The American libertarian blogger, who lives in South Korea, writes about the former NBA star's recent controversial trip to North Korea: "Others are mocking Dennis Rodman, but I hope he
will come to Seoul before his next visit to North Korea. I would invite
him to visit Mulmangcho, a school for North Korean refugee children (I’m
the International Adviser to the school). We have 15 orphans and
disadvantaged children who were rescued from China after their families
or others helped them escape from North Korea. Some of them suffer from
mental or physical problems after being beaten and starved in North
Korea."
He continues his commentary: "I would introduce Rodman to Prof. Park Sun-young, the
founder of Mulmangcho who was a former member of the National Assembly.
Rodman probably didn’t hear about it, but she staged an 11-day hunger
strike last year when North Koreans captured in China were threatened
with deportation. Rodman’s 'friend for life,' Kim Jong-un, probably had
them tortured or executed. Park knows many people who could give Rodman a
fuller picture of North Korea’s gulags."
More: "After
he hears from scholars, activists and others aiding North Koreans, I
would then introduce him to North Koreans who successfully escaped. These
are people who fled only with the clothes on their backs, under the
threat of death. They lived their entire lives oppressed by the crime
family that has ruled North Korea since the 1940s. North Koreans see
family members publicly executed or tortured, they are punished for 'wrong-thinking', tortured for minor crimes, or executed for trying to
escape. If they manage to escape to China, they are illegal aliens
targeted by modern-day slave-catchers who threaten to report them to
police (resulting in deportation, and often torture or execution). They
still aren’t completely safe in South Korea — North Korean refugees have
been assassinated by North Korean spies. Rodman called Kim
Jung-un his friend. Dictators don’t need friends. It is people who are
trying to escape to freedom who need friends, not criminals who issue 'shoot-to-kill' orders against those people."
Casey Lartigue Jr.: "Visit Seoul Next Time, Mr. Rodman"
