What Makes Tim Peters Tick

I am often asked; ‘Why am I, as a non-Korean, interested in North Korea human rights and refugees?’ … My deepest rooted beliefs regarding the repression of 200,000 political prisoners, including Christians, raised my Christian convictions to care.

In many ways I am ill-suited for the task of helping North Koreans. First, despite living in Korea for 15 years, I speak Korean poorly. Second, I have only been in North Korea for two days in 1999 to deliver food aid. Third, I do not have a scholarly background on North Korea. But I was moved to help by the stories of suffering in North Korea, especially orphans, and the suffering I saw among North Korean refugees that I met in China.

I think the ‘defining moment’ for me came in 2002 - I had already been involved in helping North Korean refugees. I met a 10-year-old North Korean boy named Yoo Chul-min. Read more.

--Tim Peters, Helping Hands Korea