The #MeToo campaign is generating so much news in South Korea that it could be easy to forget that the same issues exist, to a greater degree, north of the border. Korea Future Initiative is a London-based organisation that rescues vulnerable North Koreans, reports and investigates human rights violations, and provides redress for exiles through … [Read More]
Category: Social Justice (page 2)
Human rights in North Korea after a decade of change
The All Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea invites you to the launch of a landmark new report on human rights in North Korea: Movies, markets and mass surveillance: Human rights in North Korea after a decade of change Monday 5th February, 5-7pm Committee Room 12, Houses of Parliament Speaking at the event will be: … [Read More]
Evening talk: Inside North Korea
Mike Glendinning and Jihyun Park gave this talk in London and Manchester last year (6 Nov and 3 Dec 2017). Further opportunities to hear the talk are in London on 23 Jan and Manchester on 18 Mar 2018: Inside North Korea Venue: Lock 17, Camden Lock Place, London, NW1 8AL (Exact address will be provided … [Read More]
Lord Alton on North Korean human rights and more
Those of you attending one of the DPRK Youth Para-Ensemble performances, or planning to go to the seminar at SOAS tomorrow, may want to read Lord Alton’s hard-hitting op ed in the Korea JoongAng Daily from two weeks ago (18 May). Much as we would be heartened to see genuine progress in the treatment of … [Read More]
Gallery: Song Byeok’s exhibition at the Human Rights Action Centre
LKL paid a brief visit to Song Byeok’s exhibition at Amnesty International’s Shoreditch building on 9 May – a quick lunchtime hop from the day job in Canary Wharf. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the discussion evening at SOAS (we were flying back from our annual Korea visit at the time). But here are … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 9: Sewol victims remembered at the Ansan Street Arts Festival
Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 5 May 2017, 6:30pm. It is said that at the height of his efforts to build the Republic of Korea into an economic powerhouse, Park Chung-hee happened to be flying in a helicopter over western Gyeonggi-do. He looked out and saw what he considered to be a lot of under-utilised real estate, and decided … [Read More]
Event news: Song Byeok’s debut UK exhibition + discussion evening
Connect: North Korea, a new organisation brought to you by the people behind the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea, celebrates its launch with an exhibition by North Korean exile artist Song Byeok and a discussion event: Song Byeok: Discussion evening and debut UK exhibition Exhibition: Human Rights Action Centre | 17-25 New … [Read More]
Event news: the 2017 International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights
News of an upcoming conference organised by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea: 2017 International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights 18 May 2017, 10am – 6pm Aldersgate Room | Central Hall Westminster | Storey’s Gate | London SW1H 9NH Register by 14 May 2017 via [email protected] On … [Read More]
Event news: The Apology screens at Human Rights Watch film festival
Human Rights Watch film festival will be screening The Apology, a documentary on the subject of women forced into sexual slavery in WWII. There will be two opportunities to see the film, both followed by a Q+A session with director Tiffany Hsiung. The Apology (2016) UK Premiere, with Q+A with Director Tiffany Hsiung Wednesday 15 … [Read More]
Event news: the 1st Global North Korea Freedom Week
News of next week’s Global North Korea Freedom Week, said to be the first, arrived in my inbox recently. Don’t ask me to interpret how the timetable below works. Perhaps a more accurate version can be found on the www.ifreenk.com website, but my mcaffee web filter won’t let me go there. 1st Global North Korea … [Read More]
BECTU: “Film festival sets disgraceful example in Living Wage Week”
Many of us enjoyed the London East Asia Film Festival recently, myself included. But let’s not forget the hard work of the staff who make it happen. BECTU, the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union, is supporting the temporary and part time workers who according to a news item on their website were paid below … [Read More]
FT sticks the boot into Reckitt Benckiser
In an article subtitled “Multinational group’s corporate culture is out of step with the public mood” the FT today laid into Reckitt Benckiser for its management and presentation of its troubles in Korea. It was dismaying to see an update mention the “HS Issue” in the same workaday tones as poor sales of the Wet … [Read More]
Slaves to the System Project launches Poland report
Slaves to the System, a collaboration between EAHRNK and the Leiden Asia Centre, published their first major report on DPRK workers in Poland at a conference held at Leiden this week: On Wednesday afternoon (6 July) in Leiden, the Netherlands, a new in-depth report on the issue of North Korean forced labour in Poland was … [Read More]
Visiting Korean students protest Comfort Woman issue
Great to see so many young people from South Korea raising awareness of the ‘comfort women’ issue in London today, performing and protesting at the Japanese embassy and Trafalgar Square. [Read More]
Exporting Enslavement: the Exploitation of North Korean Labourers
Thousands of North Korean workers have been exported across the world to raise hard currency for the North Korean Government. Working under conditions that can only be defined as ‘forced labour’, a political elite in Pyongyang is able to import luxury goods, finance an extensive concentration camp and surveillance network, and build a functioning nuclear … [Read More]
APPG provides summary of their conference on violence against women
The All Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea has published a brief write-up of their conference on violence against women and girls in North Korea, which was held on 22 February in the Houses of Parliament. They hope to upload the conference papers in due course. The report includes photos of the event by the … [Read More]