US Family ‘Adopts’ Prison Camp Escapee
She Says this Website Started it All
Yesterday we received a warm and inspiring email from a lady, Mrs. Linda Dye, in the US, who read a story on this website back in 2007 and did something unusual. She and her husband decided they wanted to do more than just read about North Korean Refugees. They were so inspired, they made up their minds to get personally involved and make a difference.
Mrs Dye wrote:
Hello,
This is Linda Dye. I am Shin Dong-hyuks “mother” . You can see my picture in Blaine Harden’s book, Escape from Camp 14.
I first learned about Shin in 2007 when I read your article about him on the internet. I copied the story and carried it in a binder to tell people about his story.
After my husband and I read the Washington Post article about him by Blaine Harden in Dec. of 2008, we wanted to help him. That is when we started communicating with him through LiNK. In 2009, he came to visit us at our home and we became a family.
I want to thank you for the original article about him. It changed my life. I became an activist for North Korea because of it and gained a son. He has brought us much joy. What an incredible person. I love him very much.
Shin Dong-hyuk describes how he received little or no love during his childhood, because he was born inside a prison camp. In that original article on this website, he states:
“I was able to live with my mother for the first 12 years of my life. My mother was a farmer, starting work at 5 o’clock in the morning and returning home at 11 o’clock in the evening. She was always so busy and I have little memory of any affection between mother and a son.”
But now, he is finally with a warm family who wants to love and care for him.
And just as Mrs. Dye expressed her thanks to this website, we in turn would like to thank you, our readers, for the many donations you have provided over the years. The money you have given has made this and other happy endings possible.
We look forward to continuing our service both to you and to as many North Korean Refugees as we can. Just rest assured – your donations do make a difference.
Sometimes a very large difference.
If you’d like to donate regularly, simply click here