Seongmin Lee is the director of the Korea Desk at the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). He manages Korea-related programs, including Flash Drives for Freedom, a multi-award-winning program that smuggles information into North Korea, one of the most closed societies in the world. Before joining HRF, he managed, advised, and assisted with several high-profile projects at organizations based in South Korea, Canada, and the US, focusing on improving human rights conditions and information access in North Korea. Born and raised in North Korea, Lee later defected to South Korea and received his bachelor’s in political science from Columbia University and a master’s in international security policy and management from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.