Skip to main content

2017-02-21 Leaving the TNKR cave to meet the Mayor of Mapo-gu

 

With the mayor of mapo-gu (standing on my right)

A great thing about having an office? You have a place to invite guests to meet you.

A bad thing about having an office? I don't want to go out to meet other people.

www.lovetnkr.org/donate

During a particularly unstable time in TNKR's history, I was shuttling between the Freedom Factory office near the National Assembly and the temporary TNKR office near Itaewon Station. Some days, I would start the day at Freedom Factory, head over to Itaewon, then go back to Freedom Factory.

Now we have our own office. There are some days that I don't leave the office and have even slept at the office so I could get to work when I wake up. When I go out, it feels like I have been in a cave, but caveman style like that feeling of playing my favorite video games for weeks. It is more difficult to get me out for meetings these days.

But today, I did go out for a meeting.

Today we met the Mayor of Mapo-gu, he wanted to hear about TNKR. Apparently someone at the mayor's office got into trouble because the mayor found out that there is an incredible organization in his district that is being run by volunteers helping North Korean refugees. A staffer rushed to collect news clips about TNKR. They clearly had done their research about us.

We moved into the area July 2016, so it only took them seven months to find us.

Apparently the mayor was like, "What? This is happening in my backyard, and no one told me about it? What the hey?"

Well, those probably weren't the mayor's exact words, but anyway, he now knows TNKR.

After the meeting with the mayor, we talked in more detail with one of the staff members. I don't expect that anything will ever come out of the meeting.



www.lovetnkr.org/donate

Popular posts from this blog

Latest and upcoming

"Escap e from Camp 14," with author Blaine Harden, 10 Maga zine forum, May 3, 2013 (moderator) "Road to Life " radio interview, "This Morning" on TBS eFM, May 1, 2013 (radio interview). "Road to Life"--Rally for North K orean escapees, Seoul, April 30, 2013 (speaker). " On Expertise and Ethics: Tourism in North Korea ," by Alexander James, NK News , April 27, 2013 (quoted) "Casey Lartigue update , " Plan B Lifesty les Radio Show, April 17, 2013. In terview on D reams , 2032 Magazine, April 2013.   "Western tourism on the rise, says N Korea ," by Simon Mundy, The Financial Times, March 15, 2013 (quoted) Liberty Society Emerges as a top global think tank, 2032 Magazine , March 2013 (feature article) Is Touris m in North Korea Really Booming? If tourism is growing, should it be encouraged? , NK News , February 21, 2013 (quoted) There's no place like home, The Korea Times , February 12, 2013 (op-ed) ...

Weekend roundup

Kim Heung - sook asks: " Who Needs New Bills ?" When I first saw the headline, I thought: I AGREE!!! In fact, I don't want or need ANY bills, whether old or new! I have a dream job now...After a couple of days at work, one of the managers here told me to give him all of my bills, the company would take care of my expenses. So I say...Who needs new bills!!! Who needs old bills!!! Her essay is about the new 50,000 won bill. That's about 40 bucks. The next largest bill? 10,000 won. That's about 8 bucks. * * * Get a job! In an LA Times piece trying to guilt California taxpayers and the governor to spend more on higher education in the state , Vincent J. Del Casino Jr. concludes by asking how he should explain spending cuts to his students: "Governor, any good one-liners I might use?" I've written some speeches for some prominent people over the years, I'll give this one to the governor for free, "Get a job!" * * * The next borrowed word? ...

2015-10-09 TNKR tutor flies from Jeju to Seoul

Today is a holiday in Korea, but that didn't mean that studying in Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) had a day off.  TNKR co-directors Eunkoo Lee and Casey Lartigue joined a class by the tutor in TNKR who has won the "Came the Longest Distance" award. Afsha  flew from Jeju Island to Seoul to tutor one of the learners in TNKR. The only way anyone will be able to top her will be if the person flies from a different country! Her student today has been in our program for several months, all of his tutors talk about what a great student he is! Focused, friendly, eager to learn.

Walter E. Williams on Rush Limbaugh

Professor Walter E. Williams will be hosting the Rush Limbaugh Show 8/24/10 from noon-3 p.m. EST. Thomas Sowell will be his featured guest the second hour. In case you can't hear the show or can't wait, you can listen to me interview him back in 2007 (hit the free user button, wait for countdown, then download). We discussed reparations for slavery during one show and the minimum wage on another. By the way, I was really thankful that he agreed to be on my show twice during the three months I was on the air. I interviewed him another time when I was a guest host and he interviewed me on the Rush Limbaugh about a paper I wrote about education in Washington, D.C. When I contacted him and told him that I was going to have my own show and that I would be delighted if he would come on from time to time, he hesitated at first. I waited. He then said it would be okay. I know he won't do anything if it is inconvenient for himself, so I asked if there was a conflict. He said he had...

Happy Birthday post!

for this fundraiser: https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/casey-bday