The Korean Festival is being held on campus Tuesday to raise funds for North Korean refugees in China.

Liberty in North Korea, or LiNK, is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to rescue North Koreans who have fled from the country.

North Koreans often flee into China, but the Chinese government does not recognize them as refugees. They deport these escaped North Koreans back to North Korea if caught. They can face torture or even death if deported.

LiNK sends teams to help relocate the escaped North Koreans into South Korea or the United States before being found hiding in China.

LiNK has chapters on college campuses nationwide known as Rescue Teams. The TCU Rescue Team members said they are hoping to raise awareness and funding at the Korean Festival.

Ha Young Kong, a senior education major, is the president of LiNK on campus. Kong says the organization’s first motive is to spread awareness.

“We grow awareness about the North Korean crisis and how people are suffering,” Kong said.

The Korean Festival is planned to be one of the ways to help spread awareness in our own community.

It will have traditional Korean games, food, singers, musicians and dancers. It will also have a traditional fashion show.

LiNK members say they have a goal of selling 200 tickets to the event. All the money raised will go to rescuing refugees or providing them with food and shelter.

Lea Sandoval, a first-year education major and member of LiNK, wants visitors of the event to understand what the organization is trying to do to help Korean refugees.

“The festival will be a fun experience,” Sandoval said, “but they will also leave pondering what they can do to help this organization.”

Kong said she does not want students to focus merely on the fun of the Korean Festival. LiNK’s main purpose is to save the lives of refugees.

“Our Korean Festival is to show Korean culture, but more than that it is there to save a life,” Kong said. “That is the ultimate goal to focus on the refugees and to focus on the person’s life.”

The Korean Festival will be held in the Brown-Lupton University Union Auditorium Tuesday, April 14th from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets can be bought for $10 at the door.

Students can also e-mail [email protected] to reserve tickets before check-in begins.