Korean Club Meeting | Photo by Brett Hull | The Wright State Guardian
The goal of the Korean Club’s special event held on Nov. 5, 2021 is to spread awareness of the hardships that North Korean refugees, many who are women and children, face from the time of their escape from oppressing dictatorship to their lives now.
Who are the Freedom Speakers International (FSI)?
FSI is a group that dedicates their time and resources to helping refugees once they are no longer on North Korean soil. Casey Lartigue and Eunkoo Lee, the people behind FSI, work to give these refugees a voice. Lartigue has, up to date, helped over 500 refugees from NK with this organization.
Lartigue and Lee also run a radio show for the FSI.
Korean Club’s special event
On Nov. 5, 2021, the Korean Club held an event hosting Lartigue and the club’s cultural ambassador Seoha Lee. They talked about the goals of FSI, what is done to meet those goals, and how these goals help North Korean refugees.
“The most impressive thing I found from the event was just the ways that they are helping the North Korean refugees is so different than I thought… and the significance it has made in their lives to teach them English for them to be able to speak out to share their stories to let others know what’s going on in their country,” Kelly Vice, a Korean Club member, said.
One of these goals include helping North Korean refugees learn English so that they can spread their stories to other people; stories that include the harsh laws and unrealistic expectations under Jong-un Kim.
How does the FSI help refugees?
“[Lartigue’s] mission is to empower North Korean refugees and give them a voice,” Korean Club president Kaylee Raines said.
Lartigue has also managed to help North Korean refugees spread their stories, one of these refugees is Yeonmi Park, who has a YouTube channel called Voice of North Korea. Another person that Lartigue has helped is Songmi Han who is writing a few books with Lartigue’s guidance.
How others can help FSI grow
Students can help out FSI by visiting their website. Lartigue’s personal website, and FSI’s instagram page. Students can also read up on a story by both Lartigue and Han in their book “Greenlight to Freedom”.
Students can also contact the Korean Club through their organization page and talk to Seoha Lee, who is the Cultural Ambassador for the Korean Club.
