Unspoken Eloquence

You could search for a long time to find words more persuasive than this picture, but the words of the North Korean woman in this BBC story come close:

I left because there was no food, but also because I wanted freedom. I wanted to be able to live how I wanted to live.

The North Koreans are neither robots nor zombies nor programmed automatons. They are human beings just like us, but with a much keener understanding of what it takes to sustain humanity.

UPDATE:

The second group of 220 has arrived. According to the BBC, that’s a total of 450. The Chosun says 468; either way, wow. If you wrote to Congress last week, consider them your personal Schindler’s List. And you can still help.

Meanwhile, the Korean papers are starting to wonder–what if tens of thousands start to arrive? Can anyone think of a more reliable of a dictatorship’s collapse than a sudden mass emigration from the country?

UPDATE II:

The GNP is about to introduce a bill in the National Assembly that would make it easier for North Koreans in third countries to get into South Korea. I have noticed of late that the GNP seems to be finding its voice and articulating some actual principles. This is a great sign for the quality of the debate in Korea. In no small part, the NKHRA may shame South Korea into this.