Why did June 22nd end?

My day started at 7 a.m. with me doing a voice recording for a university.

When I got to work, I found that I was part of a Korea Times Interview with Songmi Han.

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Greenlight to Freedom sold some more copies so it bounced up in a few categories.

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We had lunch with executives of a foundation. Jin Park, formerly of the National Assembly and now the Minister of Foreign Affairs, happened to be having lunch nearby. We gave him a signed copy of Greenlight to Freedom.

He gave a moving testimonial about me last year.

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After lunch, FSI's co-founders Casey Lartigue & Eunkoo Lee returned to the office with Songmi Han. She finished signing copies of the book.

On Instagram she wrote: "I'm sure today is my lucky day."

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I had a mentoring session with a North Korean refugee with an incredible story that he may tell one day.

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Evelyn Jeong stopped by for the second consecutive day to work on her book.

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The day started with an article in the Korea Times. It ended with dinner at the Seoul Press Club with top executives, editors and columnists with the Korea Times.

My former editor at the Korea Times who is now the president and publisher.

At the suggestion of one of the top executives, I gave a copy of Greenlight to a professor at the meeting.

This was probably the most incredible moment. A former Miss Korea not only recognized me but she said that we participated in a roundtable discussion a few years ago. She said that I made an incredible impression on her. I couldn't remember which event she was referring to, but it was great to hear!

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Jeong-cheol Lee was featured on Arirang TV Radio. At the Korea Times dinner I posted the photo about the event on Instagram then took a screen shot when James was on.

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Eunkoo Lee and I were in another Eunmi Park video, uploaded at 10 pm.

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H.L. Mencken wrote that editorial writers need to get out of the office at least once a week. Today I met with:

* A top-level government official I have known for about a decade.

* Foundation executives

* North Korean refugees

* a former Miss Korea remembered a meeting we had several years ago.

* Newspaper columnists, editors and executives

* at 7 am, I did a voice recording for a university.

* Counseling a volunteer

* Checking many things

* in addition to those things, I was featured in a newspaper article and YouTube video.

That is some of the fun stuff that I did today!

Waiting for me at the office: Two books that I need to edit.

I have many requests that are waiting for, I need to edit some speeches, keep our donors updated, recruit people for our two events this weekend, raise money for a trip to the USA, etc.

Throughout my professional career I have had people tell me to slow down, that I'm doing so many things that they can't keep up. I usually respond by telling them that this is the way I live and that as long as I don't get confused that things will be fine.

Occasionaly people contact me, asking if I can tell them about my upcoming activities. That usually takes a few minutes. People ask me to reflect on what I just did, and that takes even more time. I have learned that supporters are fine with just one update a week, but those updates are so long that I doubt they read them.

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 ...

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

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."

To be a good volunteer, use your brain (Korea Times, December 5, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. There is probably an unwritten rule that a celebrity offering to do volunteer work for a good cause should immediately be embraced. Well, that’s not what happened to Jeong So-dam, the glamorous Korean cable TV announcer when our paths crossed on Nov. 29. Ms. Jeong was the MC of an event about American political philosophy hosted by the Association for Economic Evolution. During my speech about American libertarianism since 1940, I discussed my volunteer work for North Korean refugees. After the speech, Jeong approached me, asking how she could help. I gave her the same tough love I give to potential volunteers by asking: “Who are you?” After all, if you are Bill Gates, then open your wallet. If you speak four languages, then help with translation work. So I first stress to potential volunteers: Use your brain. Tell us about your skills and interests so together we can figure out your initial role. Jeong was good-natured about it, rather than c...

Why I won't go to North Korea (Korea Times, December 27, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. “Have you ever been to North Korea?” This is the question I am almost always asked here in South Korea when people learn that I have become an activist for North Korean escapees. My response is curt: “No.” “Do you plan on going?” they ask next. My answer remains the same: “No.” When they start to ask a follow-up question, I cut them off: "No." People are often just trying to make conversation, I know, but I am blunt for a reason: I am not interested in going to North Korea as long as North Koreans are held captive. I could go one day, but for now, I can do without a government-guided tour by " men-stealers and women-whippers ," to borrow a phrase from American abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. I don’t mean to criticize people who have gone to North Korea for political, educational, business, religious reasons or just plain curiosity. However, some people push me on the issue, ― and I push back. A good friend wh...

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