NorthKoreanRefugees.com

How You Can Help
North Korean Refugees

A List of Resources

We deeply appreciate your interest in and concern for North Korean refugees.

If you would like to learn more about the issues and people involved, you can use the list of suggested resources below to help you gain a deeper grasp of the issues.

An excellent way to get involved is to write letters on behalf of North Koreans. Here are a few of the many resources available:

Our links page gives a useful list of websites devoted to Korean and North Korean issues.Our Links Page

Sample Letters:

Amnesty International Letter Writing Guide
This also includes good links to sites with information on human rights)
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/guide.pdf

Embassy Addresses of the DPRK
From the Christian Solidarity Worldwide website
http://www.csw.org.uk/Countries/NorthKorea/
Embassies/NKEmbassies.pdf

There are Amnesty International chapters in most major cities throughout the world. You might consider joining the one closest to you. If they are not already working actively on North Korean issues, then there is no better time to urge them to start.
http:www.amnesty.org

If you have friends or colleagues who are interested in North Korean issues, why not organize a study group, or invite speakers in? You don’t have to be a large group to be effective.

If you are interested in organizing a demonstration to protest the Chinese government’s policy toward North Korean refugees, you can usually use the Internet to find the address for The PRC Embassy or consulate in your area.

Chinese Embassy USA: http://www.china-embassy.org
Chinese Embassy in UK: http:www.chinese-Embassy.org.UK/eng
Chinese embassy in Tokyo: http://www.china-embassy.or.jp

Recommended Reading:

Background information from Amnesty International:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/north_korea/index.do

Background Reading from Human Rights Watch:
http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia_pub&c=nkorea

North Korea: Another Country
By Bruce Cumings

Separated at Birth
By Gordon Cucullu

The Two Koreas
By Don Oberdorfer

Aquariums of Pyongyang
By Kang Chol-Hwan

Eyes of the Tailless Animals
By Soon Ok Lee

Movies & Books on North Korea

Dooman River (2010) by Zhang Lu
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1500177/     IMDB reference page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VhUPzBhulI     Trailer on YouTube

This movie was made by a Chinese director, possibly part Korean. The story is about two children, a NK refugee and a Korean-Chinese. Previous films by this director have brought good reviews, and this one is reported to have received prizes.

Journals of Musan (2010) by Park Jeong-Beom

This film won the ‘new currents’ award at the Pusan Film Festival this year. It paints a harsh picture of the difficulties a NK defector faces living in SK.

KimJongilia (2009)
http://www.kimjongiliathemovie.com
http://vodpod.com/watch/1901835-kimjongilia-a-film-about-north-korea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTragUC8AnY

Clips from the controversial documentary on Kim Jong Il. The makers of this film encourage local groups to host screenings. More information at the website.

Welcome to North Korea (2001) by Peter Tetteroo and Raymond Feddema
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU

An old documentary on NK. Some reviewers have called it uninteresting, but it can provide useful background info.

Children of the secret state (2000)
http://www.moviesfoundonline.com/children_of_the_secret_state.php

Hiding
http://www.linkglobal.org/hiding/

A documentary about escaping NK refugees, filmed by LINK, an NGO in the US. They seem to be younger film-makers who have taken a reality TV kind of approach. This differs from the more traditional documentary approach above.

Escaping North Korea (2008) by Mike Kim
http://www.escapingnorthkorea.com/
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-30-2009/mike-kim

Nothing To Envy, a book by Barbara Demick
http://nothingtoenvy.com/

Jia, a book which relates the story of a girl born in a North Korean political prison.
She escapes with a soldier and becomes an orphan in Pyongyang. It then tells how she escapes to China. The book has received good reviews, though it is not very well known.

North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter, a book by Sakie Yakota.
A very emotional and engaging read.

In North Korea, an American Travels Through an Imprisoned Nation, a book by Nanchu and Xing Hang.
This book is not widely known, but it provides some surprising details, such as how China has missiles aimed at North Korea in the mountains. This book is available on Amazon.

We hope these resources help. Good luck to you and please let us know how things go.

Thank you again for your interest in this vital issue.