of $30 or more to LiNK’s Information Access Programs by October 24 and you’ll receive an exclusive preview of the documentary this fall.
Your support helps LiNK enable more North Koreans to access more outside information more safely. This builds people’s resilience against regime disinformation, increases their aspirations for social and economic progress, and builds pressure for change and opening.
Donate today & get the documentary preview
Join us in Seoul
If you’re in Seoul, join us along the Han River on Saturday, October 24, for the Freedom Walk & Run. Participation is limited to 200 people, so reserve your spot today.
RSVP for LiNK’s Freedom Walk & Run
North Korean Refugees Reaching their Potential: A Mid-Year Recap of 2024
It’s been a busy first half of the year for Liberty in North Korea! In case you missed it, here’s all that we’ve accomplished together with YOU and our North Korean friends.
Many of these major updates have been a long time in the making. This bigger-picture impact is only possible because of the continued support and generosity of this global movement. With every update we share, know that you’re now a part of each of these stories, and you have helped to change lives!
The 2024 Advocacy Fellows: Bella, Grace, and Lily wrapped up their 2.5 months in the US after traveling to 11 cities, speaking at 48 events and meetings, and sharing their stories in person with over a thousand people!
20 North Korean refugees now living in freedom: Of the 20 rescued, 3 families were able to escape together and will also reunite with family in South Korea. One woman will be seeing her sister again after being separated for 25 years!
The LiNK English Language Program: This spring, we had our biggest semester of LELP yet—156 participants, including 78 North Korean students and 78 volunteers. 98% of participants reported that they were satisfied with the program!
12 North Korean students awarded academic scholarships: $77,400 was awarded to help North Koreans studying in the US complete their post-secondary education programs and achieve their academic goals.
Featured Content
- 📰 Read: From our World Refugee Day campaign, experience “The Journey” of North Korean refugees through the eyes of Il-Lyong, Vickey, Haneul, and Doohyun.
- 🎥 Watch: North Korean stories are headed to the Emmys! Beyond Utopia, a documentary following several people as they escape from North Korea, was just nominated for “Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking.” Stream now on Hulu!
- 📝 Learn: Curious about North Korean instant noodles? Or what middle school is like in the most closed-off country in the world? Our North Korean friend (and one of last year’s Summit speakers!) Sunghee is publishing weekly articles about her experiences.
LiNK in the News
- A daring escape by boat: Kang Gu-rin is one of just 15 North Korean refugees who have escaped directly from North Korea and made it to South Korea since 2021. Read more in this recent Washington Post article.
- The Closing of North Korea 2018-2023: Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch published an in-depth report on the devastating impact of pandemic-era restrictions on the North Korean people.
- Where they are now: Last month, Geumhyok, one of our 2018 LiNK Advocacy Fellows, spoke at the U.N. Security Council Meeting on North Korean Human Rights (timestamp 35:50). He’s the second LiNK program alumni to be invited to speak this year!
Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to the North Korean people. We’re excited to see what the second half of 2024 brings!
