September 23, 2010
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What happens when you put a NK defector behind the wheel of a new car?
That question is being answered in an ongoing web video series being put out by Ford Motor Company. Two videos are up now with more to come in the near future.The defector in question is "Danny," who left North Korea for China in 2005 and who eventually found his way into the United States with the assistance of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK). LiNKis an America-based organization that aims to assist North Korean refugees hiding in China and raise awareness of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in North Korea and the problems facing North Koreans in China. I have been an admirer of the organization since 2004.
Danny is one of a relative handful of North Korean refugees who have made it the the USA.
While the "give one guy a car" bit may seem trivial, the series is useful in reminding people that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have escaped the brutal regime in Pyongyang. The first two episodes also address some of the difficulties faced by refugees who make it to the USA.
Note: When Danny refers to his "church pastor," in the video he is clearly not talking about about his life in North Korea. There are only a couple of official churches in North Korea and the pastors there are government officials who would certainly not have helped him escape the country.
This is such a cool story. Definitely go and check out the videos. They are really short and this guy is really cute/ friendly-looking kinda fellow.
Also, worth a look is this group, LiNK, which is devoted to helping NorKor refugees. I will be poking around that site as soon as I post this.
