North Korean Advocacy Fellows: Meet the Class of 2024!
Meet Bella, Lily, and Grace, LiNK’s 2024 Advocacy Fellows! Over three months, they’ll be working closely with us in the US and sharing their stories in cities across the country. Join us at a Fellows speaking event near you!
New Haven, Connecticut
April 22nd, 1:30 pm
Yale University - Whitney Humanities Center Auditorium
53 Wall St, New Haven, CT 06511
No RSVP required
Cambridge, MA
April 24th, 6:30 pm
B-L01 Town Weil Hall, Belfer Building79 JFK St.,
Cambridge, MA 02138
Atlanta, Georgia
April 28th, 8 pm
Emory University - Emory Student Center MPR 4,5,6
605 Asbury Cir, Atlanta, GA 30322
Dallas, Texas
April 29th, 5:30 pm
Southern Methodist University
The Martha Proctor Mack Grand Ballroom
3300 Dyer Street Dallas, TX 75205
San Francisco, CA
May 5th, Optional Lunch 1:00pm | Event Start 1:45pm
True North Church
655 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306
New York City, NY
May 15th, 6pm
Exilic
240 West 37th Street, 2nd Floor, New York NY 10018
Washington DC
May 28th, 6:30 pm
Private Home - Address sent after RSVP
Sorry, we've reached capacity for this event!
Los Angeles, CA
June 6th, 6:30 pm
UCLA - Bruin Viewpoint Room
308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Not based in one of these cities? No worries! Meet the Fellows virtually on June 12, 2024 at 4pm PT for their Graduation Event. RSVP here to hear their stories and participate in a live Q&A.
URGENT: North Korean Refugees At Risk of Forced Repatriation
A Call for Advocacy and Action from LiNK’S CEO, Hannah Song
There are currently large numbers of North Korean refugees being held in detention in China, including a group of individuals who were caught earlier this year while trying to escape through LiNK’s networks. As of last month, the Chinese government has started forcibly sending them back to North Korea where they are at risk of torture, imprisonment in horrific forced labor camps, and even execution.
This comes after the North Korean government has slowly reopened the country’s borders. During the pandemic, extreme lockdowns and increased security effectively brought forced repatriations to a temporary halt. At the same time, Chinese authorities continued to arrest and detain North Korean defectors, waiting for the opportunity to send them back. UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean human rights, Elizabeth Salmon, estimated this number to have reached 2000 people.
On October 13th, in response to media reports that Chinese authorities had forcibly repatriated around 600 North Korean refugees, the South Korean government confirmed that “a large number” of North Koreans had been sent back.
We are deeply concerned about this situation and the imminent repatriation of more North Korean refugees, including specific individuals we have confirmed are currently in detention. We are closely monitoring these cases and continue to advocate directly with 10 other governments, the EU, and the UN on this issue. In September, LiNK also signed an open letter to China’s President Xi alongside civil society organizations, calling for humanitarian protection for North Korean refugees.
Right now, this issue needs more attention. The Chinese government needs to know that the world is watching and that North Korean refugees must be treated with humanity and dignity.
The Chinese government has 276 embassies and consulates representing their interests around the world, more than any other country. Please contact the embassy or consulate where you live, and also the Chinese mission to the UN, through email and social media to send a simple but direct message of concern and support for North Korean refugees.
Here's What You Can Do:
Copy, and feel free to edit, the template letter below, and email it to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via the Chinese embassy or consulate where you live, and also the Chinese mission to the UN:
Template Letter to Chinese Foreign Minister:
Twitter (X) Users:
Additionally, you can tweet at the Chinese Foreign Ministry using this template tweet:
There’s a lot going on in the world right now. The Chinese government is taking advantage of this diverted attention to quietly send North Koreans back, and it will quietly continue to do so. This is the time where we need strength in numbers and Allies around the world to clearly and firmly call out their inhumane actions.
Thank you for standing with the North Korean people.
