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Koreans don't care (except when they do) (2021-11-28)

 


The last three days I have met with some of the South Koreans who made it possible for Freedom Speakers International (FSI) to become an official organization, to upgrade our office, and to survive a global pandemic.

On Friday, we had lunch with the owners of the Haanong Furniture Company. They have donated more to us than anyone in our history, and they have done so at critical points in our history. We were under gentle pressure to move out of our first office. They made a major donation to us that would cover 1/3rd of the deposit and have made other large donations to us. They commanded to us on Friday to tell them when we need some support.

Their support has taken a lot of pressure off us. We have the dumbest financial model in history. We don't charge our customers/beneficiaries. We keep programming free for North Korean refugees but that means that we must go out and raise the money elsewhere. Thankfully, Haanong has been there for us for three years now.

The story of how they responded emotionally when they learned about me is really touching, I hope they will tell the story one day.

After yesterday's meeting, they pledged support for our book publishing project.


* * *

Yesterday, after our forum with (former) North Korean diplomats, we met with some of the moms who have children volunteering in the FSI-Global High School Union. Their children raised one-third of the money we needed for the deposit to move and they have also raised money for us on other occasions. This has also taken pressure off us, allowing us to focus on developing the organization rather than constantly engaging in fundraising and allowed us to keep programming free for North Korean refugees.

And now, their children have launched a campaign to buy copies of Greenlight to Freedom they will donate to libraries. Amazing!

It is also a funny story about how they came to support us.


* * *

Haanong and the FSI-GHSU donated and raised money allowing us to upgrade our office. We were then able to use the money we had saved for our programming. Plus, when the South Korean landlord learned about our activities, she reduced the deposit. FSI co-founder Eunkoo Lee and I had been prepared to put in the final almost $10K, but thankfully we didn't have to do so.

* * *

Then today at lunch, I bumped into Kim Chung-ho, my former boss at both the Center for Free Enterprise and Freedom Factory Co., Inc. Even though he wasn't sure whether or not if Freedom Factory would survive, he welcomed the fledgling TNKR (now FSI) to incubate within Freedom Factory. Having the institutional backing of a South Korean organization gave us our first address with my desk representing TNKR the association then later organization.

When I reminded Prof. Kim of his important role, he discounted it, saying he only did a little. But without him, we might have shut down TNKR before it even had a chance to grow.

* * *

And then there is the lady who is in all of the photos with me: Eunkoo Lee! Her academic and professional career have been based on North Korea and North Korean refugees.

* * *

P.S. for the smart-alecks of the Internet:

1) Of course, we need more supporters regardless of nationality, but when people say that South Koreans don't care, I add, "until they do."

2) South Korean support is different. For a lot of Westerners, engaging with North Korean refugees is a cool experience (many stop donating or fundraising once the experience is over). The commitment level is that of getting on or off an elevator at any moment. For South Koreans, joining with an organization related to North Korean refugees can have an impact on their careers and lives so the commitment level is different. And for North Korean refugees, it can put their families at risk. For South Koreans and North Korean refugees, engaging in activism related to North Korea is like buying a building with an elevator rather than riding up-and-down an elevator.

3) It is true, I am not interested in comments from people who haven't done anything to support us as an organization. It amazes me when Westerners who haven't done anything to support us will criticize South Koreans for not doing so. My Law of Criticism: You can criticize the actions of others after you first state what it is you have done.

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