Trump-Kim summit: the English school giving North Korean defectors a voice is not holding its breath for peace
Seoul’s Teach North Korean Refugees has taught 350 escapees language skills and supported them with jobs, scholarships and college placements
According to Casey Lartigue, who with South Korean researcher Eunkoo Lee founded Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR), one of the most prominent English schools in Seoul, most are unsure Kim can be trusted. “The refugees I spoke to, 70 to 80 per cent are optimistic that there’s going to be good change, but they still don’t believe North Korea has come to its senses. [Pyongyang] won’t give up nuclear weapons,” Lartigue says.
“Others are just focusing on seeing their families again, seeing their hometowns, more of a personal rather than political thing. But others say you can’t trust them. They are scared.”
Fear is something the refugees live with constantly. “The threat is very real, they need round-the-clock protection. One refugee who runs a radio station told me they received a fax from North Korean agents saying they knew where his station was, they’d blow it up. Then he received a shirt soaked in blood with the message: ‘We’re going to kill you, we’re going to kill your family’.”
13 more problems for Trump-Kim summit: North Korean defectors
Defecting is fraught with peril. Refugees arrive in a new country feeling isolated, with few prospects and a steep language barrier. Having taught 350 escapees English and supporting them with jobs, scholarships and college placements, TNKR plays a unique role in spreading awareness about the plight of North Koreans.
