Medicines for NK Refugees Detained in Thailand

Chiang Saen, Thailand

Mr. Tomoharu Ebihara and an LFNKR staff member visited the Chiang Saen Police Station in northern Thailand to donate non-prescription medicines, blankets, and other items for North Korean refugees being detained there. Mr. Ebihara works at Thailand-Japan center, Payap University in Chiang Mai and also heads The Association for the Rescue of North Korea Abductees, Chiangmai (ARNKA).

Former Foster Child Weds – LFNKR Invited

Mr. Kato and Ms. Watanabe stand in as parents for the bride and groom, who are both former North Korean orphan refugees.

Mr. Kato and Ms. Watanabe stand in as parents for the bride and groom, both of whom are former North Korean refugees. 

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It has been ten years since LFNKR (Life Funds for North Korean Refugees) staff members working in China found 10 North Korean orphans who had fled to China to escape the starvation. These first children were the stimulus that prompted LFNKR to begin an education sponsorship program that would enable us to protect them and provide them with an education.

LFNKR Seeks Closer Ties with UN

Application for ECOSOC Status
Report Submitted to Human Rights Council

Resolving the various human rights issues related to North Korea requires the understanding and cooperation of the international community. With this in mind, Life Funds has recently been working to build and deepen ties to the United Nations.

US NGO Report – ‘Lives for Sale’

Personal Accounts of NK Women Fleeing to China  

An American NGO, The US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), at the end of April this year, released a 64-page document titled “Lives for Sale.”  The report includes 53 summarized personal accounts, along with the history and context of such human trafficking of North Korean women in China.  Most of the women fall into the hands of brokers, who sell them to Chinese farmers or to China’s sex trade.

Protesting NK Resident’s Organization in Japan

Nuclear Tests, Abductions, Human Rights Violations an Outrage

North Korea continues to ignore the UN resolutions and has repeatedly committed outrageous misconducts, such as the nuclear bomb tests and the ballistic missile launches.? My resentment has risen beyond the critical level.? I now feel that we definitely must do something to stop them.

Prosecute Kim Jong-il through ICC for Crimes Against Humanity

According to recent media reports, Kim Jong-il, now suffering health difficulties, has selected his third son, Kim Jong-un, to succeed him. The North Korean regime is reportedly accelerating plans to become an important military power by 2012.  This may explain why the regime has conducted repeated missile launches and nuclear tests in defiance of UN resolutions on sanctions, despite escalating tensions in the world community.

Panicked Chinese Students Evacuated

Yanji, China

North Korea’s second nuclear test on May 25 shocked the world and caused the strongest tremor ever to hit the border area between China and North Korea.  People in the region feared that it was another huge earthquake like the recent one in Sichuan.  Fortunately, I had lived in Japan long enough to be familiar with earthquakes, so I did not panic.  However, most people living in the border area were clearly terrified.

Resettling NK Defectors in USA

Special Report by S. Yee

For a long while now, I have been keenly interested in what happens to North Koreans who have resettled in the USA via a third country. This is partly because I have been involved with Life Funds for North Korean Refugees in protecting and helping North Korean defectors in Southeast Asia. I wondered if there was anything I could do to help those who were headed for America, so when I had the opportunity in April and May to visit the US, I decided to find out how they are doing.