Abby Yo is an undergraduate student at Yale University majoring in Global Affairs and pursuing an Intensive Certificate in Human Rights. She hopes to pursue a career in human rights law focused on vulnerable populations affected by displacement and authoritarian governance. As a Korean-American, she is particularly interested in the ways political systems shape identity and access to information.

Currently based in Kyiv, Abby is working with Ukrainian civil society and human rights organizations while learning more about accountability and the realities of documenting conflict during wartime. Her experiences in Ukraine during wartime have deepened her interest in how states use crisis conditions to consolidate power and restrict civil liberties, as well as the role human rights research plays in preserving stories that might otherwise be erased.

At HRNK, Abby is researching how the North Korean regime weaponized COVID-19 restrictions to intensify surveillance, suppress refugee outflows, and further isolate the North Korean population. She is especially interested in the relationship between authoritarian control and the human consequences of forced isolation and restricted movement.