Reach For Incorporated

06/04/2018

It has been an amazing opportunity and blessing to have crossed paths with a few North Korean students, residing in South Korea, who had come to Sydney for educational purposes.

One of Reach For's visions is to create a bridge between North Korean defectors and Sydney. Holding fast to our belief, Reach For successfully ran a 6-month buddy program over the students' stay which involved English lessons and simply being there to support them!

As their visit came to an end, we took the students out to experience surfing! What better way to experience Aussie culture to the fullest? Despite not knowing how to swim, the students faced their fears and made the most out of the trip! Here's a short video to sum up the day, enjoy! 🙂

22/09/2017

📚 Friday Book Recommendation! 📚

"Kim Jong-Il formally set these 3 principles as a basis for diplomatic engagement:
1. The US will buy any lie, as long as it is logically presented.
2. Japan is susceptible to emotional manipulation.
3. South Korea can be ignored or blackmailed."

📖 'Dear Leader' - Jang Jin Sung

15/09/2017

The North Korean government once had a public distribution system that ensured its citizens had food on the table. 🍚

After the Great Famine, the system collapsed, forcing citizens to fend for themselves.

📽

Is Gentrification Turning London Into A Ghost Town? http://bit.ly/1Sb8wpm Subscribe! http://bitly.com/1iLOHml As the hermit kingdom, North Korea is closed of...

08/09/2017

When sun sets & natural light is gone, what does North Korea look like?

💡"In South Korea, people consume 10,162 kilowatt hours of power per person, per year. North Koreans use just 739."
- Business Insider

📷 A satellite image shows China, South Korea and Japan aglow at night. But the lights are out in North Korea.

01/09/2017

What's life really like in North Korea?

In this video by Asian Boss, two young North Korean defectors share their experience of life on the other side of the border.

📽: https://youtu.be/DyqUw0WYwoc

Special Thanks To Sunny for sharing her story. Check out her YouTube channel about North Korea: https://goo.gl/PMbvXW WATCH PART 2 HERE: https://www.youtube....

05/08/2017

Do you live in Sydney? Interested in North Korean affairs, but not sure how you can help? We are looking for young Australians who are able to "Buddy Up" with former North Korean defector students during their stay in Sydney. Send your CV to [email protected] for more details. *Applications close 12.8.17

21/12/2016

21// “I don’t know what I can do to help, but I pray North and South will be unified soon.”



Name: Simon Woo
Occupation: Student

* What’s the biggest issue that you think faces the planet right now?
Lookism-body images created by social media, making people decide others on beauty, appearance, causing discrimination. Also because of this issue, plastic surgery became a common way to grab attention and love. This is a huge problem because there is lack of self-love and it’s spreading very QUICKLY!

* What social issues would you like addressed on a global scale?
The big difference between the rich and the poor. The gap is still growing and people don’t seem like caring about it. I guess it’s something like a cycle, inequality between rich and poor, rich people getting more opportunities and freedom than the poor.

* Do you think young people care about these issues?
Not really, unless it’s directly impacting THEM.

* How do you find life in Australia?
Australia is a great country to live in. There are many ways to get opportunities here and you get more freedom starting from a young age compare to other countries like South Korea.

* What is it about Australia you love?
Multiculturalism. Great country to experience different culture’s food and tradition around your place.

* Who do you consider a leader?
I’m a Christian and I think Jesus is a good leader because he understands and forgives every single time! he also sacrificed himself just for us! He’ll be a great leader.

* Have you heard of K-pop? If so, what do you know about it?
Kpop stands for Korean pop and I’m a huge fan of it! Also, it’s a big part of Korean culture.

* What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear 'North Korea'?
The leader, Kim Jong-un.

* Do you have any interest in North Korean related issues? If so, what are they and how did they start?
Unification. Since I’m Korean, and know some history about it, North Koreans don’t have much freedom and lives in poverty. Through a Korean youth camp during the last holiday, I learnt why it’s so hard to unify these two countries, and I believe selfishness and loss of love caused all these big and small problems. I don’t know what I can do to help, but I pray North and South will be unified soon.

Join us next Monday for another interview. For more of such interviews, be sure to follow us on Instagram for weekly updates!

20/12/2016

"North Korea uses dialogue as a tool of deception rather than of negotiation, with the objective being the maintenance of misplaced trust in the other party."

📝 “Dear Leader” – Jang Jin Sung

11/12/2016

20// “The people who are starving and oppressed by the authorities there who have no love for their people.”



Name: Annie Wong
Occupation: Student

* What’s the biggest issue that you think faces the planet right now?
Probably poverty.

* What social issues would you like addressed on a global scale?
Inequality between the rich and poor.

* Do you think young people care about these issues?
Yes some, but not all.

* Then how can we encourage and support people to take actions?
By educating on the extent of poverty/ inequality there is in the world, because not everyone is aware of how much these issues can affect others until it happens to ourselves. Providing different channels where different people can help make a change with what they have - being as simple as even just chatting with friends and creating awareness in that way.

* What makes a good leader? Do you have any role model?
One who has wisdom, humility, who is ready to listen to what others have to say, and who loves his/ her people as himself/ herself; not the power he/she has.

* What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear 'North Korea'?
The people who are starving and oppressed by the authorities there who have no love for their people.

* Do you have any interest in North Korean related issues? If so, what are they and how did they start?
I have not thought too much about North Korea recently or in the past, though I have watched a couple of videos before regarding North Korea and the lifestyle there. It is scarily different to the freedom of life that is more than normal here, in Sydney. With that said, I currently know more about North Korea than I would have in the past, probably because of my sister is interested with the happenings and people of North Korea. She talks about it at times and tells us stories about the people from North Korea that she's read in books or from an event she's just been to.

I would love to find out more about North Korean related issues, and I can help in the ways I can to bring some change however small :)

Join us next Monday for another interview. For more of such interviews, be sure to follow us on Instagram for weekly updates!

09/12/2016

"In 1945, the US and the Soviet Union divided the Korean Peninsula in two... the division into 2 Koreas was supposed to be temporary, lasting only until the UN could organise... a unified government. But the Soviet Union blocked the plan, and by 1948 they had installed a Marxist government in the north under the control of Kim Il Sung."

📝 “Not Forgotten” – Kenneth Bae

04/12/2016

19// “North and South Korea are physically a step away from each other, yet they are very far.“



Name: Isabelle Lee
Occupation: Student

• What’s the biggest issue that you think faces the planet right now?
Climate change.

• What social issues would you like addressed on a global scale?
Human rights, especially in developing countries where laws may not be enforced or as strict. I feel that human rights should always be taken into account as there are countless amounts of people being killed or jailed just for having their own political or religious stance.

• Do you think young people care about these issues?
There are a handful of young people who do care as seen in projects or campaigns such as amnesty international but other than that most young people think of it as just another topic they have to get through in school and would rather focus on other things such as social media, etc.

• How do you find life in Australia?
It's multicultural so its very diverse, there's a wide range of opportunities, clean environment.

• What is it about Australia that you love?
The different cultures you get to experience and the diverse career opportunities.

• What makes a good leader? Do you have any role model?
I think a leader is someone who can lead a group to a goal and can communicate to others with understanding and influence

• Have you heard of K-pop? If so, what do you know about it?
Korean pop music. I know that K-pop is something that links people of other cultures to South Korea.

• What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear 'North Korea’?
The flag or the line between North and South.

• Do you have any interest in North Korean related issues? If so, what are they and how did they start?
Yes. As a South Korean, I have always been brought up with people telling me about North Korea. North and South Korea are physically a step away from each other, yet they are very far. There is a massive difference between the North & South in terms of its political ruling and the human rights their citizens have.
Due to this, I think that one of the biggest issues is because of the harsh dictatorship. These citizens are not able to have their own beliefs or religious stance.

Join us next Monday for another interview. For more of such interviews, be sure to follow us on Instagram for weekly updates!

30/11/2016

"If our Supreme Leader was great, why were his people starving to death? I hated the way that these questions kept bubbling up in my mind like water from a mountain spring. When I thought I had dismissed one, another question arose in its place."

📝 “Dear Leader” – Jang Jin Sung