Refugees and asylum seekers who have fled their countries for Korea are soon to have a new center to go to in Seoul. NANCEN refugee support organization is renovating the ground floor of its office to provide a kitchen, shower and laundry room for refugees to use. The NGO recently opened the new office in the Garibong-dong area of Guro-gu, in southwest Seoul. The center also plans to provide small rooms ― called goshiwon ― around the area for some of the asylum seekers to use overnight. “The gos

A former North Korean propaganda artist who now makes pop art is seeking donations to exhibit his work outside of Korea for the first time. North Korean defector Song Byeok has been invited by distinguished U.S. professors to tell people in the state of Georgia about his life and art. And a campaign has been launched to help cover his airfare and the shipping of his works for his first trip to America. Members of the public have already pledged to donate almost $3,000 toward the $6,500 online fu

Defector helps those he left behind keep warm this winterFinding a pair of socks on a mountainside might not only keep a North Korean person warm this winter, explained Cessilia Bosung Park.The socks ballooned by well wishers in the South could be traded for a month’s supply of food on the black market, the North Korea Peace organizer said.That is why she and more than 40 other international volunteers used five giant helium balloons to launch 2,000 socks from near the North Korean border on Sat

When Lee Ju-seong first picked up a flier on a North Korean mountain in 1995, the locals he was with told him to put it down because it was “evil.” Bur Lee could not bring himself to discard the document he found while walking in North’s Gangwon Province, not far from the South Korean border.“The people were locals to the area. They were shocked and said don’t pick up that.” Lee said. “They said that is a flier from South Korea. There is evil words and evil information there.”But Lee’s curiosity

A charity funding bakeries to feed starving North Korean children now aims to open a home for kids abandoned or orphaned in China.There are thought to be thousands of children in northeast China whose parents have died or fled after escaping with them from North Korea, leaving them stateless and without support.The Love North Korean Children charity is raising funds after visiting a potential site for a new home to help them. Charity worker Shirley VanderSchaaf, said that the new site, complete