Not too long ago, the Chairwoman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, Suzanne Scholte, pointed out a key problem with activism on behalf of the dire North Korean human rights situation. Namely, that while Darfur has George Clooney and Mia Farrow, and Tibet counts on Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama, the problematic half of the Peninsula has no celebrity drawing much needed attention to it.
As we now know, Michael Jackson took a personal interest in the Laura Ling-Euna Lee situation a few months before his untimely death, telling friend @gothamchopra to look into whether Kim Jong-il might be an MJ fan. It’s tantalizing to think what could have been possible if Jackson were still alive today and somehow became committed to the North Korean cause.
Would it make sense for someone like Janet Jackson to take on that challenge, in the name of her brother? Certainly, the idea of PSAs featuring her and the spirit of Michael, all for the purpose of helping the children of the Hermit Kingdom, is a good one. Another Ling-Lee derived fit could be Ashton Kutcher and lovely wife Demi Moore, pulling the power couple charity move a la Brangelina.
North Korea’s pop culture realm champion does not necessarily need to be a huge name; witness what Sally Struthers has been able to do for the Christian Children’s Fund and Penn Foster Schools. But at this juncture, a celebrity deciding lending a hand to the NK good fight would be a tremendously impactful asset.
Filed under: Commentary
I am kind of hoping the Ling sisters can use their high public profile to promote the NK situation. Until Lisa Ling, her family and Euna’s went public there seemed to be almost no reporting about Euna and Laura’s situation.
Yes, it will be interesting to see how Laura Ling moves forward on this front.