Timothy Cho

Timothy Cho is a two-time escapee who has endured imprisonment four times in China and North Korea. After his parents fled North Korea, he became a homeless member of the “enemy class”, a group comprised of families of regime defectors deprived of opportunities. Since arriving in the UK, he has earned 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 2016, Timothy won The Dean’s Award at the inaugural Create Student Awards ceremony. In 2023, he receive Alumni awards from both the University of Salford and University of Liverpool, as well as the Ministerial Award from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification. He served as an aide to Fiona Bruce (MP for Congleton) in 2018-2019 and currently serves as an Open Doors UK Spokesperson for Korea and is a CREDO Ambassador for persecuted people worldwide. 

He ran for election three times in the UK’s Local Council Elections and regularly speaks at conferences in the UK and internationally, including the United Nations Human Rights Council Sessions on North Korea where he addressed human rights, political and religious persecution in North Korea and other nations. 

We are immensely proud of Timothy’s achievements since winning his Create Student Award, here in Salford and beyond. 

Click below to watch the recording of our first-ever Create Student Awards podcast, where we spoke to Timothy about winning the Dean's Award in 2016, and his years at Salford University, including his time as a nominee and guest at the Create Awards.