Our final look back at 2015: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea. In the news After 62 years of adultery being a criminal offence in the ROK, the constitutional court decided to decriminalise it by a vote of 7 to 2. Four out of ten married Korean males heaved a sigh of relief and shares […]
Category: Social Justice (page 2)
Looking back at 2015: DPRK and regional news
In our third review of 2015, we look at some of the North Korea related news, and stories which put the peninsula in a wider East Asian context. DPRK Human rights and defectors Shin Dong-hyuk, the most prominent campaigner among the defector community, admitted that some of his testimony (eg, in Escape from Camp 14) […]
Supporters of Comfort Women to protest outside Korean Embassy
When the BBC reported the “deal” between Japan and South Korea on the Comfort Women issue last week, saying that ‘South Korea says it will consider the matter resolved “finally and irreversibly” if Japan fulfills its promises,’ LKL marvelled that no mention was made of what the victims themselves thought about the deal. They don’t […]
A surviving victim’s view on the Korea-Japan Comfort Women “deal”
In September this year 90 year old survivor of WW2 Japanese military sexual slavery Kim Bok-dong gave two public talks in London, at the Korean Cultural Centre and at Goldsmiths University. She said she had come, ‘not as a victim but as a human rights activist’, and explained that the surviving ladies were not just […]
Yeonmi Park is Radio 4 book of the week
Yeonmi Park’s refugee memoir In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom is Radio 4’s book of the week this week, airing at 9:45am. If you missed this morning’s episode there’s a repeat at 12:30 tonight, or of course you can listen to it for the next 30 days on the Radio […]
Yeonmi Park’s DPRK refugee memoir out next week
Yeonmi Park’s defector memoir In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom comes out in a couple of days. It is trailed in this weekend’s Telegraph and her testimony has also been examined in The Diplomat. Italian and German editions will be coming out later this year. According to Aidan Foster Carter, […]
Event news: The Voices of the Comfort Women and Their Journey for Peace
A rare opportunity to meet a survivor of the Japanese military sexual slavery system presents itself at Goldsmiths on Monday. The Korean NGO Justice to the ‘Comfort Women’ is also holding an event at the KCC tomorrow, Friday, at which presumably she will be present. The Voices of the Comfort Women 18 Sept, KCCUK Let’s […]
Event news: The Promised Land screens at the ICA
Anna miyoung Kim continues her work looking at the hidden costs of economic development with a film screening of The Promised Land. The screening is free, but registration is essential via info@annaartproject.co.uk. The Promised Land Human Rights of Migrant Workers Köken Ergun | Kyongju Park | Santiago Sierra | Ekta Mittal and Yashiswini Raghunandan Wednesday […]
Hyeonseo Lee: The Girl with Seven Names and three book launches
Hyeonseo Lee’s memoir, The Girl with Seven Names, is published on 2 July. Three separate events on 1 July (Asia House), 2 July (European Association for Human Rights in North Korea) and 3 July (Guardian / Amnesty) will give you the chance to hear her story and get a signed copy. Details in date order […]
DPRK responds to Shin Dong-hyuk’s inaccurate testimony
Further to the news that Shin Dong-hyuk, the “Camp 14 escapee”, has admitted that some of his testimony was inaccurate, the DPRK has written to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly seeking to get the 18 December 2014 resolution overturned. The full text of the DPRK’s 2 February 2015 letter […]
UN General Assembly passes resolution on DPRK Human Rights
On 18 December the UN General Assembly passed its resolution condemning the DPRK’s Human Rights record by 116 votes to 20, with 53 abstentions. China voted against. Here are the links to the relevant documents UN Press release Official record of the meeting Full text of the resolution
Forum on North Korean Human Rights and Engagement
EAHRNK’s notice of their upcoming one-day conference on North Korean Human Rights and Engagement: Rethinking our Approach to Media Reporting, Human Rights, and Engagement with North Korea European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea – EAHRNK Forum: Rethinking our Approach to Media Reporting, Human Rights, and Engagement with North Korea to be held at […]
Shin Dong-hyuk: “passionate human rights campaigner and an ordinary young man”
Youngeun Koo reports from the first of EAHRNK’s “North Korean Memoirs” events. On Tuesday 16 September, the UK had the rare opportunity to meet Shin Dong-hyuk in person. Shin is so far the only person known to have successfully escaped from Camp 14, a ‘total control camp’ in North Korea. Organised by European Alliance for […]
Shin Dong-hyuk comes to St Anne’s Church, Dean St
Shin Dong-hyuk, whose story is told in Escape from Camp 14, will be talking at St Anne’s Church, 55 Dean Street, London, W1D 6AF on Tuesday 16 September, 7.15pm to 8.45pm, as the first of a “North Korean Memoirs” series, which will act as a focal point of the work of European Alliance for Human […]
UN launches its report on human rights in North Korea
On 17 February the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched the report of its findings. On 17 March the Chair of the Commission, Michael Kirby, formally presented it to the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Commission “found systematic, widespread and […]
Escape from North Korea – Panel discussion at LSE
Another North Korea refugee related event this Wednesday at the LSE. This is a public event, but please signify your attendance on the event’s Facebook page or by emailing R.Faruq at lse.ac.uk so that they can register your name for security purposes. At time of writing there are 120+ attendees, so I hope they’ve got […]
Conference report: ROK-UK Forum on Peaceful Unification of Korea and Human Rights in North Korea
Thanks to guest contributor Sinae Hong for this report from the conference earlier this week. The ROK-UK Forum on Peaceful Unification of Korea and Human Rights in North Korea was held at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel on Friday 19th November, 2013. The Cromwell Suite was full with well over 150 people, from British Veterans of […]