Students gathered at SMU on Sept. 9 to hear firsthand accounts from North Korean refugees and advocacy fellows with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a nonprofit dedicated to human rights and refugee resettlement.
Founded in 2004, a group of college students raised awareness about the plight of North Korean refugees through t-shirt sales and shared stories. Now, LiNK has grown into an international network, rescuing over 1,300 North Korean refugees. LiNK collaborates with policymakers, diplomats, and the media to shift attention from nuclear politics to the human rights crisis. Simultaneously, LiNK provides resettlement and leadership support for refugees.
Two advocacy fellows, Rose Jang and Hannah Oh, shared their experiences and aspirations for the future.
Jang grew up in Hayesan, North Korea, and resettled in South Korea in 2009. As a recent architecture graduate, Jang designed a memorial to honor North Korean human rights and provide comfort to defectors forced to leave their homeland.
Jang hopes to continue finding her identity as an advocacy fellow and increase interest in this issue.
Oh is from Hoeryong, North Korea, and escaped in 2019 through LiNK’s rescue network. Now in her fourth year of college, she studies electrical engineering and is passionate about using technology to expand access to information in North Korea.
Oh looks forward to strengthening her leadership and public speaking to garner more support and foster better collaboration.
Although the event was hosted at SMU, two students from Oral Roberts University drove several hours from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to hear about LiNK’s mission firsthand.
Alex Baldessari, a senior at Oral Roberts University majoring in global studies with a focus on Asia, has followed LiNK since high school. While studying abroad in South Korea, she visited the organization’s headquarters and furthered her interest in its mission. Baldessari made the trip from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to attend the event.
“Every time I see a LiNK video or attend an event, I feel inspired,” Baldessari said. “Seeing how much North Koreans are able to innovate and accomplish is incredibly motivating.”
Ann Celones is an international relations major at Oral Roberts University. She traveled with Baldessari to attend the event and previously served as a United Nations youth delegate and head delegate for Model UN. Celones emphasizes that education is the key to change.
“Prejudices don’t start from malice; they start from a lack of education, knowledge, and understanding,” Celones said. “If we can do our best to promote that education, then we’ve done our part.”
Through the personal experiences of its advocacy fellows, LiNK aims to change the narrative of North Korea. The event at SMU allowed students to engage directly with this mission and recognize that freedom is possible and within reach for North Koreans.
