On October 7, 2015, Fragomen in Toronto Associates Jack Kim and Christopher Kim were personally invited to attend a special announcement by Canada's Conservative Party. Former immigration minister and present Minister of Defence and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney announced that a re-elected Conservative government would create a program to resettle North Korean refugees stranded in transit countries, such as Thailand.
For the past two years, Jack and Christopher have liaised with government officials in their capacity as volunteers for an advocacy group called HanVoice, Canada's leading organization on North Korean human rights and refugee advocacy. This has included extensive discussion at the political and bureaucratic levels, including with cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, and Senators.
Since earlier this year, the pair have been actively engaged with key stakeholders in Ottawa, as well as the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, to lay much of the foundation for this groundbreaking announcement, which is the first campaign promise specific to the North Korean human rights and refugee cause by any political party in Canadian history.
Pictured above: Jack Kim, Canada's Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, and Christopher Kim