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

2022-12-09 Seoul Honorary Citizenship (ceremony & media roundup)

On September 29, 2022, I was informed that I had been awarded Seoul Honorary Citizenship. December 9th, I was one of the 18 non-Koreans to receive Seoul Honorary Citizenship. I was delighted to have several colleagues and supporters join me at the ceremony. They all have had a special role in my activities here. Here's the media roundup so far: The Korea Times (English) https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/12/113_341484.html Yonhap (English) https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20221211001200320 (Korean) https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20221210022100004 (French) https://fr.yna.co.kr/view/AFR20221211001000884 (Spanish) https://sp.yna.co.kr/view/ASP20221211000900883 K-Odyssey https://m.k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=179556481389320 Newsis https://www.newsis.com/view/?id=NISX20221209_0002118460 Chosun https://www.chosun.com/national/national_general/2022/12/11/S2OA76535FCBHFIQI7R5P7HYYM/ Daum News https://v.daum.net/v/20221211111512898 MSN https://www.msn.com/ko-kr/news/n...

"Who would be free themselves must strike the blow?" --Lord Byron

Frederick Douglass loved that quote. Booker T. Washington would say it sometimes, too. I recently met two women from North Korea. That's right, that North Korea. I asked them many questions but held back somewhat. I suppose they still must be careful and I don't want them to think I'm a spy. Hey, I used to be a host on black talk radio, I was accused of many things then. Plus, if North Koreans are trying to track those folks down I suppose the last thing they'd want would be to have their photos posted on a blog. At some point I will write about meeting those ladies. * * * Yesterday I got interviewed by a Korean reporter about various political and social issues. After I confirm that my interview made it past the station's producers then I'll post the info here. CJL

Race, race, race

On the issue of race: Clinton goes first, (surprisingly) without her Selma accent. Biden doesn’t mention that there is a clean and article black person on the stage. Richardson says the next president must talk about race…we need less talk about race, and more about individual action. Edwards said something, apparently to help us transition to the only somewhat black candidate on the panel. Obama has the home field advantage being at Howard, but doesn’t do much with the initial question. Kucinich says that people are told to raise themselves up by their own bootstraps, but then they steal the boots. He gets the loudest cheers. This will be a long night if that continues... Gravel —who? Dodd —like the 64th team in the NCAA basketball pool, Dodd should be one and done. Brb, I’m checking on the NBA draft… CJL

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 ...

Breen's column that outraged Samsung

“What People Got for Christmas” Michael Breen The Korea Times December 25, 2009 At this time of year when Seoul’s bare winter trees are wrapped in beckoning lights ― blue and white are the in colors ― and Merry Xmas signs at hotels and department stores are really saying come-hither-gentle-reveler-and-empty-your-purse, and when expensive restaurants belch noisy year-end office party groups onto every street and the karaoke rooms are full, it is tempting to declare that Christmas has lost its soul. But that would be a mistake. Christmas is a time for giving, and, before they can be given, gifts have to be bought. Commerce is good. Here, as proof, is a round up of some of the gifts given and received today by people in the news. Samsung, the world’s largest conglomerate and the rock upon which the Korean economy rests, sent traditional year-end cards offering best wishes for 2010 to the country’s politicians, prosecutors and journalists, along with 50 million w...

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