SMSU Professor of Economics Dr. Sangyeoul Jung is involved in many organizations that help North Korean refugees. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Korean-American Association, a member of many Korean churches in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and supports the Korean Institute, Family Builder Association and other organizations. Jung attended a human rights symposium at the University of Minnesota on Oct. 19 that focused on North Korean Refugees.

After World War II, the politics of the day split the Korean peninsula into a communist and a capitalist state. No one knew at the time that this split would create a conflict that would last for generations.

The split left two rival countries: The South, The Republic of Korea and The North, The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).  The DPRK invaded the South in an attempt to unify the countries, but ended in a stalemate due to US led intervention.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the government of the DPRK was unable to provide enough food for all its citizens, which led to a large famine where many North Koreans starved to death. Many tried to escape to South Korea. An occasional influx of refugees continues to this day.

There are many Western organizations available to help the North Korean defectors. Jung puts a lot of effort into helping defectors.

Jung invited Liberty in North Korea (LINK) to SMSU last month to do a presentation on the challenges North Korean refugees trying to escape to South Korea and the US face, and how they can be assisted. LINK is another organization Jung often works with.

The Korean-American Association, an organization Jung is on the board of trustees for, tries to help North Korean refugees who are in Minnesota. The organization lends assistance to help the refugees anyway it can, such as helping the refugees to get visas if they want to visit South Korea.

“I want to be a bridge between people and cultures,” Jung said. “I want to build bridges between North and South Korea.”