Sisters Lisa & Laura Ling collaborate on the #savemyfriend PSA. In February 2012, 30 North Korean refugees were arrested in China and the government plans to forcibly send them back to North Korea where they will face harsh punishment or death. This case is important because it is the first arrest of North Korean refugees in China after Kim Jung-il’s death. Kim Jung-un, the son of Kim Jung-il and North Koreas’s current leader, declared that refugees who flee North Korea during the 100-day mourning period of his father’s death would be annihilated along with their families.

 Thirty have been caught, but many more lives are at risk — North Koreans that are caught trying to defect are faced with the cruelest death sentence, often preceded by a long process of torture or excruciating labor. This is because the North Korean government perceives defectors as the number one threat to their authority.

If the international community, especially China, doesn’t take a strong stance on saving North Korean refugees once and for all, they are guilty of supporting the death of thousands of innocent lives. China has the power and opportunity to rewrite history and stop one of the greatest atrocities of our time — on behalf of our friends and family, please help #SaveMyFriend!

Find out how you can help here

Lisa & Laura Ling #savemyfriend PSA

The North Korean Refugee Crisis #savemyfriend