2018-07-31 Better targets for North Korea

Some people amuse me when they suggest that I might be on North Korea's target list. As I tell them: "You really need to stop watching spy dramas."

Yesterday I was in a room with several people who probably are targeted by North Korea. In the case of Park Sang-hak, he actually had an assassin attempt to poison him. And then there are others who criticize North Korea at the international level, and in Korean. I'm happy they are working so hard, it makes sure that if my name is on North Korea's target list, that it is so far down the list that I will die of old age rather than getting killed by a North Korean agent.

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Jung Gwang-il is a North Korean refugee who has been criticizing and mocking the North Korean regime for years. Wouldn't the NK government want to knock him off before they got to the guy teaching English to NK refugees?

Kim Suk-woo was the vice minister for the Ministry of Unification. He has been criticizing North Korea at the national level for a number of years.

Ambassador Lee was South Korea's Ambassador for North Korean Human Rights and founded the Yonsei Center for Human Liberty raising awareness about NK human rights violations.

Signe Poulsen was head of the UN's Seoul office for five years, leading the effort to monitor and criticize NK publicly and surely doing things behind the scenes.

Sehyek was the winner of TNKR's second English speech contest and he does a lot of work behind the scenes about NK human rights.

Greg speaks fluent Korean, he has been criticizing North Korea directly for a number of years, attacking that psychotic country's dismal human rights record.

2020 comment: As I have said for years, I am more likely to be targeted by the South Korean rather than the NK government.

In Park Sang-hak's case, it has turned out to be both government's have come after him. NK did it the brutal way--sending an assassin after him a few years ago. The South Korean government did it the Democratic way--delisting his organization, investigating him, and doing what it can to starve his organization.

2020-03-23 Hidden distractions of free tutoring

On March 19th, I wrote about TNKR's first 10 days after relocating the office to Sangsu station . We have remained busy, with numerous meetings and activities. Most notably was a meeting at which volunteers met with TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee to help her fancy up her bio . We had more meetings with North Korean refugees eager to join TNKR. We met again with the film maker helping us prepare a video to send to North Korea. We also had Skype calls with a group hoping to raise money for TNKR. ********************************* ORIENTATION WITH NK REFUGEES ********************************* On Saturday, we had a lovely orientation session with six North Korean refugees. They said some things that really encouraged us. * Hidden distractions of free tutoring. TNKR has been trying to develop a culture eliminating distractions--socializing, dating, gifts, hanging out, hidden costs for study sessions, talking about North Korea, interviewing refugees and having them tell their

Mentoring while Black (Korea Times 2/16/2023)

Mentoring while Black by Casey Lartigue Jr. February 16, 2023 www.patreon.com/caseylartigue

From nothing to something super special (2023-02-10)

FSI has moved into a better institutional neighborhood where we are the poorest in the area. In August 2022, I was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and in January 2023 FSI achieved incorporation status in South Korea. This has meant that FSI must upgrade operations and structure and I am the one, as chairman and co-president, who will be blamed if it doesn’t happen. I really should not be the chairman, for a variety of reasons, but anyway I am. Eunkoo and I are not the typical executives of a growing organization. In addition to being mainly responsible for building and fundraising for the organization, we are the hands-on leaders who are constantly in contact with North Korean refugee speakers. We look forward to the day we can afford staff to handle many tasks. Until then we can expect to continue having more days like yesterday, even on Eunkoo’s birthday. 2023-02-10 Meeting #1: planning We started Eunkoo’s birthday with a planning

Politician commentators

It is often mockingly said that the people who know how to run the country are driving cabs and cutting hair. I have identified a new problem...the people who are running the country are pontificating like they are cab drivers and barbers. WTOP Radio hosts "Ask the Governor" every Tuesday. This past Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine was philosophizing about Michael Vick, the former NFL player now in the slamma for killing dogs. Kaine: "I don't think somebody convicted of charges like this should be back in the NFL." What, Vick should be driving a cab or cutting hair? * * * Perhaps Gov. Kaine would like to assign Michael Vick to a job. After all, if Vick should be barred from playing in the NFL, then would what Kaine have him do? Let's fill-in Kaine's statement with some other occupations: "I don't think somebody convicted of charges like this should... "work as a waiter." "be a construction worker." "work as a tax account

2018-01-16 Celebrating her birthday with us

I already knew about her even before she escaped to South Korea! But would she ever make it to South Korea? Yes, she did, after being missing for seven years! Eunmi joined Freedom Speakers International (formerly Teach North Korean Refugees) three weeks after she was released from Hanawon in 2014. There are so many things I could say about her. There are so many special moments and memories with her over the years. One of the most special ones was when she came to our office in 2018 to celebrate her birthday. How many students return to a school or organization to celebrate like this? Her English is great now! Back in 2014, she was at the A-B-C level of English. Now we can talk and hold conversations in English. And she teases me in English. When she is fluent, I am sure will start bullying me! Of course, I look forward to that, and will love the beatings. * * * Two of my favorite photos with her. 1) The one at the top of this post. She stood on her tippy-toes to make herself look

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