I am a North Korean refugee. I work for the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea. Due to my work, I am often asked to speak about my experiences in North Korea. After speaking out on North Korea's human rights abuses for the past few years, I now want to empower and support the North Korean refugee community in Europe through setting up projects which help them settle in their new countries. These projects will help teach them the skills they need to thrive and will also help raise awareness of North Korean human rights. Help #FundJihyun by making a donation. All money raised will go to the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea. I am aiming to crowdfund £10,000 of the £45,000 we need to raise to launch these projects.
The Projects
Kyoyuk - Refugee English Education Programme
There are approximately 2,000 North Koreans in Europe, with half living in the UK. My organisation surveyed some of these refugees last year. Every participant said that the largest struggle for integrating was a lack of opportunities to learn the language. With governments across Europe cutting budgets for projects which ease the settlement of refugees, I want to start classes for North Koreans in London to learn English, with the intention of branching out in to other countries/languages shortly thereafter. As I would like to provide the services free of charge to North Korean refugees, I need to raise money to cover the costs for at least the next year. Your donation will help pay for the expenses for tutors, provide textbooks (reading/writing and grammar) to each North Korean that participates, a venue for twice-weekly classes for different levels of language capability, and printouts for the speaking component of the classes. I aim to provide the service for up to 50 North Koreans over the first year.
Phoenix - Young North Korean Refugee Mentoring Programme
As with many refugees entering Europe, young North Koreans face great barriers to succeed. To enable them to be empowered, to gain the skills needed to thrive in their new countries, and to create the future leaders of a free North Korea, I will soon be launching Phoenix.
Phoenix is a work experience project designed to support Europe-based North Koreans between the ages of 16 and 30. They apply to join our programme for 3 or 6 months. Through work, mentoring, and training I seek to give young North Koreans the tools they need to advance in life. Not only is this experience important for integrating in to their new countries, but it’s also important for creating leaders in different sectors for the future rebuilding of the North Korean state, infrastructure, and economy.
I have already identified the two young North Koreans we will launch the programme with. As our project will be based in London, we require funding to help pay our participants a stipend. Without that stipend, refugees will not be able to be involved as London's living costs are outwith the reaches of most refugees. Your donation will help fund part of the stipend.
Skills Workshops - North Korean Refugee Skills Training
I wish to offer North Korean refugees the chance to improve their technological and writing skills to increase their opportunities for getting jobs and also for them to become more effective advocates for North Korean human rights. Through co-hosted (with partner organisations) skills workshops, North Korean refugees will be taught how to effectively use social media, how to write articles, and other skills which provide them with the tools to speak out and for finding work. Your donation will pay for the expenses of facilitating the project and the cost of venues. Workshops will occur on a monthly basis.
Women's Rights Workshops
As a North Korean women who has experienced being trafficked, I would like to help facilitate workshops for North Korean refugee women to discuss their experiences, to learn more about women's rights from experts on the subjects, and to facilitate dialogue between North Korean refugee women on how to improve North Korean women's rights. Your donation will help pay for a meeting space to hold these workshops. I would like to hold the workshops once every three months.
Speaking in Europe on North Korea's human rights abuses.
As
the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea’s Outreach and
Project Officer, I've spoken at dozens of events on my experiences. I
was the feature of a high-profile Amnesty International campaign,
reported in major newspapers and on news programmes across Europe. I
gave testimony at the UN Commission of Inquiry’s hearings in London on
the human rights abuses I suffered. Speaking out about human rights
abuses is crucial for the world to understand what is happening in North
Korea.
Over the next year, I'd like to help facilitate more North
Koreans to speak about their experience. Your donation will help us
arrange for North Koreans to speak in Europe on the abuses they have
suffered.Your donation will help pay for travel,
accommodation, and related costs for bringing North Koreans to Europe to
speak. Your donation will also help us pay the transport costs for
North Koreans who live in Europe to participate in our events. In the
next year, we would like to host events in London, Berlin, Oslo, Prague,
Rome, Amsterdam, and as many other European cities as we can. However,
lack of funds makes that difficult. Your donation will change that.
My Story
In February 2015, Amnesty International released 'The Other Interview', a short documentary which told my story:
In
2008, I arrived in the UK, following nearly a decade of life in China.
Originally from Chongjin city, North Korea, my experiences in China are
sadly all too common for North Korean women after they leave the
country.
During the famine in North Korea, I left the
country for China. I was approached by a man in China who promised me an
honest and well-paid job in China and a safe way out for my brother.
However, I was brought to a trafficking establishment, sold to a Chinese
man, and separated from my brother. My brother was captured and
repatriated a year later and I still do not know if he survives.
My
experience was so shameful so I tried to hide it, but it was not only
my experience, it is the same for other North Korean women who live in
China in the same kinds of establishment. I was sold to a Chinese man
for 5,000 yuan. Chinese people would gather and choose who they want.
There were all kinds of people buying: old, disabled and young people.
I was sold to a farmer in Heilongjiang. It was a long journey in a bus. I was so scared that I felt I was going to my grave.
Between 1998 and 2004, I spent six isolating years in northeast China, living the life of a slave to a Chinese man.
Until
2004, I didn’t know much about labour camps because I was enslaved in
China, struggling with my own survival. However, I became intimately
aware of the horrors of a labour camp that year, when I too was arrested
and repatriated.
Chinese intelligence broke into my house
one night. I begged and tried to excuse myself but they would not listen
to me. They placed handcuffs on my wrist and I was sent to a Chinese
prison on the 30th of April, 2004. There were no visitors allowed. Soup
and hard bread were served for every meal for 3 weeks. After that, I was
moved to Tumen prison. Handcuffed, the police followed me even to the
toilet. I could not escape.
I was repatriated to North
Korea. I was sent to a labour camp. Fearing that I would die in the camp
from an infection that developed in my leg, I was freed by camp
officials. Using all my remaining strength, I fled the country for good.
I came to the UK in 2008.
As well as Amnesty's video, I
was also the feature of a short documentary called 'Under a Different
Sky', where I used a pseudonym because I was fearful of retribution on
my family in North Korea.
Financials
Your donation will pay for venues, textbooks and printing, travel to speak at events, and for part of the costs of hiring our Phoenix participants. £3,000 will be spent on travel. £2,000 will be spent on textbooks and printing. £3,000 will be spent on hiring venues for our classes and workshops. The remaining £2,000 will be spent on part of the costs of our Phoenix project. Anything raised over £10,000 will be spent on furthering our other charitable objectives. If we are successful in getting grants to fund our projects, any money raised will be spent on other areas of our organisation. As an organisation with a small budget, we greatly appreciate your support for our projects and for the North Korean people.
Image: © Ben McMillan, www.faceit2015.com
