November 19, 2020 7-8pm
Academic Event
This event was held by the organization on campus, Pen Pals in North Korea. At this event the co-founder of Crossing Borders, Dan Chung, spoke about the current situation involving North Korean refugees and the work that Crossing Borders does. I was interested in this event because I feel like we do not hear much about North Koreans once they leave North Korea. I learned so much from this event. Mr. Chung told us how around 70% of refugees from North Korea are women and that 80% of those women are sold. They are even “prepped” for sale once they enter China. Their clothes are taken and replaced with better clothes and then they are put into what are basically prisons where they get looked at and chosen by buyers. He also told us that even in South Korea they are not treated very well. 49% of North Koreans in South Korea are depressed and 45.4% have said they have experienced discrimination. This event really opened my eyes to the struggles that North Koreans still face even once they leave North Korea.
This event relates to International Affairs because this is an international issue that I feel more people need to learn about. We also learned of the work that Crossing Borders does. They help refugees in China by setting up safe homes they can go to when they are in an emergency or feel they are in danger. They also provide medical care, future stability and spiritual counseling, becasue they are a Christian organization. In China, they have also set up orphan care. Many children are born in China and then get separated from their families; sometimes they are left behind. Because of this problem, Crossing Borders offers housing, scholarships, medical care, and summer camps. They also recently opened Elm House in South Korea, which houses North Korean refugee women of abusive relationships or other similar situations. I really enjoyed this event and learning more about North Korean refugees and I am glad I was able to attend.