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20. Casey Latigue

What is 'your GivingTuesday' story?

Today is 'GivingTuesday'! While almost every South Korean I have asked is familiar with American Thanksgiving, few South Koreans I have talked with are aware of the frantic shopping and giving movement following it.

2023-11-27 16:35

World in trouble

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I don't doubt the wisdom, but I would like to point out that King didn't (and couldn't) go everywhere to fight injustice. That's not a knock against the great King. There are so many injustices in the world that even an army of Martin Luther King Jr.-like-minded generals and soldiers could not have fought against them all.

2023-09-11 16:35

What North Korea's counterpunches can't hide

On July 11, as I attended the public release of the English-language version of South Korea's report on the state of human rights in North Korea, I wondered when North Korea would issue a report on South Korea's human rights situation.

2023-08-06 16:35

Erasing a role model

In September 2019, the BBC asked, “Was this North Korean defector failed by the South?” The New York Times wrote, “She Fled Famine in North Korea, Then Died Poor in a Prosperous Land.” National Public Radio reported, "In South Korea, Anguish Over Deaths Of North Korean Defectors Who May Have Starved."

2023-07-09 16:35

Captain Harvard

I have another reason to thank my critics. The latest update is that they inspired me to re-engage with Harvard University.

2023-06-18 16:35

In favor of participation trophies

NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo recently inserted himself into the debate about participation trophies, competition and failure. His team, the Milwaukee Bucks, got bounced out of the playoffs in the first round by the lowest-seed team in his division. At the press conference after the game, a reporter asked him, “Do you view this season as a failure?”

2023-05-14 16:30

What's your mission for North Korea?

It is usually a lovely moment when a questioner approaches the microphone and asks, almost apologetically, “How can I help?”

2023-04-17 16:45

People are negative

When people use the idiom “a penny for your thoughts,” I say, “You will probably get back $10 of criticism.” If you want to know what others think then it means you don't know humans very well. People are negative, but they rarely express those thoughts.

2023-03-21 16:54

Mentoring while Black

One thing I have learned from working with North Korean refugees is that many avoid public speaking because audiences may not understand the context of North Korea. A recent incident has had me trying to explain to North Korean refugees an unfortunate reality in America.

2023-02-16 16:50

My heart still isn't broken

When I meet South Koreans who are negative about North Korean refugees, I ask them why. Some mention having to pay higher taxes because of North Korea and North Korean refugees and the negative stories they read about North Korean refugees. When I ask how many North Korean refugees they have met, most say, “None.”

2023-01-19 16:50

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