Timothy Cho is a two-time escapee who endured imprisonment on four occasions in China and North Korea. After his parents fled North Korea, he was left homeless and classified as part of the “enemy class”—a persecuted group made up of families of regime defectors who are systematically denied opportunities.

Since resettling in the United Kingdom, Timothy has pursued higher education, earning a BA in International Relations and Politics from the University of Salford and an MA in International Relations and Security from the University of Liverpool. In 2023, he was honoured with Alumni Awards from both universities and received the Ministerial Award from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification.

Timothy served as an aide to Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton from 2018 to 2019 and currently serves as the Secretariat of the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea. He is also an Open Doors UK Spokesperson for North Korea and an Ambassador for Aid to the Church in Need, advocating for persecuted Christians worldwide.

He ran for election three times in the UK’s local council elections in May 2021, 2022, and 2023. Timothy regularly speaks at conferences in the UK and internationally, including at the 60th, 55th, 52nd, and 49th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the DPRK, where he addresses human rights violations, as well as political and religious persecution in North Korea and other countries.

Reflecting on his past, Timothy shares:
“Living in totalitarian North Korea, I didn’t know who I was, what choices I had, what I loved, or what my dreams were. The past 17 years of living in democratic Britain and pursuing education have helped me discover my identity, passions, and the values I stand for—our intrinsic democratic principles of freedom of faith, expression, speech, and opportunity.”