NK Tests Another Rocket...So What?

In a few days' time, I fully expect North Korea to again make headlines around the world when it tests yet another "satellite" for "peaceful purposes" (a.k.a. rocket launch to test intercontinental ballistic missile technology).

And for a day or two, news articles will be written, "North Korea Missile Launch" will be a trending topic on Twitter, CNN and other news sites, and talking heads will debate the significance of this event on television.

I have to give credit where it's due, and frankly speaking, the North Korean regime really knows how to work the PR buzz machine.

By garnering all of this publicity with regard to its missile range capabilities, the North Korean regime is able to divert attention away from its ongoing human rights abuses and the refugee crisis it has created.

This past Sunday on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper interviewed a North Korean defector by the name of Shin Dong Hyuk. You can watch the video below:

I've had the fortune of befriending and rooming with Mr. Shin during my brief time in LA, and his story is truly remarkable. Looking back on those few months when I shared a bunk bed with him in that tiny room, I am always amazed at how composed and gentle-hearted he was considering the tremendous amount of suffering and pain he has had to endure. He has a true joy for life which can only come from someone who has been denied that for most of his life.

Shin and me discovering longboarding in LA

A group of fellow classmates in my MBA program at the College of William and Mary have come together in what we call a Junto to discuss North Korea and the possibilities for change and reform over the course of the next semester.

This past week we discussed what today is referred to as the modern day underground railroad by watching the documentary called "Seoul Train". Sadly the suffering of North Koreans often does not stop once they are able to escape from North Korea, the reason being that once safely across the border in China, these refugees need to navigate several thousand miles of roads, cities, and terrain in order to reach freedom. And all along the way, these refugees must avoid capture by the Chinese government, which practices a policy of capturing and repatriating North Korean refugees back to North Korea, where they face harsh punishment (ranging from prison, to torture, and ultimately to execution) for the crime of leaving North Korea without permission.

I have worked on part of this underground railroad in the past, and now I am in business school because I believe that the tools and skills gained in business school can be applied to solving social problems.

I look forward to the innovative ideas that will be generated from the discussions with my fellow classmates throughout the semester.