Category Archives: North Korean Refugees
You have just saved another life
Your donations do make a difference
Your support has enabled us to save a 27-year-old North Korean refugee. On February 23, LFNKR successfully completed the rescue mission to bring Mr. Y.Y. out of China to a safe place.
It has been your generous support and donations that made it possible for him to even dream of freedom.
Five more remaining people still await their chance for rescue. We are thankful for your concern for these people living at risk. If you would like to donate to help these five to reach safety, please click through to our donation page.
With sincere thanks,
Hiroshi Kato, Director of LFNKR
Follow-up of Mr. Choi Myung Bok
Choi’s legal status is still pending
On February 13, LFNKR received the following press release from the Human Rights Center “Memorial” in Russia. Mr. Choi Myung Bok has managed to avoid the deportation. However, his case is still pending a final decision.
LFNKR sincerely hopes that Mr. Choi will be granted refugee status as soon as possible or alternatively be allowed safe passage to a third country of refuge.
URGENT APPEAL FOR MR. CHOI MYUNG-BOK (RUSSIA)
Russia Set to Deport NK Refugee
LFNKR faxed petitioning letters to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in France, the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, and related human rights groups asking to save the life of a North Korean refugee named Choi Myung-bok.
Mr. Choi was recently arrested by police in Russia, and the court’s ruling on his deportation is scheduled to be handed down on 10 February.
Join Our Christmas Campaign to Rescue 6 NK Refugees
On Nov. 26, LFNKR received a rescue request from a group of six North Korean refugees, one of whom is a 4-year-old girl. These people are survivors of the heavy flooding caused by North Korea’s torrential rains in late August. Reportedly, more than 100,000 people lost their homes.
Flooded village in North Korea
One LFNKR member visited the China-North Korea border and took photos of the affected area. The following two photos were taken two days after the flooding.
After their village was completely swept away by the disaster, these six people fled to China, initially searching for food just to survive. Soon afterward they heard about LFNKR and contacted us for help relocating.
For more details, refer to: this CNN article
In this Christmas season, with the spirit of giving and receiving, we gratefully thank you for all the assistance you have sent us in the past. And we invite you to join us in helping these six refugees reach safety.
LFNKR’s 19th ANNUAL MEETING HELD ON OCT. 10, 2016
Annual Meeting Held in Tokyo
A summary of LFNKR activities during fiscal 2015 (Sept. 1, 2015 to Aug. 31, 2016) and the plans for the next fiscal year were outlined at the annual meeting.
Global Festa Japan 2016
Two former North Korean defectors, who have now resettled in Japan, talk about their own experiences
Global Festa Japan 2016 was held at Odaiba in Tokyo on October 1st and 2nd. This annual event was jointly hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and several other Japanese governmental organizations. The major purpose of the festival, an International Cooperation Day, is to promote awareness of the need for the international cooperation and the importance of joint efforts between the governmental and citizen groups, as well as NGOs. During the two-day event, 269 organizations and groups participated and about 100,000 people visited.
Kato Pleased with Happily Resettled North Korean Families
It’s well worth it
Hiroshi Kato
Hiroshi Kato, the executive director of LFNKR, participated July 3 in the annual exchange party for NK refugees held in Osaka. Joining the party were about 50 former North Korean defectors who have resettled in the Kansai region (south-western half of Japan, including Osaka). Attending were three generations, ranging from babies under the age of one up to 70 years-old.
Kato was overwhelmed by their boundless energy. They sang and danced to Karaoke without a break for three hours straight. He was very impressed by their extremely good singing … and by their dancing, which surprise him. He saw waltzes and jitterbugging rather than more traditional Korean dances.
Price of Freedom Soaring
I Want to See my Daughters as Soon as Possible
By Pak Sung Hee (alias), a Former NK Refugee
I once lived in Chongjin, North Hamgyong. From the 1990’s (the time of the “Arduous March”) through early 2000 we experienced severe starvation. I realized that my whole family would starve to death if something didn’t change, so I crossed the Tumen River into China to bring back food. I bitterly regret, however, that I was never able to make it back to Chongjin where my family was waiting for me.
My father is Japanese, and my mother was an ethnic Korean resident of Japan. Years earlier my parents had believed the propaganda claiming that North Korea was a Paradise on Earth. So, together, they immigrated to North Korea.