Humanitarian Activist Mike Kim to Speak - “North Korea-China: A Modern Day Underground Railroad” at 4:30 PM on Monday 4/23

A human rights crisis is ongoing in North Korea, and while Americans claim to champion human rights domestically and abroad, the plight of North Korean refugees has remained largely ignored. In attempting to escape the oppressive North Korean government, refugees endure grueling escape attempts and risk severe punishment or rejection once they reach the border.

NGO Founder Mike Kim felt morally obliged to forgo his life of luxury as the owner of a financial planning business and devote himself to helping North Korean refugees. While undercover as a student of taekwondo in North Korea, Kim helped North Korean refugees reach China through a modern underground railroad. Mike Kim will speak of his experiences in North Korea, the ongoing humanitarian struggle, and his nonprofit, Crossing Borders.

Mike Kim is a humanitarian activist, author, consultant, NGO founder, and North Korean specialist based in Washington D.C. He founded Crossing Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees. He has testified at a U.S. Congressional hearing and has been a long-time contributor to the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

Please join us for Mike Kim’s talk, “North Korea-China: A Modern Day Underground Railroad,” at Rockefeller 3 at 4:30 pm, April 23, 2012. Mr. Kim will be signing his book, Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World’s Most Repressive Country, after the lecture.