Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad

September 2012

Past Event

Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad

Past Event

Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters

September 19, 2012

September 2012

Past Event

1015 15th Street, N.W., 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Read Transcript Read Transcript

Speakers:

Greg Scarlatoiu,

Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea

Melanie Kirkpatrick,

Hudson Senior Fellow and author

Jae Ku,

Director of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Suzanne Scholte,

Chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition

Kim Seong-min,

North Korean defector and founder of Free North Korea Radio

Escape from North Korea (Encounter Books) is a rare good-news story from the world's most repressive state—a compelling account of the people who dare to escape and the Good Samaritans who help them.

In her new book, Hudson Senior Fellow and former Wall Street Journal editorial board member Melanie Kirkpatrick describes the secret network of safe houses and transit routes that carry North Koreans hiding in China to safety in neighboring countries. The conductors are brokers motivated by money, as well as Christians motivated by faith. In violation of its obligations under international treaties, China's policy is to repatriate the North Koreans and arrest their rescuers.

Just as escaped slaves from the American South educated Americans about the evils of slavery, the North Korean fugitives are informing the world about the secretive country they fled. They are also sowing the seeds for change within North Korea itself by channeling news back to their information-starved homeland. They are a bridge to a free and unified Korea.

April 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

The Future of the Gulf: Commerce and Security in the Middle East After Operation Epic Fury

Featured Speakers:

Mike Gallagher

Jared Cohen

April 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

The Future of the Gulf: Commerce and Security in the Middle East After Operation Epic Fury

Join Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Mike Gallagher for a fireside chat with Jared Cohen, president of global affairs at Goldman Sachs and co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute, for a discussion on the future of the Persian Gulf.

Featured Speakers:

Mike Gallagher

Jared Cohen

Learn More

April 2026

In-Person Event | Invite Only

Updating US Trade Policy: A Discussion on the Strategic and Economic Importance of Central Asia with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

Featured Speakers:

Ken Moriyasu

Congressman Jimmy Panetta

April 2026

In-Person Event | Invite Only

Updating US Trade Policy: A Discussion on the Strategic and Economic Importance of Central Asia with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

Please join Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Senior Fellow Ken Moriyasu for a discussion on Central Asia’s economic and strategic significance and why updating US trade policy is key to unlocking the region’s potential in an era of renewed great power competition.

Featured Speakers:

Ken Moriyasu

Congressman Jimmy Panetta

Learn More

April 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Cuba: Prospects for Transition

Featured Speakers:

Daniel Batlle

Frank Calzon

April 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Cuba: Prospects for Transition

Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Frank Calzon, a veteran human rights advocate and one of the foremost authorities on Cuban civil society, as we examine the state of the island, lessons from democratic transitions elsewhere, and prospects for the Trump administration’s Cuba strategy.

Featured Speakers:

Daniel Batlle

Frank Calzon

Learn More

April 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Sustaining the Edge: A Conversation with Congressman Ronny Jackson on US-Israel Technology and Security

Featured Speakers:

Joel Rayburn

Congressman Ronny Jackson

April 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Sustaining the Edge: A Conversation with Congressman Ronny Jackson on US-Israel Technology and Security

Please join Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran and Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-TX) for a discussion on the congressman’s recently introduced United States-Israel Framework for Upgraded Technologies, Research, and Enhanced Security Act and the strategic importance of the US-Israel partnership.