"In reality we all live in one big, broken backyard," said Soyoung Park '09, reading from an anonymously authored poem, before she and about 20 other black-clad students began their silent march around the Main Green Wednesday at noon. The peaceful march protested the treatment of the roughly 500,000 North Korean refugees who the protestors say have escaped to China only to suffer continued abuse.
The march was part of a two-day program spearheaded by the Hanuri, Kasa and newly-established Mission North Korea student groups. Running under one hour, Wednesday's march was organized as a precursor to tonight's program, which includes a screening of the 2004 documentary "Seoul Train" at 7 p.m., followed by a lecture by the Rev. Chun Ki-Won, Director of the Durihana Mission and a human rights activist, at 8 p.m.
For students involved, these programs provide a chance to raise awareness about causes important to them. "As a South Korean, we should pay attention to these important issues. I saw 'Seoul Train,' and it made me feel as if I should do something to help raise awareness," Jihoon Yoon '09 said.
The refugee situation is one that is "shameful and inhuman," said Peter Jeong '11.
The march was preceded by a series of speeches and poetry readings honoring the refugees while attempting to spur action and generate awareness. As part of the readings, eight students lined up and each read a statistic on the plight of North Korean refugees. "Four out of ten children are chronically malnourished" read one speaker, while another said "only 10,000 have managed to make their way to South Korea."
Following the conclusion of the speeches, the walk began in complete silence. After students walked around the perimeter of the Main Green, they met back outside of Faunce House. "Let's not stop marching. It doesn't have to end here," Park said at the conclusion.
For Park and the other members of the joint Hanuri, Kasa and Mission North Korea event committee, the march was an important method for spreading awareness of the refugee issue throughout Brown. "We are just a group of people who feel passionately for our cause," Park said, citing the coordination of the three groups that comprise the roughly 25-member committee.
"For me, this movement is about breaking complacency. It shows that there are issues in the world that are happening apart from us," said Hye Gi Shim '09. "Brown is a good place to start breaking the silence."
Both Shim and Park were involved in organizing Wednesday's march and said they plan to study abroad in China and Korea, respectively.
Heavily involved in raising awareness on campus, Shim and Park said they recognize the relationship between different activist groups and causes on campus. In relation to the campaign to support protests in Mynamar held on campus earlier this semester, "our cause is to combat a different form of oppression," Park said, "but both causes reveal that Asia is not just a place that produces model minorities in America - we don't usually think of Asia as a place of suffering."
In order to raise awareness, the group is presenting events like tonight's, with Ki-Won's speech as the highlight. Known as the "Asian Schindler," according to flyers distributed at the march, Ki-Won is known for leading hundreds of North Korean refugees safely across China by way of the Chinese "underground railroad."
Shim said overcoming misinformation is an important challenge in combating the refugee problem. "I face ignorance and jokes about North Korea around me regularly. Even in (The) Herald's April Fool's issue last year, there were jokes about the North Korean situation," Shim said. "There should not be jokes made about the North Koreans without their knowledge."
For other students, education on important world issues through events like the march needs to be at the forefront of student life. "I'm Korean and this hits close to home. It is imperative that we raise awareness and make this an issue that we are all collectively passionate about," Britta Han '10 told The Herald after the march.
