2019-11-01 Time flies when you're at TNKR

Sometimes people say, "I can't believe it is already Friday!" Or they'll mention the month, "I can't believe it is already November!"

In my case, I can't believe it is already 2019! What happened to 1999, wasn't that just a few years ago?

As fast as time seems to go, it is even faster at TNKR. We had so many meetings today that when I was referring to our first meetings today, I was talking about it like it was on Tuesday, not this morning (Friday).

TNKR Matching Challenge from an American fan

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Individual Education Plan (IEP)

We had four interviews with North Korean refugees who want to join TNKR. We accepted three of them, but told one refugee that we weren't sure he was ready.

The other three are quite enthusiastic and have a good idea what they want to study. The other young man, unfortunately, isn't really sure why he should study English. Others have encouraged him, but he isn't sure why he needs English. We encouraged him to study elsewhere first, then to return to us in about three months. We have done this a few times as we have raised our standards. Each student has returned to us later after experiencing more of South Korea, more focused, and prepared to study with volunteer tutors.

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YouTuber Eunhee!

Eunhee Park stopped by the office to talk about her YouTube channel. Please SUBSCRIBE! She has added almost 50 subscribers the last few days, we hope she can get to 1,000.

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Save the date! Send his father home

December 11 will be the 50th anniversary of a North Korean agent hijacking an airplane to North Korea. This year on December 8, Hwang In-Cheol will be going to Imjingak (near the DMZ) to mark the anniversary and to call on North Korea to return his father to South Korea. TNKR will be there with him, and we hope you will join us. TNKR volunteer Jennifer Bowman, who joined last night's meeting despite a serious leg injury, vowed to join us on the trip to Imjingak.

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TNKR high school club

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Open House

I led an orientation with international students who are interested in volunteering with TNKR. Thanks to Sandra Durnick for organizing it, and other things, for TNKR!

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Dropping in

NK refugee author Lee Juseong dropped by to discuss the latest book he has written and hopes to publish.

Hyunmoo recently joined TNKR, he dropped by TNKR to give a great report about tutoring.

David Lee is visiting from the USA, he dropped by to say hello!

He wrote on Facebook: " it was an honor and pleasure to meet you and Ms. Eunkoo Lee. Hope to see you again! Keep up the great work!
🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️"

Mr. Choi has made several videos for TNKR has aspirations to make a movie that will hit the mainstream. He promises if he makes a lot of money with it that he will donate a lot to TNKR.

TNKR scenes
9th speech contest
10th speech contest

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So surprised!

She follows North Korean refugee issues, she even shows Yeonmi Park's videos to her graduate students. But she had no idea that I was deeply engaged with North Korean refugees.

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What's next?

That was in the last few days--did I forget anything? So much going on. But it seems that most of the time, we are still having fun, and headed in the right direction!

TNKR Matching Challenge from an American fan

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

Does a flower turn to the sun?

I tend not to address points raised by people commenting on posts. In the back-and-forth of such discussions, people sometimes say things they don't mean or take extreme positions. In other cases they are just trying to be provocative, especially when they can remain anonymous. But a discussion on Greg Mankiw's blog caught my attention. That's because a couple of the folks suggested that parents don't really have the knowledge to make decisions about the quality of schools. Between 2002-2004 I was actively involved in the fight to get school vouchers for families in DC. I often heard the argument that parents don't know how to choose between good and bad schools and that, anyway, parents had enough choices with the school system's "out-of-boundary" options and charters (that had also been opposed). Without getting too deep into the out-of-boundary program, I'll point out that Woodrow Wilson HS, considered one of the best schools in the city, recei...

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 ...

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 ...

Random scenes in Seoul

Yesterday morning I stopped by to buy some kimbab 김밥 at one of the places that sells rolls for 1,000 won (about $.80, depending on how much the Korean or U.S. government have screwed up their respective currencies). I stop by there often so of course the woman there recognizes me. Of course, they probably recognized me from the first time I went there... Yesterday, she asked in Korean if I liked tan mu gi 단무지. I said yes, that I loved it. As I was trying to pay, she hurriedly cut some up right then, then fed it to me, like I was a 6 year old child... I could see everyone in the shop watching... then, I said, "맛있어요!" delicious! I could see everyone smiling. I'm surprised they didn't start applauding. * * * Friendly fights Saw a funny fight the other day. Two guys in a restaurant were wrestling with each other, knocking over at least one table. I watched, not really interested in getting involved. They could be two friends fighting over a woman or for some other reason,...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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