On Thursday, October 8, the Junior World Affairs Council came together for their second meeting to talk about the situation in North Korea. The primary topic of this meeting concerned North Korean refugees trying to flee the country.

The first guest speaker, Kalie, was a member of the Liberty in North Korea organization (LiNK for short) and goes around regions of the U.S. spreading their message to anyone who issues a request.

“We go around to churches, colleges, high schools, coffee houses, whoever will have us…living rooms,” she said.

She began her speech by identifying the way most Americans (and high school children) view North Korea through the filter of a biased media. Her thought provoking presentation was about Korean refugees who, must not only escape their homeland, but avoid officials as they move through China to enter South Korea. Their struggles continue with their new situation, especially considering their families still living in North Korea.

Captian Kirk Luker, a member of the marines, was the event’s second speaker. He was invited to speak at the meeting as an experienced individual but not as a marine nor representative of any major group. His speech focused on the propaganda filled lives of Northern Korean citizens.

On how he got involved, Luker states, “Well, I’m friends with some of the teachers, and then they mentioned the topic and asked if I may be able to help out or provide some information.”

The information he provided pertained to the influence Kim Jong Un has over the people of North Korea. “Anything that is good to them is from the Dear Leader,” he said in his speech, “anything that is bad for them is because of the outside.”

If you would like to take a closer look into the LiNK feel free to go to http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/p4a/.