2014-07-18, Day 1: Shanghai Austrian Economics Summit

I had an INCREDIBLE time at the Shanghai Austrian Economic Summit 2014, organized by Kenli Schoolland and Li Schoolland. Thanks to them for inviting me again. The conference was extra special this time because I was joined by three of my Freedom Factory colleagues. We had so much fun getting lost in Shanghai, bonding, and meeting and greeting so many people.

Yeonmi Park definitely stole the show. As several people at the summit mentioned--they talk about freedom, but she actually had to escape to it, at the risk of death. It was a busy week for her, with three speeches in seven days (Freedom Factory's "A Change is Gonna Come, a speech at Korea University, and the summit in China). She loves the many opportunities she has to travel abroad to speak, but this one was especially poignant because she was an illegal alien in China during 2007-09 after her immediate family escaped from North Korea. This time, she was a free woman, and loving it!

As for me, it was wonderful. I also gave a speech on the main day as I shared the stage with Yeonmi. I was co-host of the talent show, during which I rapped to Salt N' Pepa's Whattaman with my own version of the song, then showed off my intermediate level swing dance skills while dancing with Kenli and Yeonmi.

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Yeonmi and I also got invited to give speeches in other parts of the world. So there could be more adventures coming up. Many more photos coming later.

Yeonmi and I spoke together on a panel, as I recall, we were featured presenters.

I did the warmup act presenting background info about North Korean refugees, then Yeonmi spoke.

But of course, she was the key person, even though she was a late invite.

With the welcoming party! Kenli Schoolland and Renee Cai!

Yeonmi Park talking--in English and Chinese--with Mao Yushi, the winner of the 2012 Milton Friedman Prize from the Cato Institute and an outspoken spokesman for freedom.

His criticisms of chairman Mao almost landed him in prison.

With Yoshida Hiroshi, our good friend from Japan! Eventually, we will make it to Japan, too!

Thanks, Kenli Schoolland, for putting together such a great conference!

Yeonmi Park holding a One Hundred Trillion dollar bill from Zimbabwe... courtesy of one of my favorite people, Ken Schoolland!

Bitcoin never looked so good! Several of these ladies work with a Bitcoin company. Wang Qijun will be coming to Seoul and probably speaking at an event I will co-organize with Yoojin Lee.

She spoken at the opening banquet about Bitcoin.

With Riya Basnet, who insisted that she is my #1 fan.

Feng Xingyuan is a pro-market economist and professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Vice Director of Uniurle Institute of Economics in China. I swear, he can connect any topic to the benefits of the invisible hand...

With TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee, Ami Chheda and Riya Basnet

With Li Schoolland and Xingyuan Feng

With Ami Chheda

With Arpita Nepal

with Dr.Kriengsak Chareonwongsak เกรียงศักดิ์ เจริญวงศ์ศักดิ์, President of the Institute of Future Studies for Development in Thailand.

at the opening banquet, with the Freedom Factory team, a student from Korea and her mother, as well as my good buddy Ken Schoolland

Barun Mitra...we meet again, in yet another country...India, Korea, Malaysia, China... He can discuss almost any issue in the world, and does so often.^^

With Deependra Chaulagain

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Traveling with Yeonmi, Eunkoo and Yoojin was a great experience--but one that I may never want to do again. We got so lost on the subway. Looking at those photos, I am not surprised we got lost a few times.

Don't battle with Yeonmi Park, she wants to win, and will punish you harshly when you lose... but will remind you that she is a tiny young lady when it is her turn to get punished...

Gotcha!

Eunkoo was better at the games than I was, so she was able to get revenge for the last 16 months we have been working together..

Buying subway passes, probably after we had wasted money getting lost.

There was a minor controversy with an promotional photo. A MANEL! Only men on the panel. I had recommended Yeonmi as a speaker, but she wasn't confirmed as a speaker until she published a great article in the Washington Post, written with her radio co-host. Then later, I did such a great job recommending her, they deleted my photo from the lineup.

Various photos taken during our travels.

Rich talking back

The rich are talked about very often in negative terms, but how often do the rich respond in kind? Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who inherited most of her money but apparently has also done very well with it, recently railed against class warfare and had some advice for the non-rich : "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working." She complained about politicians raising taxes, regulations that slow investment, and other anti-business policies that harm the poor. "If you want to help the poor and our next generation, make investment, reinvenstment and businesses welcome."

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 photos from today

I went walking around today. Whereas some people like to go walking in the mountains, I enjoy walking around in the city. Well, not D.C. or other cities with many homeless, crazy and/or armed people walking around... * * * Here's where I had lunch today. About $1.90 for a hamburger hamberger. * * * Ha-ha! Bet you never would have guessed that Batman is a drinking place in Korea! * * * Man Clinic? The Koreans walking by seemed to be very curious about why I was taking a photo of a "Man Clinic." They may know something I don't know...Actually, I wasn't curious enough to go in and find out what it was... * * * Right down the street from the Man Clinic...there's a Love Shop! I love the euphemism. "Love Shop" sounds much better than Sex Shop. I'm guessing that if you don't go to the "Love Shop" to buy condoms that you may need to visit the Man Clinic a short time later? * * * Nobo...

To be a good volunteer, use your brain (Korea Times, December 5, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. There is probably an unwritten rule that a celebrity offering to do volunteer work for a good cause should immediately be embraced. Well, that’s not what happened to Jeong So-dam, the glamorous Korean cable TV announcer when our paths crossed on Nov. 29. Ms. Jeong was the MC of an event about American political philosophy hosted by the Association for Economic Evolution. During my speech about American libertarianism since 1940, I discussed my volunteer work for North Korean refugees. After the speech, Jeong approached me, asking how she could help. I gave her the same tough love I give to potential volunteers by asking: “Who are you?” After all, if you are Bill Gates, then open your wallet. If you speak four languages, then help with translation work. So I first stress to potential volunteers: Use your brain. Tell us about your skills and interests so together we can figure out your initial role. Jeong was good-natured about it, rather than c...

Last weekend: Suicide, Kim Young Ha, NK

Credit: Joanne Cho Event 1: Friday night I went to a talk given by Fulbright junior researcher Joanne Cho. She did a great job putting together statistics about some of the most commonly cited reasons that so many Koreans commit suicide. Probably the most provocative tidbit: Cho watched 86 dramas from the spring of 2012 to now, she says that 63 had "scenes depicting or discussing suicide" in a favorable light (as a way to solve problems, that troubled people can be forgiven for their sins and are even seen as sympathetic). Another interesting tidbit: While it is often cited that Korea is number one in the world in suicide (among countries reporting reliable statistics), what I had not realized or had forgotten is that Korean men are number 8 in the world compared to men in other countries with reliable statistics, Korean women are #1 in the world when compared to women in other countries. My questions for the speaker: 1) What was a finding in your research th...

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