(November 15, 2012) — LiNK Club recently held a film screening which was led by LiNK representatives Michelle Sham, Jade Maniscalco and John Park. These representatives, also known as nomads, travel the country to inform people about the North Korean crisis and to encourage people to help.

“North Korea is an issue that will affect everyone’s life. It is also one of the biggest human rights crisis of our time,” said Sham in an interview after the presentation. The LiNK screenings feature a film called The People’s Crisis, which documents the North Korean crisis and shares real stories of North Korean refugees.

“We try really hard to bring the stories of the North Korean people out to the public because we want more people to know this side of North Korea,” Sham said. “We want people to know that North Korea is not just about the politics.” Spanish teacher Julie Ann Melville attended the event and said that she was glad that many students went to see the screening. Melville said that she used to be an advisor for LiNK club and noted the change in LiNK’s focus.

“The way they help people has shifted so I think that will be good,” said Melville. LiNK recently launched their new movement called SHIFT. The mission of this movement is to shift the view of North Korea away from its politics and to the North Korean people. According to the LiNK organization, LiNK hopes for people to see that “North Korea should be defined by the people, not the politics.”

“I feel that it is for a good cause, but they’re going about it all wrong,” said junior Jett Bohanan. Bohanan said that he thinks that the SHIFT movement isn’t the best idea because “America trivializes North Korea” if they aren’t focused on the nuclear threat that North Korea poses. He said that America cares more about China and Russia because these nations pose more of a threat. “The North Korean people seem to be doing just fine, because they have created a cult of personality around Kim Jong Il’s family,” said Bohanan.

However, in an interview with former Workers’ (communist) Party ideology boss Hwang Jang Jop conducted by the GlobalPost, Jop said that people who were not mourning would have been prosecuted. “Most of the mourners were crying because they had been brainwashed by Kim Il Sung’s personality cult,” Jop said.

According to reports by the United Nations, North Korea is the most repressive country in the world. The repression tactics that the North Korean government has used in the past have affected the lives of millions. “Everyone should definitely be doing their part to either be educated about this issue or get involved,” Sham said. “I think that LiNK is a great non-profit that offers opportunities to young people to make an impact.”

“The people in North Korea need as much help as they can get,” said freshman Mohammad Mateen Hassan. He said that lots of kids think of North Korea’s politics and not the people. Hassan said that he thinks students should participate in LiNK because “their perspective could change and get them to want to help the North Korean people.”

Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is the only North American organization that commits full-time to the North Korean crisis by aiding and protecting North Korean refugees hiding in China.