IIP CITIZENS ALLIANCE FOR NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS AYANNA CURWEN, 2019 SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
My role at NKHR Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights Participated in press conferences related to human rights violations in the North and helped raise funds for the Hanawon School for North Korean defectors to ensure their comfortable placement into South Korean society. Reviewed and edited North Korean testimonies translated from Korean to English as well as news articles on the defector situation in Korea. Performed as the Campaign Management s social media manager for the organization s main Facebook page.
During the first week of my internship I spent the majority of my time reading testimonies from North Koreans that defected to the South through the assistance of the Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. Doing so helped me realize what an impact the organization makes on lives that otherwise would continue on in the hellish hardship the defectors so thoroughly outlined in their testimonies. This realization made the entire internship rewarding but a standout moment was when a North Korean defector family visited our office to check in with us on their status. Even though myself and my fellow intern had nothing to do with their rescue, because they defected the year prior with the help of the organization, they proceeded to thank and praise us for choosing to assist the organization during our summers explaining how much of an impact it had on their lives. That moment was one of the most touching of my experience and made my future tasks for the organization that much more meaningful to me.
Some of my work consisted of attending press conferences and gathering information on embassies worldwide.
Our Impact Since we joined the team as social media managers, the amount of followers NKHR have on Facebook increased dramatically as well as the attention our posts received in terms of likes and shares!
Example of Social Media Posts We Made:
International Conference: Amassing Evidence I plan to write my JP on what I ve learned this summer of the defector situation in North Korea and I also hope to find myself in a similar career as the speakers, one that calls attention to and helps improve the human rights conditions in countries like North Korea. One of the last seminars I got to attend was an international conference called Amassing Evidence that explained how we can use forensics to find the locations of hidden prison camps in North Korea. The speakers ranged from human rights activists worldwide to past judges that performed in some of the most memorable and historic cases. Most speakers discussed how forensics has helped their documentation and I remember leaving the conference inspired to follow in their footsteps after my education.
Participated in a 3-day workshop for South Korean high schoolers to learn more about the humans rights violations in North Korea. Visited the Korean War Memorial Museum in preparation for the day of the Armistice - July 27, 1953
Lasting Experience During my time at NKHR I met so many interesting individuals who have devoted their life to the organization and the well-being of countless North Koreans, as well as coincidently meeting my old high school friend who was also interning. Both inside and outside the office I strengthened my knowledge of Korean by constantly speaking to locals as well as increased my understanding of Korean customs and social standards. I am happy to say that I walked away from my internship with great contacts, more knowledge on North Korea and the government workings needed for the situation to improve as well as a clearer path as to what I would like to do with my future career.