2016-10-08 Jazz and Fireworks

Dear David and Renee Cummins,

Wow! Thanks so much, your party and fundraiser were absolutely incredible. You have helped (TNKR) Teach North Korean Refugees more than you probably realize.

We have had a lot of challenges with starting and now expanding this little NGO without corporate or government backing. We truly rely on volunteers and supporters to help us build a community around NK refugees so they can study in a safe-zone, find their way, tell their stories. We don't charge the refugees anything, we don't want financial need to be a barrier for them to join. And we adapt the program by trying to understand their needs, based on the 1,900 reports we have received from tutors and coaches, from observing classes, and by being directors and co-founders who are engaged.

We occasionally reflect on the wisdom of this approach, especially when we had something like 37,000 won in the bank. Eunkoo and I put our own money into TNKR, with the dream and hope that we could eventually build it into something special. We are now being more open about our financial challenge, since then we have had more people support us, including refugees, who have offered donations. The media coverage and praise that we receive has apparently fooled some people into thinking that we are rich. Behind-the-scenes, things are rarely as smooth as they may appear to outsiders, as the old saying goes, a duck smoothly gliding across water is furiously paddling its little feet. Even from this first experience dealing with such an event, I have learned some lessons about how to manage things.

Many people praise TNKR, but no one has done what you have done: Opened your home, network and wallet to us. Your party gives us a financial cushion, allowing us to exhale, to focus on making this a high-quality organization.

The last few days have been busier than usual for me. Thanks to the support we receive, I can spend time trying to build up TNKR, get a better understanding of how we can help refugees, and try to raise awareness of what we are doing so we can attract others. We are, to quote Eunkoo Lee, "the hands and feet" for people who want to help refugees, and we thank you for helping us focus on that task.

Regards,

Casey Lartigue Jr.
International Director
Teach North Korean Refugees
www.lovetnkr.org/donate

"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 ...

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."

Michael Breen discussion at 10 Magazine

Yesterday I attended a discussion with writer Michael Breen, hosted by Barry Welsh. Very often, when I attend a speech or discussion about a topic I know a lot about, I often think about ways the speaker/facilitator/discussant could have done better. But I didn't feel that way about Breen, it was one of those times that I really felt like I had a lot to learn and should listen more than talk. He's been in Korea for three decades, working as a reporter, commentator, communications specialist. He reminds me of Andrei Lankov in that his analysis seems to be based on observation of how things work rather than trying to get the world to fit his biases. I don't know him, so his friends may say he is a raging ideologue, but that's not the impression I had yesterday and based on his writings. Michael Breen (L) and Casey Lartigue I first read his book The Koreans about a decade ago. It was a delightful read, that was both warm to Koreans but also critical at times. Yes...

Humanitarian with a guillotine (Korea Times, February 1, 2013) by Casey Lartigue, Jr.

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, `` I’m from the government, and I’m here to help .” For many well-intentioned activists, politicians, and intellectuals, that should be updated as: ``We are here to help you. You’re under arrest.” For example, ``sex workers” around the world oppose anti-prostitution laws. Prostitutes may not know the theoretical arguments but they do know in reality that prohibiting prostitution means they lack protection in dealing with abusive pimps and madams, violent patrons and crooked cops. Locally, a Korean woman busted for prostitution recently appealed to the courts pleading , ``I cannot survive without this job. I don’t want to be treated as a criminal for making a living the only way I can.” How should someone who genuinely wants to help her respond? If you say ``arrest her” then you are qualified to be a “harmful humanitarian.” In your desire to help, you have elimin...

2014-02-14 Yeon-Mi Park`s debut

Yeonmi Park, February 14, 2014, making her debut! Yesterday I was one of the speakers at a special session on North Korean refugees at the Canadian Maple International School. Wow, it was a wonderful time! * Yeon-Mi Park delivered her first major speech in English. She was wonderful! She told her story (35 minute speech without notes), discussed different aspects of North Korea, and then handled questions from students for more than an hour. She did seem to be nervous at the beginning-she took a deep breath just as she started, looked at me, then told her story from her heart. * Returning from the speech, I told Yeonmi that she had star potential. She told me that she didn't believe it, but I told her that the way she handled Q&A and told her story, I would be lucky to have her still returning my phone calls within a year. * The students had many questions. They have been learning about North Korea. They are now reading "Escape from Camp 14" featuring Shin Dong-h...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog