Kim Sungeun

Kim Sungeun
Born
김성은

Jan 2, 1965
Seoul, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Other namesSeungeun Kim
OccupationPastor
Known forHuman rights activism

Pastor Kim Sungeun (also spelled Seungeun or Sung Eun) is a South Korean human rights activist and director of the Caleb Mission, a Christian organization. He is noted for his work in aiding North Korean defectors to safety in South Korea or elsewhere. He has worked to expose human rights abuses committed by the North Korean government. He has also worked to rescue North Korean orphans and to establish international and domestic laws so that the children can be adopted and raised by families. Pastor Kim gained international recognition for his modern-day "Underground Railroad"[1] ministry, which has rescued over 1,000 North Korean defectors since 2000.[2][3]

His activities were introduced in various media outlets and were featured prominently in the documentary 'Beyond Utopia'. The film won the Audience Award for American Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. [4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ "Meet Oslo Freedom Forum Speaker Pastor Kim". Human Rights Foundation. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  2. ^ Malcolm Gay. "'Beyond Utopia': a documentary that takes viewers on an escape from North Korea". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  3. ^ Pavia, Will (2023-12-03). "How the Oskar Schindler of North Korea helped 1,000 people escape". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  4. ^ "South Korean pastor devotes his life to defectors". LA Times. August 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "For those fleeing N. Korea, new problems on obscure escape route through Laos". Washington Post. June 14, 2013.
  6. ^ "OKN Interviews Pastor Kim Seong Eun of Caleb Mission". One Korea Network. March 31, 2023.
  7. ^ "Small S. Korean Church Strives to Expose North's Secrets". VOA. September 19, 2010.