Liberty in North Korea
Liberty in North Korea is a 501 nonprofit organization registered in Long Beach, California, United States. It maintains an office in Seoul, South Korea. The organization rescues refugees hiding in China and resettles them in South Korea or the United States, so that they can avoid being forcibly repatriated back to North Korea, where they can face harsh punishments. The refugees first travel from China to Southeast Asia through what the organization calls an "Underground Railroad", and then on to South Korea where they are recognized as refugees.
LiNK also seeks to raise awareness of human rights issues in North Korea through media production, conducting research, and through tours. Having sprung out of Korean-American student activism at universities in the United States, the organization grew rapidly and produced several feature-length documentaries, as well as TED talks by its leaders and rescuees. The organization now has a Research & Strategy department based in Seoul, that conducts research on North Korean issues with an emphasis on human rights issues. The organization positions itself as different from governmental positions and media narratives that focus on the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program and other national security issues, focusing instead on refugees who were considered economic migrants by the Chinese government and who risked repatriation. LiNK provides support to resettlement programs for North Koreans beyond those provided by the South Korean government.
History
Early years and leadership
Liberty in North Korea was founded at Yale University on March 27, 2004, the last day of the eighteenth annual Korean American Students Conference which described LiNK as "an explosive organization." The co-founders were Adrian Hong and the comedian Paul Kim. The launch included a talk from a North Korean defector and video clips of escape attempts. In December 2004, LiNK sent two teams to the border of China and North Korea to interview North Korean refugees and to investigate conditions.Led by Adrian Hong, LiNK's name recognition spread through the efforts of Korean-Americans at universities and colleges who registered 40 chapters in a short period of time. Volunteers worked on staging protests, petition drives, and public awareness campaigns. In January 2007, Adrian Hong wrote that "two LiNK field workers and 6 North Korean refugees were caught and imprisoned by Chinese authorities" en route from Shenyang, and that Hong himself had been detained in Beijing. The Wall Street Journal took interest in the case and one of its reporters, Melanie Kirkpatrick, supported LiNK's activities in China in her book Escaping North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia’s Underground Railroad. The organization continued to grow and LiNK's mission expanded to include more field projects; by March 2007, LiNK had 100 chapters in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Korea. In March 2007, its director Adrian Hong stated that "LiNK has briefed and advocated to the highest levels of governments and agencies around the world," then called for a day of fasting.
In 2007–08, LiNK made changes to its strategy and leadership. In March 2007, LiNK altered its grassroots strategy and shifted to a membership-based model, which led to the disbanding of all chapters that year and a more unified approach to events. In the summer of 2008, Hannah Song took over as executive director, replacing Adrian Hong. Song began talks with Justin Wheeler of The Option, another organization focused on North Korean refugees, and in the fall of 2008 the two groups merged, retaining the structure and name of LiNK. South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that "Hong left LiNK when he became convinced that bolder action was required in 2009," and according to a statement made by LiNK, Adrian Hong's involvement with the organization ended around this time. Wheeler was a persuasive advocate for the organization, giving TED talks and other presentations in the early 2010s. Wheeler noted that from 2011, all funding received went to LiNK programs.
Move to Los Angeles
In 2009, LiNK moved from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles. The organization also changed its activism strategy from political lobbying to bringing attention to the people of North Korea instead of the politics already frequently reported on. Beginning in the spring of 2009, they also began to send groups of interns to give presentations to schools, colleges, churches and other venues about the North Korean human rights crisis. LiNK has conducted 13 tours as of fall 2014, which occur twice a year on a semester basis.Refugee assistance
LiNK has focused its work on North Korean refugees in China, who are vulnerable to exploitation and punishment in China, and can be repatriated if caught. If repatriated, North Koreans face reprisal in the forms of interrogation, prison camps, and execution. As a result, LiNK works to rescue North Korean refugees hiding in China and helps them escape through Southeast Asia. As of October 2025, LiNK had rescued over 1,300 refugees and resettled them throughout South Korea and the United States.According to LiNK, the cost of each rescue is $3,000 USD. LiNK coordinates a "Resettlement Assistance Program" to help newly resettled refugees. In LiNK's 2024 annual report, $952,761 was allocated towards refugee rescues and resettlement support.
Raising awareness
LiNK works to shift the attention on North Korea away from high politics and towards the North Korean people through a combination of media, tours, and campaigns. They are supported in their efforts by Rescue Teams.Rescue Teams
Formerly known as chapters, Rescue Teams are groups formed at universities, colleges, high schools, churches, and other venues that raise funds for refugee rescues through bake sales, concerts, and other fundraising activities.Tours
In the past LiNK conducted biannual informational national tours of the United States and Canada. The tours generally lasted eleven weeks and consisted primarily of LiNK Nomads visiting high schools, colleges, churches, and other community locations to screen LiNK media and answer questions about North Korea and LiNK's work.Campaigns
LiNK creates and implements campaigns which highlight specific facets of importance regarding North Korea and work to bring under-publicized issues to the attention of the public. The most recent campaign was titled Jangmadang, referring to the Korean word for "market" that is used in North Korea to refer to a place where North Koreans gather to buy and sell goods. Past campaigns have included Bridge, SHIFT, The Reliance, and TheHundred.Jangmadang (2014)
Jangmadang focused on the markets that are proliferating in North Korea to circumvent the government's control of trade. These markets began forming in the late 1990s in response to a severe famine in the country and an inability of the government to provide adequate food supplies. The markets also provide a venue for information dissemination through electronic media, such as DVDs and portable DVD players, USB flash drives, SD cards, portable radios, Chinese cell phones with international calling capabilities, and through word-of-mouth.The event included videos from North Korean defectors Joo Yang, Yeon-mi Park, and Joseph Kim. The campaign ran during the fall of 2014.