Running head: PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA 1

Proposing to Establish Liberty in North Korea at the University of Alabama

Names
The University of Alabama



















PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA 2

Proposing to Establish Liberty in North Korea at the University of Alabama
719 University Blvd
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
October 14, 2013

To whom it may concern:
We submit herewith a proposal in support of forming a University-recognized Liberty in North
Korea Rescue Team at the University of Alabama, comprised primarily of members of the
university student body for the purpose of fundraising and bringing awareness to the general
population of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and to be supervised by a member of University Faculty and
under the direction of Liberty in North Korea.
I am requesting funding of the amount of $2500 in total estimated costs for materials to start our
branch of LiNK.
Questions relating specifically to this proposal or technical aspects of the proposal should be
directed to us. Questions that are administrative in nature should be directed to Liberty in North
Korea (LiNK) Headquarters, specifically to Sarah Palmer, LiNK Rescue Teams Manager, at
(310) 212-7190.
Your time and consideration is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Names
Encl. Proposal
















PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA 3

Executive Summary
Liberty in North Korea is an organization striving to shift Americas primary focus on North
Korea from where it currently lies. North Koreas reputation in the United States is such that the
entire country is viewed with hatred, disgust, and fear, mostly due to a corrupt dictator and
government as well as the countrys multiple displays of power such as nuclear demonstrations
and other weapons testing. However, LiNKs hope is to transform these negative feelings into a
passion for humanitarian rights, because while the government of North Korea may seem
inhuman, the citizens are certainly not. Many Americans live unaware of the gruesome human
rights violations which have become a daily occurrence in North Korea, because such violations
are often overshadowed by the looming threat of the Communist regime. LiNK understands the
importance of more than just the corruption of the government in North Korea and sees beyond
the countrys display of power, instead actively and lovingly reaching out to those trapped in the
country and desperately wanting freedom from their oppression and abuse. While LiNK can do
little to rescue those within the heavily guarded borders of North Korea, the organization instead
focuses its efforts on rescuing those North Korean refugees who have managed to cross into
China. While the idea of crossing the border into China may seem like a freeing move, the
refugees are in just as much danger in their neighboring country. If they are found, they will be
sent back to North Korea and possibly executed. LiNK funds and sends rescue teams to the
Chinese-North Korean border in order to make sure that these refugees are brought safely to
another country in Asia or, if they choose, to the United States so that they can begin their lives
anew.
It is shocking how little the United States media focuses on these glaring human rights
violations. When there are news reports on North Korea, the rhetoric is political, focusing on
North Koreas threat to the United States or their relationship with other countries. While these
looming issues are also critical, there is still a great need for a shift in the way that Americans
think about North Korea, and LiNK is attempting to do exactly that. By creating eye-catching
media, beginning successful campaigns, and recruiting citizens around the country to help spread
the word, LiNK is reaching out to the people of the United States, especially the up and coming
generations, and encouraging them to become more passionate about the often-overlooked issues
in North Korea, shifting the focus from the politics to the people.
Introduction
North Koreas multitude of humanitarian rights issues includes poor government, famine,
arbitrary arrest, torture, and lack of due process or any proper criminal court. No media or
influence from outside the country is allowed in and, if found, is immediately confiscated. In
many cases, the owner of any foreign materials or propaganda is executed as a result of
possession of these illegal materials. All media including music, television, and the limited
internet is owned and controlled solely by the government, and there is no true functioning civil
society or religious freedom.
PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA 4

Perhaps most important (and, unfortunately, the most overlooked) is the presence of multiple
prison camps throughout the country, where it is estimated that over 200,000 North Korean
citizens are held and forced into difficult labor and horrific living conditions. A great number of
these people, including children, live in these camps for arbitrary reasonsanything which the
corrupt government perceives as anti-North Korea can land an innocent man, woman or child in
a prison camp for over 15 years. Even worse is North Koreas three-generation rule, which rules
that for every prisoner sentenced to live in the camps, that prisoners family for three generations
will also be forced to live and work in the same camp.
Recent investigation by the United Nations is attempting to bring international attention to the
humanitarian crisis in North Korea, primarily through the revelation of these camps. Using
evidence from defectors and the few people who have actually escaped from the prison camps
themselves, the UN Panel has made allegations against North Korea on the basis of human rights
violations.
Despite these horrific occurrences, it is shocking how little attention these issues are given in our
country. According to a survey conducted in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, there is a need to establish a
branch of LiNK in the area in order to promote awareness and to impassion the population of this
large college town. It is essential that the younger generation shifts their perception of North
Korea from politics to the people, because it is this generation who will become the next leaders
of our country and who can make a worldwide difference through the effects of popular social
media. Unfortunately, this younger generation is also the least informed about the North Korean
humanitarian rights crisis--largely a result of the United States media placing little to no
emphasis on the topic in the news.
The survey was conducted for the purpose of assessing the current state of knowledge of
Tuscaloosas college population regarding North Korean politics and humanitarian issues. The
survey was also used to collect information on how the respondents had seen North Korea
depicted in American news media and on the respondents opinions regarding where priorities in
North Korea should lie.
Results from the survey indicated that a vast number of college students in Tuscaloosa know
little to nothing about North Korean politics, and even less is known about the peoples plight.
Many of the responses to open-ended questions demonstrated that some respondents do not even
take North Koreas situation seriously. For example, one answer to the question What comes to
mind when you think of North Korea? was one wordidiots. A similar example occurred in
the response to the question What do you think is the biggest issue in North Korea today? The
response was ignorant, disrespectful, and profane, proving that there is a demand for drastic
change in the way that the American people think about the North Korean population.
Another question was, What do you know about the prison camps in North Korea, if anything?
Some answers to the same question included #horrible and they suck, and ten respondents
(out of the 23 who answered this question), indicated that they had no knowledge whatsoever
PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA 5

about the prison camps. It could be assumed that the two respondents who skipped this question
are also unaware of any information regarding the camps.
However, we were encouraged to see via the surveys results that, while the majority of
respondents remain uneducated regarding the humanitarian issues in North Korea, a very large
number of respondents indicated that they viewed the humanitarian issues in North Korea to be
extremely important. By placing importance on these issues, it can be assumed that those
participants would be ready and willing to become more aware of the information and message
the LiNK hopes to spread, possibly even becoming future members of the rescue team, if
established.
By establishing a branch of LiNK in Tuscaloosa, it is our hope to be able to arm our generation
with knowledge and awareness while promoting a sense of seriousness and respect in regards to
the North Korean crises. It is also our desire to move the enlightened population to action
through fundraisers and other promotional events which will create a concerned and impassioned
environment while helping to rescue as many refugees as possible and bring them to safety.
Plan
The main goal of our plan is to start a branch of LiNK in Tuscaloosa. After we create a rescue
team the money that we raise will help send people from LiNK to go and get the refugees in
North Korea. Each rescue team is able to raise money that will help the refugees escape. There
are many ways to raise money such as bake sales or concerts. Raising the money can help fund a
rescue or help fund a mission. Anything will help and add up to be something that could change
someones life forever. Many factors go into rescuing a refugee. The money raised goes towards
transportation, basics, shelter, and other supplies. The transportation needed would be airfare and
any rides needed in North Korea. The basics would include food, water, and clothing. Shelter
will be needed for those part of the rescue mission that will be in North Korea. Supplies that will
be used would be the posters, room to hold the meetings, DVD, etc. The rescue teams will start
with people who are interested in the organization. Information of LiNK will be spread in order
to get peoples attention. Once these people become a part of the rescue team they will want to
inform others about the issue and get those people to donate money towards a rescue mission.

Benefits
The potential benefits that this project has in store are limitless. On a local scale, Tuscaloosa
benefits from the LiNK project in numerous ways. The students of the University of Alabama in
Tuscaloosa could broaden their knowledge and therefore their horizons by raising awareness for
themselves and for their fellow citizens of Tuscaloosa. This would make the area a more active
and productive society and the people of the Tuscaloosa area would be more knowledgeable and
involved in world issues. This would also help to create a more tightly-knit community among
students as well as the general population through things such as community fundraising efforts.
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A LiNK rescue team at the University of Alabama could also lead to outreach programs and
coordination with other LiNK rescue teams and other activists groups around the country,
resulting in interaction and teamwork on a national and eventually a global scale. A national or
even global humanitarian effort could easily be achieved, resulting in a widespread network of
goodwill, activism, and peace for our generation, and even increase international influence for
the United States in places such as Europe and Asia.
Additionally, the benefits that the humanitarian rights front in North Korea and China could reap
from a branch of LiNK in Tuscaloosa are endless. Although agents of LiNK are unable to
directly cross the North Korean border for a plethora of legal and safety reasons, for every $2000
a rescue team raises for the organization through things as inexpensive and simple as fundraisers
like bake sales or car washes, a North Korean refugee is intercepted from places outside of North
Korea that are not safe for them. For instance, because of the close ties and friendly - if delicate -
relationship between the Chinese government and the North Korean regime, when refugees flee
to China for freedom or even to work hard and earn enough money to feed their families, they
risk being captured and deported back to North Korea, resulting in confinement in a
concentration or labor camp and the confinement of three generations of their families, or even
execution by firing squad. Women who escape from North Korea are often captured and sold
into the growing sex trade in China, or can even be sold as wives to Chinese men for as low as
2,000 yuan - approximately 260 USD - due to the decreasing population of Chinese women. The
money that a rescue team raises goes to rescuing these refugees and delivering them somewhere
safe, like the United States or South Korea. In many cases, this results in reuniting families that
have been separated after fleeing the country. Not only does this increase international influence
for the United States, but it helps to improve and even save the lives of fellow human beings
suffering and living in tragic and dangerous conditions in a very legal way.
Budget
Because we do not have to build an entire building for this project, the budget will be less
extensive than one that would require construction. The items that will be factored into the
budget will be DVD player, projector, and money to rent a room (if needed). The idea for the
budget would be to have money for a projector and a DVD player. We want to be able to show
the participants videos of what LiNK is and does and power points of our plan and progress
throughout the process. We would also need money for food to provide for those who attended
the meeting. If there are no rooms available on campus, there is a possibility of renting out
rooms. This amount will vary depending on where and when we have the room rented. There
will also be a need for materials such as posters that we will hang up to attract attention and give
out information of where and when the meetings will be, chalk for advertising on sidewalks,
food for fundraisers, and other miscellaneous items. To raise the necessary funds, we could host
bake sales and set up in the Ferguson Center. The Ferguson Center is a student center, meaning a
great amount of traffic goes through it on a daily basis. This would maximize our funds. Another
way to raise money is to do a car wash and anything will be beneficial and help pay for the
PROPOSING TO ESTABLISH LIBERTY IN NORTH KOREA 7

necessities to create a rescue team. If we have bake sales or car washes we will need money for
the materials that we need. We can also have a fundraiser night at restaurants. This will be a
portion of money that is spent at the restaurant and go towards raising money for the rescue
mission.
Schedule
We can begin preliminary preparations for the rescue team in Fall 2013. In September 2013, we
attained a faculty advisor for our branch, although she will not be available until the Spring
semester. A permanent room setting or another meeting place will be decided upon in November
2013. A constitution for the organization will also be written in November. At the beginning of
December 2013, our proposal to be an official, University-recognized organization and a LiNK-
recognized rescue team will be submitted and, hopefully, accepted. During this time, emails will
be sent out to the students who provided one, alerting them to the presence of the branch. At this
time, these students will be added to a listserv for future emails. In January 2014, interest
meetings will be held in an effort to expand the branch. Our first official meeting including all
potential members will be held in late January 2014. Officers will be decided upon and the
organization can begin to function fully by February 2014. By Spring 2014, we hope to be
established and have enough money raised to send to LiNK headquarters in California to fund
our first rescue mission.
Methodology
To effectively establish a branch of Liberty in North Korea in Tuscaloosa, it will be critical to
instigate and remain in close contact with the executive members of LiNK in the California
headquarters. After receiving initial advice and instructions from these staff members, we will
need to spread the word about starting a rescue team. For example, we will use the materials
listed in the budget to screen LiNKs engaging documentaries on campus, creating promotional
posters to tell people when and where the meetings will be held while also striving to create a
sense of community among the students who attend. Once we have people attending these
preliminary screenings, we will need to get information of those who are interested in being part
of a rescue team on a more regular basis. The posters, chalkings, and social media promotions
will get attention and hopefully get members interested in coming to some initial meetings.
Another way to spread the word is to set up a table inside or outside the Ferguson Center because
many people go in and out of there and will stop by the table. Visitors will have to write down
their information so we can get in contact with them, hopefully leading to increasing our number
of members, who will also be able to tell their friends about LiNK to get others interested as
well. We would like to have an established rescue team by the beginning of Spring 2014. This
would give us plenty of time to get those who are interested in being a part of the team educated
on what they can do to help. After the team is formed we will immediately start trying to raise
money for the rescue mission.

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Appendix
Full Survey Utilized in the Feasibility Study
1. Have you heard of the organization LiNK (Liberty in North Korea)?
A. yes
B. no
2. What comes to mind when you think of North Korea?
3. What was the last thing you saw in the news about North Korea? (If you have not seen any
stories regarding North Korea, write N/A)
4. What do you think is the biggest issue in North Korea today?
5. How important are the political issues in North Korea on a scale of 1 to 5? (1-irrelevant, 3-
important, 5-demanding attention)
1 2 3 4 5
6. How important are the humanitarian issues in North Korea? (1-irrelevant, 3-important, 5-
demanding attention)
1 2 3 4 5
7. What do you know about the prison camps in North Korea, if anything?
8. Who do you think lives in these camps?
9. Would you be interested in becoming involved with an on-campus branch of LiNK in order to
promote the awareness of North Korean humanitarian rights? If so, please leave your name and
email address so we can contact you.









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References
Price, B. P., Rowland, O. G., Durkin, K. LiNK UA. (2013). Feasibility of Establishing Liberty in
North Korea at the University of Alabama (survey).
Song, B., Wheeler, J., Yun, M., Liberty in North Korea. Retrieved from
http://libertyinnorthkorea.org