" There was a need to be able to humanize the North Korea issue, the North Korean people, and how we define success of redefining North Korea, rebranding North Korea. It's that when we go out and you ask somebody, when you think about North Korea, what's the first thing you think about that? It could be a specific story of a North Korean person. It was a memoir. They read somebody's experience." - Hannah Song
Stories change us. They have an unparalleled ability to move and inspire us, especially when they are personal and authentic. For Hannah Song, the CEO of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), the stories of individuals affected by North Korea's oppressive regime were the catalyst for her to join LiNK and fight for their freedom.
In this episode, Hannah shares her journey to discovering the true value of storytelling, and how she's using it to bring hope and change to those suffering in North Korea. Discover the art of storytelling as a tool for advocacy and social change, and how you can use it to amplify your organization's impact.
Contents
Chapter 1 - Hannah’s Beginnings (1:57)
Chapter 2 - What LiNK Does (10:38)
Chapter 3 - North Korea in the Media (13:29)
Chapter 4 - Connecting with Gen Z (21:01)
Chapter 5 - Making People the Brand (22:26)
Chapter 6 - The Resilience of Community (24:47)
Chapter 7 - The Future of LiNK (26:46)
CEO
Hannah Song is the president and CEO of US nonprofit Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), which raises awareness of the human-rights situation in North Korea and provides resettlement support to North Korean refugees. Before joining LiNK, Song worked in advertising at OgilvyOne and Mindshare, with a focus on digital media and emerging technologies.
Song, who had previously been unaware about the situation in North Korea, says that she was changed by her reading of Aquariums of Pyongyang, the true account of a boy who spent 10 years in a North Korean prison camp in North Korea. In 2006, she started working full-time at LiNK's headquarters in Washington, D.C. She worked as Deputy Director until 2008, when Hong chose her to become the organization's new CEO and Executive Director.
