Liberty Live Tour 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2008
Justin Wheeler, 562-242-8160, justin@linkglobal.org
Liberty in North Korea | LiNK

ROCK BAND LAUNCHES BENEFIT TOUR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA

WASHINGTON, DC – Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), in conjunction with up-and-coming rock band
Miss Vintage, will hold a tour entitled, “Liberty Live Tour 2008” this fall. The tour will benefit LiNK
and feature special performances by Los Angeles-based Andy Grammer.

Miss Vintage and LiNK will embark on the month-long, nationwide tour on September 14, 2008,
making stops in 22 cities to raise awareness about the human rights violations in North Korea. Before
Miss Vintage’s set each night on tour, a representative from LiNK will be briefly speaking about North
Korean human rights and the refugee crisis.

For more details visit: http://www.linkglobal.org/libertylive.htm

“As a Korean-American, the human rights issues in North Korea hit home for me, and it’s hard not to
stay quiet about it. In fact, ‘Lonely Planet,’ a track off our first album, ‘Runways,’ is a direct response
to what’s going on in North Korea. It amazes me to see the staff at LiNK dedicate their lives and work
tirelessly to become a voice for the voiceless people of North Korea,” says Miss Vintage lead Jason
Min. “More people need to know the truths about the crisis in North Korea and through this tour,
hopefully we can achieve that.”

“We are thrilled to join Miss Vintage in this first-of-its-kind tour to promote a great group and a great
cause. We hope to revive the grassroots movement to create awareness of the atrocities in North Korea
as well as the struggle and plight of North Korean refugees around the world. The grassroots has
tremendous power to mobilize and take action to effect real change in this movement,” says LiNK’s
Deputy Director Hannah Song.

Primary accounts from defectors and satellite photos point to at least a dozen political prison camps
and thirty more forced labor camps within North Korea today. The political prison camps house over
250,000 citizens deemed as dissenters or dangerous to the government. There have been accounts of
forced abortions, biochemical experiments and forced manual labor (including for children), public
executions, and various other cruel and severe punishments.

A nation wracked with hunger and malnourishment, North Korea has deliberately withheld from its
own people every significant, internationally guaranteed right, including freedom of religion, freedom
of speech, freedom of movement, and protection from torture and slavery. Televisions and radios are
built or adapted to allow for only government frequencies, and outside signals are blocked. The
government requires all prayer and religious study to be supervised by the state and severely punishes
North Koreans for worshipping independently in underground churches. Any seemingly innocuous
actions such as whistling a South Korean pop song, refusing or forgetting to wear special pins with
Kim Jong–Il or Kim Il–Sung, or expressing even minor grievances against the government, are
considered political treason. Citizens that commit these “crimes” are often entered into the DPRK’s
system of re–education, forced labor and concentration camps.

Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans have escaped to China in the past decade, risking
imprisonment, torture and execution, and remain in hiding from Chinese and North Korean authorities.
Chinese authorities have placed bounties on the heads of these internationally–recognized refugees,
and much larger bounties upon the heads of the activists who attempt to aid and protect these refugees.
If caught by Chinese or North Korean authorities, these refugees are repatriated back to North Korea,
where they face torture and possible execution. An estimated 70%–90% of North Korean women are
sexually trafficked, captured and sold as chattel, concubines, prostitutes or slaves. In addition, reports
from LiNK field workers show that Chinese authorities that apprehend North Korean refugees often
sell the refugees directly to slave traders and brokers themselves, an appalling violation of numerous
laws even within China.

North Korean children who live in the streets have come to be called kkot–jebi (“flower swallows”).
Usually orphans or unaccompanied minors, many of the children have either lost parents, been
abandoned, or been separated. Many of these children have been born illegally in China, or crossed
over at a very young age. As a result they become “stateless”, lacking documents or identity papers
marking them as North Korean. Because of their illegal status, these children have no opportunities for
education and employment. All are at risk of exploitation and repatriation, and have no authorities to
protect them. China must live up to their international obligations and protect these children, and cease
repatriation of North Korean refugees immediately.

LiNK is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the protection of the human rights
of the North Korean people. LiNK advocates for human rights, political and religious freedom and
humanitarian aid for North Korea, and works to protect North Koreans where they can be reached. In
the field, LiNK investigates labor camps, partakes in fact-finding missions, maintains a network of
shelters to protect refugees in hiding, and also operates in the underground movement helping to bring
refugees to safe countries. In the US and South Korea, LiNK’s Liberty House Program assists newly
resettled refugees.

For more information visit: http://www.linkglobal.org

Miss Vintage sold over 5,000 units of their debut album, “Runways” and have gained wide popularity
over the last year playing at over 150 rock venues and college campuses throughout the country within
the last year and a half. Representing a classic clash of intrigue and pop sensibilities, this self-
proclaimed “art rock” band does not fail to deliver a sound akin to the ambient, dulcet, but heavy-
hitting qualities of influences such as Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros, Mew, and Radiohead. The
area qualities of the band’s emotionally-laden melodies are accentuated by beautifully crafted lyrics
that detail various aspects of the human experience: life, love, adventure, and loss. What you have at
the end of this clever formula is a haunting but breathtaking experience that brings you gently into the
hearts of these four men who have a poignant story to tell. They are releasing their second album, “Our
Lives Are Not Through Just Yet” in August 2008.

For more information visit: http://www.missvintagemusic.com/

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Miss Vintage: Jason Min (lead vocals, guitar); Joseph Chai (guitar, vocals, keys); Brian Skulski
(drums); and Colin Leaman (bass).