Liberty in North Korea, a group also known as LINK, presented on Wednesday, March 12 in the Life Science building at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The goal of Liberty in North Korea, according to Jack Enright, is to focus on the human right issues in North Korea.
Enright is a nomad for the program. A nomad is someone who goes around the country and talks about the human right issues in North Korea. The group does this by giving presentations.
Outside the UMD lower level bookstore, the group was tabling before the event. They were handing out postcards and talking to anyone who stopped by their table. Caroline Yoo, one of the group's other nomads, was eager to talk about what the night would have in store for UMD.
At 18, Yoo is the youngest of all nomads in the Pacific North West group. She said it took six weeks of training to become a nomad and the training was based in Los Angeles.
Yoo first wanted to get involved in the movement when she was a young girl. “I saw some stuff about North Korea on TV and it made me sad,” she said.
Since she saw it on TV that day, she knew she would someday get involved even if it was earlier than she originally planned.
“I got involved after my first semester in college. I realized that I wanted to be a part of the movement,” she said.
The event that took place in Duluth went well according to both Dayae Kim, the international club president, and Ericka Welsh, a nomad for LINK.
“I had a great time working with the international club,” said Welsh. “When we come to events we never know what the turnout is going to be.”
“I’m pretty sure it had a lot of impact on the people who came,” said Kim.
After hearing LINK’s presentation, the UMD International Club, which hosted the event, hopes to start a Duluth rescue team of their own, which would not only focus on the help of UMD students but also surrounding communities. Kim described why there is a need for communities like Duluth to help out.
“Since Duluth is an important part of United States, it has the right to raise a voice about global issues; especially when people feel threatened by other countries. Not by fighting back, but by finding solutions to make the world better,” Kim said.
Although Kim thought the event was a success, she did think that there could’ve been more people. “If more people would’ve come it would’ve been better. But I think the people that did were influenced by the speakers,” she said.
Welsh, who first got involved with LINK because she thought the program was a good idea and liked their mission, thought the turnout was good.
She talked about how people were watching from the hallways and trying to get them to go sit in the open seats inside.
Welsh talked passionately about her time with LINK as a nomad. “One of my favorite parts is meeting with amazing people.”
She loves touring colleges. “It’s great to talk to people about their talents and having conversations with students,” she said.
Yoo was also more than passionate talking about her internship with LINK. “I love my internship so much. I love meeting the most amazing people at events,” she said.
Welsh also talked about why she loves working with LINK.
“It’s great to work with people who are so driven and want to make the world better. It’s a great environment,” she said.