2016-10-11 "South Koreans don't care"

People say it about many issues, including about NK refugees. But it does seem that we are making some progress. Looking around the office, South Koreans are coming to us...

* 김유리 comes in Tuesday mornings for three hours. This time she decorated the office, corrected the name plate on my door, and made calls to South Koreans who joined our Open House on Sunday.
* We had two South Koreans join us today as in-house tutors.
* Youngmin Kwon is at the office all of the time now, he seems to be another piece of furniture at the office.
* A documentary director will be visiting either today or tomorrow, he wants to help TNKR with making some videos.
* Tonight two more South Koreans will be dropping by to discuss how they can highlight TNKR in a podcast.
* We now have four South Koreans who are monthly donors to TNKR.

TNKR이 정기후원자들을 위한 CMS도 개설하였습니다. 이 또한 시작이라고 생각합니다. 지금까지 후원해주시고, 지원해주신 모든분들께 감사드리며, 저희 TNKR이 좀더 성장할 수있도록 도움주시길 원하시는분들 계시다면 함께해주세요:)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-dswcKBFnlZdm1iIyvICUWPJVPLvM-mi0ODJNFoJsV-2koA/viewform

Okay, it won't save the world, but it is still great to have South Koreans volunteering with TNKR.

한국분들을 위한 TNKR Open House
https://www.facebook.com/events/959874087474720/

Volunteer with TNKR
http://lovetnkr.org/volunteer/

Support TNKR
http://lovetnkr.org/volunteer/

Does a flower turn to the sun?

I tend not to address points raised by people commenting on posts. In the back-and-forth of such discussions, people sometimes say things they don't mean or take extreme positions. In other cases they are just trying to be provocative, especially when they can remain anonymous. But a discussion on Greg Mankiw's blog caught my attention. That's because a couple of the folks suggested that parents don't really have the knowledge to make decisions about the quality of schools. Between 2002-2004 I was actively involved in the fight to get school vouchers for families in DC. I often heard the argument that parents don't know how to choose between good and bad schools and that, anyway, parents had enough choices with the school system's "out-of-boundary" options and charters (that had also been opposed). Without getting too deep into the out-of-boundary program, I'll point out that Woodrow Wilson HS, considered one of the best schools in the city, recei...

2018-09-28 Not everyone at KFC cooks chickens

Most of the people who contact us at TNKR naturally want to tutor North Korean refugees. Many potential volunteers are shocked shocked shock ed to learn that they can volunteer with TNKR in other ways. I tell many of them: "Not everyone at KFC cooks chickens. There are also delivery people, accountants, marketers, personnel, and a host of other positions." Earlier this year, we began developing the TNKR Volunteer Leadership Academy. I'm still waiting for someone to take over that little project. Until then, I will continue with developing it. And be developing it, I mean telling people, "Don't write me a long business plan about what you would like to do. Just start doing it, keep me updated and in the conversations, then let's talk and update." We have had a recent influx of volunteers who want to help TNKR in other ways. Jackie Cole is now running our Instagram. She constantly surprises me with the flyers and videos she posts. I made it clear from the ...

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 ...

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube

Freedom Factory Shareholder Meeting (2015-01-31)

Re: Building something out of nothing Freedom Factory is a very small company, of which I am a shareholder. Yesterday we had our annual shareholder meeting. Freedom Factory is allowing us to "incubate" TNKR until we can stand on our two own feet--or at least crawl on our four hands and feet. (Consumer Rights Watch is in the same position). I owe special thanks to FF CEO 김정호. He is a "true believer" in the cause of freedom, so he is allowing both projects to grow out of FF. That's even though Freedom Factory is a small start up with the CEO, staff and supporters wondering how we are going to achieve our dreams with such a tight budget. So when I say I am so thankful to the volunteers and donors of TNKR, it isn't just lip service. Volunteers--along with Freedom Factory, the Atlas Network, donors--are helping us to create something out of nothing, helping North Korean refugees find their own way and tell their own stories. Like the FF CEO, I also don...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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