All about South Korea > Korea Newsroom
Balloon Launch #7 planned for April 2012. Seats still available
edu+smart:
Hello everyone.
My name is Sabrina Hill. I am the Managing Director of The Centre for Strategy and Peace. I run an NGO in South Korea which has a mission to assiste and aid in the peaceful negotiations between the two Koreas. We also work with a number of other NGO's in the region, one of which is called; "North Korea Peace". Some of you might be aware of this group. This group has been featured in recent news stories about their monthly balloon launches.
Here are some stories:
1) http://my.news.yahoo.com/photos/activists-send-balloons-carrying-donated-socks-north-korea-photo-050744092.html
2) http://www.trust.org/alertnet/multimedia/pictures/detail.dot?mediaInode=7bb49c55-f919-478d-a3cb-1f43633791b6
3) http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/03/31/activists-send-socks-to-north-korea?videoId=232674224&videoChannel=117760
Every month they send up at least five balloons carry approximately two thousand socks in total into North Korea. They just had their sixth balloon launch yesterday and have already planned their seventh. The Facebook link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/130625160396124/
I hope you will join. A limited number of seats are available. For more information about The Centre, you can see our page here: https://www.facebook.com/StrategyForPeace
> Please share this with others that might be interested. Or tweet with the following @strategy4peace or @nkp if you have any questions.
All the best,
Sabrina Hill [Managing Director]
The Centre for Strategy and Peace in Korea
edu+smart:
Please send me a message here or to the Centre's email on FB if you have any questions. We have plenty of photos from previous launches up there.
Here is some more information about the event.
We are a non-political, non-religious volunteer organization!
Come join us at our next balloon launching where we will be sending socks & letters of hope to North Korea!
Includes: Opportunity to meet with a North Korean defector, a short Imjingak bus tour and Seoul Train documentary viewing (on bus en route to the border of NK).
Cost: 20,000 won (transportation & contributions)
Payment must be received/transferred by the 26th to confirm your seat!
The bus is limited to 45 seats.
Transfer to SHINHAN BANK 110-320-086122 (Bo Kyung Park)
(After making the deposit, please send a confirmation e-mail to park.kathryn@gmail.com.)
Contact: Jane @ 010-4069-5924 or Joseph @ 010-8616-8779
(This is a volunteer event providing a medium for which people can further their helping hands in the global community)
When we return to Itaewon, you're invited to join us for a post-event lunch where Mr. Lee will host a Q & A with us. If you've been curious about life in North Korea, this is your chance to have your questions answered!
If you are not able to attend and would like to contribute to this amazing cause - visit us at www.northkoreapeace.org and make a donation of any amount and allow us to continue providing direct aid into North Korea.
edu+smart:
Here is a video from the 5th balloon launch in February. If you are curious what they do at the actual launch, watch the video & ask me questions, anytime.
PSA: "Messages of Hope" [Balloon Launch, North Korea]
On the 25th of February, 2012, in Pau South Korea, five weather balloons were sent into North Korea containing new pairs of socks with messages of hope.
The average North Korean has never worn a pair of socks, this includes many military personnel. A pair of socks can be worn to help keep them warm during the harsh northern winters, or as a currency to be traded for food. One pair of new socks can easily be traded for an entirely month's worth of corn.
For more information on how you can volunteer or donate, please see their website, northkoreapeace.org
Song Credit: "Love Song 2" Michael Atherton (Album: Sea and Mountain)
hiphopopotamus:
These kinds of "charitable" acts drive me nuts. I'm gonna play devil's advocate here because I don't see how these efforts are, in any way, effective. The idea that the balloon lands safely in the front yard of some peasant who needs a pair of socks is completely ridiculous.
These kinds of things make the participants feel "warm and fuzzy" rather than actually being effective toward the intendend recipients. Pat yourself on the back, you just "saved" a human life with a pair of socks. Puh-lease! ???
Yu_Bumsuk:
--- Quote from: hiphopopotamus on April 02, 2012, 10:47:18 AM ---These kinds of "charitable" acts drive me nuts. I'm gonna play devil's advocate here because I don't see how these efforts are, in any way, effective. The idea that the balloon lands safely in the front yard of some peasant who needs a pair of socks is completely ridiculous.
These kinds of things make the participants feel "warm and fuzzy" rather than actually being effective toward the intendend recipients. Pat yourself on the back, you just "saved" a human life with a pair of socks. Puh-lease! ???
--- End quote ---
The North is so upset by them they've insisted the SK government stop them in arms negotiations. They're clearly hitting a nerve. You have to understand that for decades the Great Leader, Dear Leader, and Great successor have been presented to the people as providers without whom the people couldn't exist. Providing them with better or unobtainable stuff from the South completely undermines this.
That said, the people are required to turn balloon-dropped items into authorities on pain of death. If a few peasants are wearing new socks and no one else is it might be very obvious what they've done. NK is also very mountainous and this could just as well lead to a battalion scouring a mountainside than a village of people with warm feet. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than pretending people just miles away aren't suffering while we're throwing bundles of old socks away.
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