Skip to main content

2015-10-22 Even the interpreter cried!^^ TNKR@Osan Air Force base


Teach North Korean Refugees presented today at the Osan Air Force Base to an overflow crowd of at least 500 air force personnel and spouses (more than 300 were military personnel).
  • One speaker delivered his talk in English, another speaker spoke in Korean. It was quite a sight to see the interpreter lose his composure while he was translating. Then I looked in the audience, and many of those tough soldiers were also crying.
  • Getting it done! An awesome lieutenant got this done. Many people talk about arranging events for us, then, nothing happens, or we keep talking. The first time was slightly smaller scale, maybe 150 to 200 attendees. But today, it was an overflow crowd, at least 500, plus some high-ranking people joined us.
  • Many people came over to thank me for TNKR presenting their stories. They are military people, so they appreciated hearing the human side about North Korea, about the people inside the country, about their escapes and adjustment.
  • For our speaker who was in the North Korean military, he admitted that was a bit nervous looking at all of those U.S. military people. He had been taught in North Korea that he must try to kill U.S. soldiers anytime he saw them. But he met the “enemy” today, and they were friendly, respectful, gave him congratulations, and even gave huge gift baskets to both of the speakers.
  • * If he is ever questioned by North Korea about the event:
Q: Comrade! Is it true that you gave a speech before the enemy US soldiers?
A: Yes! I made them cry, that’s how tough I was.
Q: Then what happened next?
A: Oh… they applauded me, hugged me, and gave me gifts… But I made them cry, I promise…
  • After the speeches, we joined them at a casual discussion over pizza and soft drinks. So many people wanted to talk with our two speakers today, take photos with them, and also asked me how they could volunteer for TNKR. I recommended a couple of things, and they are military people, so one thing they apparently believe in is following up, getting it done!
  • I will post more photos, I will need to mosaic them first…  
www.lovetnkr.org/donate



















French version, translated by Alexia Andrieux
TNKR à la base aérienne d’Osan : même le traducteur a pleuré ! ^^
Aujourd’hui TNKR a pris la parole à la base aérienne de Osan devant plus de 500 soldats et épouses.
  • L’un des intervenants a pris la parole en anglais et l’autre en coréen. C’était impressionnant de voir le traducteur perdre son sang froid au fur et à mesure de sa traduction. J’ai donc regardé dans  l’assemblé et un grand nombre de ces soldats étaient, eux aussi, entrain de pleurer.
  • Agir ! Un formidable lieutenant a permis que cela se fasse. Beaucoup de personnes nous disent qu’elles vont organiser des événements pour nous, puis rien ne se passe, ou nous nous contentons de parler. La première intervention avait été réalisé à plus petite échelle, quelque 150 ou 200 personnes étaient présentes. Mais aujourd’hui, un grand nombre de personnes étaient présentes, au moins 500, dont quelques personnes haut placées.
  • Beaucoup de personnes sont venues à ma rencontre pour me remercier du fait que TNKR ai partagé leurs histoires. Etant militaires, ils apprécient d’entendre évoquer par des nord-coréens les conditions de vie dans leur pays, l’histoire de leur fuite et de leur adaptation à leur nouvelle vie.
  • Notre intervenant qui faisait partie de l’armée nord coréenne nous a confié qu’il était un peu nerveux en voyant tout ces militaires Etats-Uniens. En Corée du Nord on lui a appris qu’il devait essayer de tuer chaque militaire Etats-Unien qu’il voyait. Mais aujourd’hui il a rencontré l’« ennemie », un « ennemie » amicales et attentionné le félicitant pour son intervention, et offrant même un énorme panier cadeau à chacun des orateurs.
  • Si le gouvernement Nord coréen l’interroge un jour au sujet de l’événement :
Q : Camarade ! Est-il vrai que tu as prononcé un discours devant nos ennemies les soldats Etats-Uniens ?
A : Oui ! Je les ai fait pleurer, voici à quel point j’ai été pénible. Q : Que s’est-il passé ensuite ?
A : Euh … Ils m’ont applaudi, m’ont serré dans leurs bras, et m’ont donné des cadeaux … Mais je les ai fait pleurer, je vous le promets …
  • Après les discours, nous avons rejoint les soldats afin de discuter autour de pizzas et de sodas. Aujourd’hui, beaucoup de personnes voulaient parler avec nos deux orateurs, prendre des photos avec eux, et même leurs demander comment ils pouvaient aider TNKR.
  • Je leur ai donc adressé plusieurs recommandations et comme ils sont militaires, l’une des choses en lesquelles ils semblent croire est : agir !
  • Je posterais plus de photos une fois que j’aurais terminé d’en faire une mosaïque.

Popular posts from this blog

Common Sense on North Korea (Korea Times, April 2, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. As interesting as Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov’s writings are, there is nothing quite like attending one of his lectures. He can barely restrain himself behind the podium, often pointing and waving his arms. I also enjoy his unscripted speeches, but his answers in Q&A sessions are like the difference between watching Michael Jordan shoot baskets in warm-ups and an actual game. I have finally discovered the secret behind Lankov’s consistently solid analysis about North Korea: Use common sense. At an Asan Institute conference last summer, he argued that North Korea watchers should try to understand North Korea from its perspective. Don’t most people know that you must understand the mindset of others you are dealing with? Yet, common sense in theory gets ignored politically. From the North Korean perspective, nuclear weapons are the best thing they’ve got going. They will NOT give them up easily, even if President Obama ...
Read more

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

  National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube
Read more

Freedom Factory Shareholder Meeting (2015-01-31)

  Re: Building something out of nothing Freedom Factory is a very small company, of which I am a shareholder.  Yesterday we had our annual shareholder meeting. Freedom Factory is allowing us to "incubate" TNKR until we can stand on our two own feet--or at least crawl on our four hands and feet. (Consumer Rights Watch is in the same position).  I owe special thanks to FF CEO 김정호. He is a "true believer" in the cause of freedom, so he is allowing both projects to grow out of FF. That's even though Freedom Factory is a small start up with the CEO, staff and supporters wondering how we are going to achieve our dreams with such a tight budget.  So when I say I am so thankful to the volunteers and donors of TNKR, it isn't just lip service. Volunteers--along with Freedom Factory, the Atlas Network, donors--are helping us to create something out of nothing, helping North Korean refugees find their own way and tell their own stories. Like the FF CEO, I also don...
Read more

2018-09-28 Not everyone at KFC cooks chickens

Most of the people who contact us at TNKR naturally want to tutor North Korean refugees. Many potential volunteers are shocked shocked shock ed to learn that they can volunteer with TNKR in other ways. I tell many of them: "Not everyone at KFC cooks chickens. There are also delivery people, accountants, marketers, personnel, and a host of other positions." Earlier this year, we began developing the TNKR Volunteer Leadership Academy. I'm still waiting for someone to take over that little project. Until then, I will continue with developing it. And be developing it, I mean telling people, "Don't write me a long business plan about what you would like to do. Just start doing it, keep me updated and in the conversations, then let's talk and update." We have had a recent influx of volunteers who want to help TNKR in other ways. Jackie Cole is now running our Instagram. She constantly surprises me with the flyers and videos she posts. I made it clear from the ...
Read more

2020-11-26 My basketball story

This photo was uploaded today by my aunt Annette. This was back in the day, when 1) I had a head full of hair and 2) played basketball a lot. That first year of playing organized basketball, I focused on playing defense. It seemed that everyone wanted to shoot the ball, so I passed the ball and played defense. I probably led the league in steals, rebounds and blocked shots. I enjoyed taking on the best player from the other team, I felt like I would get better, quickly. The second year, I was a different player. I will never forget the first game that second year--we lost 29 to 26, I scored 18 points. I probably led the universe in scoring that second year, although we didn't win much. One thing I learned from that experience is that one great player 9 (at least in his own mind) can't beat a team. An eye injury ended my pro career before it began, to this day I still have floaters in my eyes because of the injury. I started wearing glasses, but the problem never went away. On t...
Read more