HanVoice

our exhibit is running until the end of this week!

We’re at a turning point. Support for our global movement is at risk.

Not because Congress has voted to end it, but because no one is stepping up to save it.

For over twenty years, support for this issue has united Americans across party lines. Upholding this legacy and renewing U.S. commitment to the issue is well within reach, and something tangible we can do today.

In partnership with , we’re launching a grassroots campaign. Learn more and access the live campaign dashboard in our

We are proud to announce that is co-hosting , the first global exhibit dedicated to unveiling the hidden lives of North Korean women—women who have long endured systematic oppression yet remain absent from global narratives.

Curated by , designed by , and co-hosted with , UNSEEN brings these lives into focus through the voices of twelve contemporary artists and the testimonies of ten North Korean escapees.

Visit from Sep 20-27, 12-8 PM.

“I first came across HanVoice on Instagram and decided to attend their Human Rights Lab out of curiosity and a recognition of how little I knew about the lives of North Korean people. It only took one gathering for me to realize: I had found the right space, surrounded by the right people, for the right reasons.

Being part of the HanVoice community has been a powerful reminder that, in the end, it is all about people. Philosopher Emmanuel Levinas once asked: “What right do we have to exist? Who decides?” Human rights should not be controversial. We are all fundamentally responsible for one another. HanVoice embodies that very principle of shared humanity.

HanVoice has opened countless doors for me. I have gained experience in education, self-reflection, research, leadership, policy advocacy, public speaking, lobbying, networking, mentorship, and community-building. But what I value most are the people: meeting an incredible mentor, forming lifelong friendships, and, above all, having the honour of learning from North Koreans themselves.

One of the most important lessons HanVoice has taught me is to recognize the power of action, whether large or small, direct or quiet. What matters is that we begin, that we try, and that we keep trying. Especially in today’s climate, it is more important than ever to be engaged, critically, courageously, and consistently, in whatever way we can.”

Jasmene (.k) joined Hanvoice in 2020 and is a Chapter Liaison of the HanVoie Executive Committee.

Please consider supporting HanVoice by joining the community or making a donation at hanvoice.ca/donate

“I thought about it for years before I joined HanVoice.

Back in 2015, a group of human rights activists came to my high school to speak about North Korea. They handed out T-shirts, and I wore one the next day. A stranger stopped me on the street to ask why I was ‘supporting North Korea.’ I struggled to explain. Until that moment, I had only heard about North Korea in passing—usually in the context of nuclear weapons or as the punchline to a joke. I remembered my friends quoting The Interview. The way people talked about North Korea made it sound like dystopian fiction, something completely detached from the real world. That presentation was the first time I encountered it as a real place—one where serious human rights violations were being overlooked or misunderstood.

From that day forward, I started paying attention. Whenever North Korea came up in conversation or the news, I listened differently.

In 2020, a friend introduced me to HanVoice and asked if I’d consider joining. I hesitated. It felt like high school all over again—I wasn’t sure what I had to offer to something that felt so big. But I quickly discovered a nationwide community of people who, like me, had quietly started paying attention years ago—and decided to act.

Today, thousands of North Koreans are displaced around the world, fleeing a regime that systematically violates their basic rights and freedoms. I’ve met escapees and listened to their stories. Now, it no longer feels like fiction. HanVoice has become a space where I’m reminded of the values that matter—especially at a time when human rights are under increasing pressure globally. While we may not be able to solve everything, we can create a country and community where North Korean escapees are free to live with dignity.”

Please consider supporting our mission by donating at hanvoice.ca/donate.

Gareth () joined HanVoice in 2020 and serves as Chapter Liaison on the HanVoice Executive Committee.

“‘Accident is the name of the greatest of all inventors.’

This quote by Mark Twain captures how my journey with HanVoice began. It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when I came across a Facebook post in a student group—HanVoice was hiring a VP of Social Media. At the time, I was nearing the end of my second year of university, isolated in Canada without family, in-person classes, or much human connection. That post felt like a small door opening in an otherwise closed-off world. I applied on a whim, not expecting much—it was the first club I had ever seen that aligned with my values. Days passed with no response, and I assumed it was a dead end—until an unexpected interview invitation appeared in my inbox.

Those first few months with HanVoice were life-changing. I learned about the harrowing human rights abuses in North Korea—the surveillance, forced labor, torture, and executions used to control an entire population. I learned about the barriers that North Korean refugees face even after escaping, including the systemic discrimination many endure in South Korea.

When our chapter president announced their departure and no one volunteered to take over, I could not walk away. I stepped up. Everything—budgeting, club ratification, leadership—was unfamiliar. But the mission, the fight for freedom and dignity, mattered more than the steep learning curve. After my first year as president, I continued with HanVoice as a research analyst, contributing to the organization’s registration as a charity.“

If you are able, please consider supporting our mission at hanvoice.ca/donate. And if this story resonates with you, please share it with your network.

Dev () joined HanVoice in 2020 and serves as Event Co-Director of the HanVoice Executive Committee.

“When I was ten, my Sunday School teacher asked me to welcome a new friend—a refugee from North Korea. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp what that meant. All I knew was she looked like me: also ten, with black hair and dark eyes. We shared a common Korean heritage—a sense of “han.” The only difference was that she had come from the other side of the Korean Peninsula. It wasn’t until we suddenly lost touch that I began to learn more about the human rights violations that ordinary North Koreans endure—forced disappearances, surveillance, imprisonment, and the constant threat of punishment simply for trying to survive or seek freedom.

That early experience sparked an interest in the northern half of my Korean identity—one that eventually led me to HanVoice. Over the last five years, HanVoice has given me countless opportunities to learn about the ongoing human rights violations in North Korea and to explore how these issues are intertwined with my own sense of identity. What’s kept me here is the close-knit community and the mentorship that continues to challenge and inspire me.

If I ever get the chance to meet my childhood friend again, I hope I can tell her about the work we’ve done through HanVoice—how we’ve helped ensure that more North Korean refugees like her are welcomed in Canada with the dignity we all deserve.”

Please consider supporting HanVoice and our mission by donating at hanvoice.ca/donate.

Yevin joined HanVoice in 2020 and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the HanVoice Executive Committee.

The U.S. has suspended all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days, effective January 21, 2025.

We can’t afford to pause our work. Please donate today and help us continue our mission.

Donate today at hanvoice.ca/donate

That’s a wrap!

We sold nearly 2,000 tickets and had nearly 1,000 people drop by our exhibit in three days.

Thank you to .ltd for your partnership year after year and for helping us start meaningful conversations.

We’re on for only two more days.

Free tickets available at peoplesmuseum.ca