The Casey Lartigue Show!

  North Korean refugee authors Youngnam Eom visited the office to discuss his book. He first joined us in 2015 even before we had established an official organization.  Eunmi Park visited the office to discuss her book. She first joined us in 2014 shortly after she arrived in South Korea. When she was ready to publish her book she came to us even though we are still newbies in the publishing world. Eunmi even publicly announced that she was publishing her book with us. She comes to our office often to work on her book. It helps that she can spend time discussing it in Korean with FSI co-founder Eunkoo Lee. Others can help with discussing the outline, structure, which things to emphasize, etc. But still, being an author means spending a lot of time by yourself. When it is a memoir, it means reflecting on yourself, your life and others who have been harmful or helpful.

  Eunmi Park was the featured speaker at an event with tourists visiting from the USA. Because of COVID a few of the tourists weren't able to make it so it was a smaller gathering. Eunmi is still rather new to public speaking. She first joined Freedom Speakers International (FSI) in 2014, but rarely gave speeches the first few years. Last year, she decided to tell her story in a book and has recently had a few speeches to get prepared for public speaking. These events with tourists are really valuable. It gives North Korean refugees like Eunmi the opportunity to practice public speaking with a welcoming audience. She can practice her presentation while also hearing questions that audiences have. FSI doesn't have the platform of YouTube influencers or bigger companies. These public speaking opportunities can help North Korean refugees get ready for those larger platforms. Thanks to our supporters we are able to work with North Korean refugees as they get prepared to tell their s...

Good TV News stopped by the FSI office today to do some interviews. They will be having a segment (in Korean) about FSI on April 4th at 9:50 pm KST.  http://tv.goodtv.co.kr/live.asp We mentioned many of FSI's activities, the interview team was amazed to hear about Hwang In-Cheol's story , I recommended that they should interview him in the future. Most of the interview was focused on FSI's main work with North Korean refugees. She was the main reporter who interviewed me. She then interviewed Eunmi Park. Eunmi has been silent for eight years, but will do some select interviews during the year. This one was mainly focused on why she wants to study English and her YouTube channel. Then it was time for me to be Eunmi's prop. They wanted to see a mentoring session. Everything is interesting to media cameramen. He was recording her script. Most of our staff prefer NOT to be photographed. There was complete silence in the staff room. April 4th (Monday) 9:50 p.m. KST: FSI on G...

Eunmi Park is back at the FSI office to record another video!   She had to work on her own for a while today because I was getting prepared to give a speech . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSWPJPxPKg0 Update: Yesterday started off as a typical day at Freedom Speakers International. Work, work, work. Then, in the afternoon, it became WORK, WORK, WORK!!! In the early afternoon, we notified some teachers from a university English teaching program that they had been selected by North Korean refugees. Many people don't check their emails so we are still waiting to confirm with some volunteers. At 3 pm, I had a Zoom call with Greenlight to Freedom co-author Songmi Han to get prepared for our speech starting three hours later. At 4 pm, Eunmi Park arrived. She worked on her next YouTube video until almost 6 pm. I was putting the finishing touches on a 60-minute speech that I was going to be giving at 6 pm. Our staff then set up the camera, but at first the sound on my microphone was low ...

  March 26th is a special date in Eunmi Park's life, for two different reasons, as she will explain one day. It was also special for us today because we (FSI co-founders Casey Lartigue and Eunkoo Lee) got to spend it with her. We set a new record today: Eunmi spent almost seven hours at our office this lovely Saturday afternoon-turned-night. Most evenings when she records a video she is at our for three to five hours Today she recorded two more videos for her YouTube channel . After years of silence, Eunmi has posted six YouTube videos her first two weeks of speaking out and now has three more videos recorded to be uploaded next week. They run the range of emotions. One video is heart-warming and inspirational, one is infuriating, and the last one... I am not sure how to describe it without giving away the story, but there are some sensitive points in it. To get ready for the video, Eunmi first sends the script to FSI co-founder Eunkoo Lee. She translates it, then I (and sometimes ...

Wow! What a week it has been working with Eunmi Park. Has she really already uploaded 4 videos (three in English, one in Chinese) in one week? And she is back at our office today to record two more videos? One day, she was at our office for three hours, another day it was 4 1/2 hours, another day almost four hours, and today she arrived early and is working on the video.  One night she wrapped up at 11:30 pm, and another night it was after 11 pm. I help until the moment she is ready to record, then she kicks me out of the room. She's at the FSI office so often now, it seems that she is part of the furniture. It is really a big deal that Eunmi has signed with FSI to do her book as she announced in the video above. It feels like a young Michael Jordan has chosen to join a new basketball league instead of the NBA. She could have had many publishers to choose from, but she chose FSI. Eunmi first joined FSI in May 2014 shortly after she arrived in South Korea. Her sister, then Ambass...

  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 hers...