Category Archives: North Korean Refugees
10th year challenge
Everybody is well aware of the current situation all around the world. Because of today’s circumstances, we at LFNKR are, like so many other organizations, being seriously impacted. Our rescue activities have been drastically curtailed. Since the border between China and North Korea has been completely closed for over a year, rescue operations for North Korean defectors waiting in China have been indefinitely suspended. Meanwhile, however, we are delighted to report on the great success achieved by one of our North Korean defector couples. We were involved in their rescue and their resettlement in Japan. In the following article the wife tells about the couple’s experiences.
10th year challenge (by K. M.)
It feels like it was just yesterday that we escaped from North Korea and came to Japan, but it’s been 10 years now. Anyone over 40 will know this feeling – that the years have flown by.
Save North Korean Refugees Day 2020
LETTER OF PETITION
September 24, 2019 is the annual Save North Korean Refugees Day, organized by the North Korean Freedom Coalition. As a member of the Coalition, LFNKR has sent out Letters of Petition to the Chinese embassy and all the consulates in Japan, urging China’s president Xi Jinping to provide North Korean refugees with fair treatment according to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a document which China signed and ratified on September 24, 1982.
Another success story
We at LFNKR are extremely proud of Kim S. who graduated from a night school in March this year. He made it to Japan in 2017 after escaping from North Korea and surviving a journey filled with hazards and hardships.
We told you about him back in Sept. 2017. If you’d like to read the back-story, refer to: https://www.northkoreanrefugees.com/2017/09/
When Kim S. arrived in Japan, he did not speak, read or write Japanese at all, but now …
ICNK URGES CHINA TO ALLOW FAMILY OF NORTH KOREANS SAFE PASSAGE
As a member of ICNK, Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (LFNKR) urges China to comply with the international principle of non-refoulement.
Below is the statement issued by ICNK:
New Book Chapter Gives Voice to North Korean Refugees
Professor Tony Docan-Morgan of the University of Wisconsin has co-authored a book chapter that aims to give voice to North Korean refugees, and specifically looks at the experiences of North Korean refugee memoirists.
After examining the document, we found the contents to be an extremely useful reference to help people understand the suffering of North Korean people.
We recommend reading this document (or at the very least skimming it).
Here is the link to the document in Google books:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P76I0AKG6NLpKsSGwan_aoTcKEBUetuU/view
Or if you would rather download a PDF copy, click here.
Flash update: 3 orphans reach safety
On December 24, the 3 North Korean orphans have been accepted by a neutral third country where they can safely await for the trip to South Korea, their final destination.
As with most refugees fleeing oppression, these three also faced several unexpected delays along the way, but fortunately made it all the way to the safe haven.
We at LFNKR wish to extend our most sincere thanks for all the help and support you have provided in this case as well as all many other refugees you helped over the years.
Day Dedicated to Saving North Korean Refugees
September 24 is World “Save North Korean Refugees Day”
LFNKR has sent out Letters of Petition to the Chinese embassy and all the consulates in Japan, urging China’s president Xi Jinping to provide to North Korea refugees who escape into China fair treatment according to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a document which China signed and ratified on September 24, 1982.
Visit to North Korean Refugees Detained in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand
The following is an excerpt from our recent news release:
From Jan. 14 to 19 in 2018, LFNKR survey group (led by executive director, Mr. Hiroshi Kato) visited the Thai-Lao border along the Mekong River to gather accurate, updated information on the escape route of North Korean refugees and conditions in the local areas.