North Korean refugee’s sudden relationship with Harvard

Harvard graduate college students visiting South Korea maintain up copies of “Greenlight to Freedom,” which they bought and had co-authors Han Tune-mi and Casey Lartigue Jr. signal, Jan. 13. Courtesy of Freedom Audio system Worldwide

On Jan. 7, I met with Harvard graduate college students visiting South Korea, due to a fellow Harvard alum informing me about their go to. After listening to about my work with North Korean refugees, the organizers of the Harvard Korea Trek invited me to return with a North Korean refugee the next Monday for a gathering on the Ministry of Unification.

I used to be delighted to just accept their invitation and much more thrilled when my co-author, Han Tune-mi, and my Freedom Audio system Worldwide (FSI) co-founder, Lee Eun-koo, agreed to hitch me.

The assembly was a robust second of connection. The scholars listened intently as I shared FSI’s mission of empowering North Korean refugees by means of English schooling and public talking. Tune-mi introduced the story to life together with her personal journey — captured in her memoir, „Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter’s Seek for Her Mom and Herself,“ which I had the honour of co-authoring.

This wasn’t Tune-mi’s first Harvard-related occasion. In 2019, I invited her to the Harvard Membership of Korea’s annual alumni dinner. It was her first expertise attending an occasion of that scale, and she or he barely spoke to anybody, sticking near me the complete night. On the time, her English was restricted, and her confidence was even decrease. She later described the night time as a magical expertise. She advised her mom about Harvard as if she was informing her about it, solely to have her mom reply, “Are you loopy? After all I learn about Harvard!” Tune-mi reminded her mother that she attended elementary college for one 12 months in North Korea as she waited for her mother to return to her.

In late 2022, Tune-mi and I spoke collectively at a Harvard Graduate Faculty of Schooling occasion. Final September, she and North Korean refugee Eom Yeong-nam have been featured audio system at a Ministry of Unification occasion that FSI helped arrange in Harvard Sq.. Later this 12 months, we’ll return to Harvard for an additional occasion. In 2019, she had not heard of Harvard, however this previous Monday, she mingled freely with Harvard graduate college students, sharing her story, answering their questions and representing herself as an creator and advocate.

The scholars requested considerate questions on Tune-mi’s experiences. They thanked Tune-mi for sharing her story and serving to them perceive the human facet of North Korea. A pair thanked me for bringing Tune-mi’s story to the world and a few thanked me and co-founder Lee Eun-koo for our work empowering North Korean refugees.

As we wrapped up lunch, I launched Greenlight to Freedom in slightly extra element. Nearly everybody on the desk purchased a replica and needed it to be signed by Tune-mi (and me). Their curiosity reminded Tune-mi that when she first began talking out after a decade of silence, she had no thought that individuals have been concerned about North Korea and North Korean refugees.

Earlier than parting methods, we gathered for group images and selfies to commemorate the day. After all, the scholars have been most enthusiastic about taking selfies with Tune-mi, however she invited me to hitch. “Mr. Casey! You’re the one who made me and introduced my story into the world,” she stated. “After all, it is best to be part of me after I take a selfie with others!”

Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is a member of the Harvard Graduate Faculty of Schooling’s (HGSE) Alumni Council, an HGSE Alumni admissions ambassador, a member of the Harvard Golf equipment of Korea, Seattle, Broward County, Fairfield County and Washington, and a member of Harvard Alumni for Schooling and Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs.