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THE HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION (HRF) has appointed activist and survivor of the North Korean regime Seongmin Lee as the leader of its freedom of information initiative in North Korea, Flash Drives for Freedom (FDFF), which consists of secretly introducing USB flash drives loaded with information about the outside world into the Asian country and distributing them among its population.
Born and raised in North Korea’s secret society, and like many of his countrymen, Seongmin Lee participated in a clandestine trade network on the border with China, where he witnessed firsthand how indispensable outside information is to the oppressed North Korean population.
1/ HRF is pleased to introduce our new program lead for Flash Drives for Freedom (FDFF), Seongmin Lee.
Seongmin was born in #NorthKorea, and defected at age 23. His expertise will propel HRF’s efforts to advance North Korean human rights.
Learn more: https://t.co/04Xs209JCR
— Human Rights Foundation (@HRF) September 14, 2022
North Korea’s socialist secret society
When he was 23 years old, Lee was able to escape to South Korea, from where he decided to work to tell the harsh reality facing North Korea and dedicate himself to the promotion of human rights in his country. Since then, he has testified before the United Nations Human Rights Council and has been invited by the U.S. State Department to exchange knowledge about Kim Jong-Un’s totalitarian regime.
The activist believes that the FDFF program is of utmost importance to combat the ideology to which North Korean citizens are subjected.
“I think thumb drives can be a more powerful weapon for freedom than artillery and bombs; the latter can only hurt a few while the former can sway the minds and hearts of thousands without any violence.” Lee told HRF in an interview.
He explained that the North Korean regime portrays Americans as evildoers and South Korea as a country that has been “colonized” by the West, and where poor children spend most of their time in dumps in search of food instead of studying in schools. The HRF initiative, in his view, is a key tool in the “liberating” of the North Korean people.
“I firmly believe that access to unfettered information inside North Korea is a necessary step toward liberating North Korean citizens from the grip of the regime and helping them become more critical consumers of information all around, as well as helping them take matters into their own hands for their future.” Lee said.
For years, North Korean defectors have organized to smuggle information from outside their country on USB drives, with the goal of countering Kim Jong-un’s constant propaganda. FDFF is an effort by the organization to assist in that mission.
As of January 2022, HRF had donated more than 110,000 USB devices, helping to provide nearly 50 million hours of written information and more than 2.1 million hours of video that were distributed to more than one million North Koreans inside the country.
HRF’s humanitarian work spans the globe. In Latin America, the organization has been unstoppable in denouncing corruption and fighting for justice, especially against totalitarian regimes. One of its most recent victories involved a decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on censorship in Venezuela.
Over the years, HRF has denounced communist repression in Cuba, the repressive past of the left in Brazil, political persecution in Nicaragua and fears of authoritarianism in El Salvador.
Tomás Lugo, journalist and writer. Born in Venezuela and graduated in Social Communication. Has written for international media outlets. Currently living in Colombia // Tomás Lugo, periodista y articulista. Nacido en Venezuela y graduado en Comunicación Social. Ha escrito para medios internacionales. Actualmente reside en Colombia.