2017-02-20 Blast from the Past

We were visited yesterday by one of the first refugees to study in TNKR! She has remained a good friend of TNKR, and of course I love her because she constantly praises me as a hero of North Korean refugees. Well, that's the official reason I love her.

The unofficial reason is that she always says I am so handsome.

TNKR National Director Eunkoo Lee is now volunteering at TNKR full-time. That means she is now available to counsel refugees who visit us and to also answer phone calls from refugees asking to join TNKR. This was a turning point in TNKR (now FSI) history. After four years of running TNKR part-time as volunteers, Eunkoo Lee and I both quit our jobs to volunteer full-time. It was clearly among the dumbest financial decisions either one of us had ever made. However, for the organization, it was the moment we could start to grow and stabilize. I would laugh out loud at people who were comparing us to LiNK and larger organizations--we were all volunteers, working together on weekends or evenings, with no committed sponsors and relying on online donations.

I had told Eunkoo that either this organization was going to become something special or we should downsize it and treat it like a hobby. I quit my job at Freedom Factory first, then the day after I published this Korea Times column about her, she decided to quit her job too
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2021/01/626_222156.html

(As an aside, for the stupid chattering class of expats who live in the world of "gotcha! media", yes, I showed her the column in advance, and she approved it. I say that because when I was interviewed on the radio months later, a host accused me of blindsiding Eunkoo. Thankfully I had pushed for her to join me to be on the radio, she was there to dismiss the host's accusation.)

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2021 update: Thankfully, we are no longer volunteering. TNKR would not have survived to this point. The Korean government intervened on my behalf againstTNKR, demanding that TNKR pay me. The first year, TNKR could not survive my government-mandated salary.

Well, the government can force me to be paid, but it couldn't force me to keep the money! The first year, I donated 56% of my salary to TNKR so we wouldn't go bankrupt. I still laugh out loud and try not to curse when people ask me if I have ever donated to TNKR.

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"Yoegi Anjuseyo!"

* I have a short reflection in today's Korea Times about an encounter with an unfriendly looking Korean man on the subway. It was a reminder not to be too quick in judging people in Korea. 09-13-2011 16:47 'Yeogi Anjeuseyo!' By Casey Lartigue Jr. The recent incident in which an American English teacher bullied an elderly Korean man and other passengers on the bus reminded me of a more pleasing incident from years ago. I was on the subway, taking the train outside of Seoul for a work assignment. I have the habit of standing on the subway to strategically position myself near the doors in case my stop magically appears. On that particular day, there was a Korean man STARING at me. Not just looking at me, but intensely staring at me. He had an incredible frown on his face. Not just for one stop, but for several stops the guy just kept staring at me. If I had known more Korean then I would have been able to curse him ...

Michael Breen discussion at 10 Magazine

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Rich talking back

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Inspiration from a lousy visitor (The Korea Times, December 31, 2013) by Casey Lartigue, Jr.

2013-12-15 It was a great occasion yesterday. A group of us held a Christmas party in the cancer ward of severance hospital. So many people to mention. The man who inspired it all: Nick Adams. It was his trip to Korea last month that inspired me to organize the party. He had cancer when he was a child, and he insisted that as part of his itinerary that we stop by the hospital. I was so moved that I contacted the best party planner I have ever known. The man behind the motion: Edward M. Robinson! As I've said several times: If you are looking for someone to hold an incredible party for kids, then contact Eddie! I look forward to big things from HOPE now that he has taken an even more active role with the organization (and was smart enough to name me an International Adviser, for example). The staff members at Mulmangcho are still talking about the incredible Halloween party he hosted, and they are looking forward to the Christmas party he has planned this weekend! The lady behind t...

2020-07-24 Pandemic Tutoring

The question comes in various forms, as a request, a recommendation, a plea, an insinuation, an accusation, and sometimes (or most of the time) it is a demand and complaint at the same time. In my in-box yesterday: "And I wanted to know if TNKR also transitioned to online services as any other educational institutions globally under the pandemic." This was from a previous volunteer who is now in the USA, so I took more time to answer him, and will expand it now so I can share it with others asking. As context, TNKR started in 2013 as an informal volunteer group connecting North Korean refugees with volunteer tutors. In 2016, we became an official organization despite lacking funding. Mainly because we have limited resources we keep focused on our main mission, but try to expand based on the needs of North Korean refugee learners. We have developed a learner-centered organization that has a great reputation among North Korean refugees. That means we are not a social club or re...

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