What made this workshop particularly impactful was its holistic design. As CNK shared with us, “In my experience, training in this area often leans heavily on the technical side and doesn’t offer enough practical support for staff wellbeing. This training really helped us understand the impact on staff of working with North Korean escapees.” The inclusion of guided handouts and reflection tools ensured the learning wouldn’t be left behind once the session ended.
While CNK’s work does not involve investigative interviewing in the strict sense, the session still reshaped aspects of their approach. “It was useful after the session to think about how we could prevent re-traumatisation in our day-to-day work,” they said. Trauma-informed practice has relevance well beyond legal documentation.
A particularly valued part of the training was the segment on secondary trauma care. CNK’s team includes North Korean refugees, and the emotional toll of supporting others with similar experiences can be significant. The training offered both insights and strategies for managing vicarious trauma, helping to support the sustainability of their vital work. Role-playing exercises will be revisited later this spring to reinforce those skills.
One emotional moment that stood out came when team members reflected on their personal motivations for doing this work. As one participant described, “We don’t often have time to share and reflect on that – it was very helpful for fostering a stronger bond between the team members.”
When asked whether they would recommend this training to others, CNK was unequivocal: “Absolutely. This training is a vital foundation for any organisation working with North Korean escapees. It equips teams not only with the technical knowledge, but also the know-how for how to process the challenging stories and experiences we hear day in and day out with our clients.”
While the South Korea is home to the largest number of North Korean refugees, the United Kingdom hosts the second largest diaspora. Within this UK-based community is a growing number of highly educated second-generation individuals who often speak English as a first language and have graduated from top universities, including Cambridge.
As key decision-making centres such as Brussels and Geneva increasingly shape the global response to North Korea, the proximity of the UK diaspora to these hubs places them in a strategically important position. In the coming decade, these individuals, who are rooted in lived experience yet equipped with the education, language, and access to policy platforms, are likely to play a pivotal role in shaping the second wave of North Korean human rights work. Their voices, perspectives, and leadership could help steer a more globally integrated and policy-relevant approach to justice and accountability for North Korean survivors.
We are grateful to Justice Rapid Response for making their expert available and to CNK for the trust and openness they brought to this session
