Story by Jacqueline Haworth
Photo by Gabe Carlin
Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is a non-profit, grassroots organization based near Los Angeles, California. They have groups called “chapters” or “LiNK Rescue Teams” in universities and high schools around the U.S. raising awareness of the human rights crisis in North Korea. They send speakers to campuses around the United States and Canada to visit these and other affiliated groups to bring the focus off of North Korea’s politics and onto its people, stressing the importance of understanding the history and political situations surrounding the human rights crisis of the North Korean people.
The organization works to tell stories of individual North Koreans as well as the North Korean refugees who fled to China, South Korea and the U.S. to escape the isolation and oppression of the North Korean government. They believe that outside pressure for human rights, technology, and information will begin to give more freedom to the North Korean people.
LiNK UO, the University of Oregon’s on-campus LiNK Rescue Team, is a student group committed to raising awareness of the Koreas and fundraising to help North Korean refugees. The group strives to provide refugees with food, emotional support, and a place to live by hosting events such as concerts, competitions, garage sales, and film screenings. After Rescue Teams raise $2500, the national LiNK program connects the team with the refugee they rescued by sharing their story and giving them updates on how they are adjusting to their new life of freedom.
The current campaign for LiNK is called “Shift”. The goal of this campaign is to change how society thinks of North Korea and to shift the focus from their politics to their people. They wish to promote media that shows the North Korean people in a more human way than most mainstream news. LiNK UO discusses current events and different aspects of Korean culture, looking at media, food, music, and various components of pop culture and continue to plan fundraisers. It’s extremely difficult to get an inside perspective on North Korea because of information blockage, but they work to find information through South Koreans and reliable news sources.
welcomes anyone who is curious about the Koreas, human rights, media portrayal during conflict and international relations as well as those who want to learn more or just help out. They have weekly half hour meetings.  Fall term meetings are held on Mondays at 7pm in Lawrence 254. If you can’t make the meetings but want more information on LiNK UO, you can contact the student group on their Facebook page or via e-mail at [email protected].
 

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Shifting Focus to the People