We met in late 2012 at a North Korean human rights conference. Who would have thought we would end up working together so closely these last few years? TNKR has grown, from a very casual feel-good thing we did to help refugees to now being an international NGO that has been featured in international media.
When we met, she had already been working behind the scenes as a researcher; I hit the ground running almost immediately, organizing events as I learned about NK on the go.
At times, I have tested her sanity, zigging-and-zagging, Mr. Changeable, always analyzing to try things a new way. She almost resigned from TNKR because of my lack of people skills. Another time, as we figured out how to work together, I fired her for a day. Her response was priceless.
As I told her recently, that one day firing makes me the longest serving volunteer in TNKR history. 
:-)
:-)Despite the contrasting styles, we did have one common goal in mind: To do something practical. We would never generate the headlines or budget that flashier projects and activities did, but we would do something useful. She admitted that she was "bored" with her job as a researcher and on weekends she would watch baseball or sleep all day.
That changed after we got more serious about TNKR! Her weekends and evenings got taken over. She got many ideas working with a "foreigner" who had some really foreign ideas and activities. Then, as soon as she thought she understood, Mr. Changeable would return!
Although I know many refugees and have now learned I lot, I still usually defer to her on refugee issues. That was not always the case, we had many conflicts in the beginning. As she admits, she wanted to follow methods she had seen with NGOs and with her own agency. But I turned that upside down, demanding we change the structure to have the refugees select the tutors, and to select as many as they want. She tells the story in a great way, but then, wow, what a fight. Later when she heard from the refugees how much they loved that, she became a stronger advocate for it. She is always honest, will admit when she is wrong. But it must be PROVEN! :-)
:-)Sometimes she wins the arguments. At first, I had wanted refugees to select tutors after reflecting on it a day or two. But she guessed they would want to choose immediately. Oh, yeah, she was right! So that's how we have been doing it since then.
She has changed from 2013. At that time, she just wanted to follow (that's why I fired her). But now she observes, makes suggestions. One that I love: The refugees should choose at sessions based on when they arrive. We had complained for months about refugees arriving late, but nothing changed. That tweak changed everything--some now arrive more than 90 minutes early, for their chance to choose first. It was a good reminder to find incentives rather than continuing to complain.
She is so gentle in dealing with the refugees. She doesn't just want to send them messages. She will call them, burning up her cell phone minutes, to make sure they understand. She will spend a lot of time talking to them individually, explaining the program, making sure they are prepared for joining and are enjoying TNKR.
Everyone who knows Eunkoo knows what a gentle lady she is, always concerned about others. She is the Queen behind the scenes who keeps TNKR organized.
I first wrote the above on February 10, 2016. Since then, we have had many changes:
* TNKR has become an official organization, in July 2016. Somehow we had conducted many activities while both working full-time at other jobs.
* We both quit those other jobs. It was more dramatic in Eunkoo's case, giving up her professional career to volunteer full-time with TNKR.
* She still prefers being behind-the-scenes, despite attempts by others to get her to become a public figure (and such people who complain that I allegedly don't give her a chance, even though the opposite is true).
She used to decline media requests, but I began tricking her to join by telling her that media outlets were expecting her to join me in the interviews.* So when you see her engaged in public activities, please be aware that it is not what she sees as her role. She is quite active in engaging with refugees and those who are part of TNKR's main activities.
* Here's her fundraiser, which also took her some time to set up.
P.S.: For the smart alecks, I bought her a baseball bat, glove, and two baseballs for her birthday a few years ago. She loves baseball, but has never played it.