Does LiNK ever have failed missions? What happens to refugees who are caught?
We place a very high priority on operational security and over 95% of our rescue missions have been successful. In general, for refugees who are caught in China, it is not always possible to find out what happens after their arrest, but they are presumed to be repatriated to North Korea since that is the policy of the Chinese government. We cannot disclose the details of individual cases of people who may have been caught in order to protect their future safety, and we are also limited in what we can share on the circumstances of unsuccessful operations in order to protect the ongoing operational security of our work in the field.
Are refugee rescues illegal?
There is a lot of gray area here. Technically, moving people across borders is illegal. However, China’s failure to recognize North Koreans in their country as refugees is a violation of international law. Since North Korean refugees’ rights are violated in China, our work is condoned by the international community.
Once refugees have made it safely to South Korea or the United States, does LiNK ask them to repay the rescue fees?
No, we operate using the free passage model, meaning that we rescue refugees without any cost or condition.
What is the role of LiNK’s staff in Southeast Asia?
Our staff in Southeast Asia has three main goals: preparing for the last stage of the journey, establishing a relationship with refugees, and monitoring and evaluating the quality of our rescues to ensure that the refugees we work with are treated well and are as safe as possible.
How does LiNK find North Korean refugees in China to rescue?
There are two main ways that we identify North Korean refugees in China. One is through our North Korean clients who let us know about additional friends or family members in China. We also work with partners in China who send us referrals.
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