Liberty in North Korea

Description

Liberty in North Korea, known as LiNK, is an international nonprofit that works with the North Korean people to help them reach freedom.

The organization rescues North Korean refugees hiding in China and helps them travel through Southeast Asia to resettlement in South Korea or the United States, avoiding forced return to North Korea. It also runs a resettlement assistance program to support refugees once they have reached safety. A Research and Strategy team based in Seoul produces research and analysis on North Korean human rights, the economy, food security and related issues.

Beyond rescue work, LiNK tries to shift public attention on North Korea away from politics and toward the everyday lives of its people. It does this through documentaries, talks, campaigns and tours that share refugees’ stories and highlight change happening inside the country, such as growing markets and cross-border information flow. It partners with other organizations working on North Korean human rights issues.

LiNK is a registered nonprofit based in Long Beach, California, in the United States, with an additional office in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded at Yale University in 2004 by Korean-American student activists and grew through a network of university-based volunteer groups before adopting its current structure.