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]
Category: Social Justice (page 4)
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]
The Reckitt Benckiser “death campaign” comes to London
Reckitt Benckiser’s problems in Korea haven’t had much attention in the UK until recently. But a growing campaign to boycott their products in Korea, and a small group of campaigners who came over to picket the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting on 5 May, have brought the issues into the mainstream. A week ago, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) … [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]
Video: Living Statue “Comfort Women” protest outside Tate Modern
Braving the cold and rain, the living statue demonstration proceeded yesterday in front of Tate Modern. LKL arrived too late to take any photos, but above is one of the official photos and, below, a video of the protest. Links: justice4comfortwomenuk.wordpress.com [Read More]
Event news: Live Statue protest in support of “Comfort Women”
Timed to be close to International Women’s Day, there will be a “live statue” protest outside Tate Modern this Saturday, promoted by Justice for Comfort Women UK. Here is there official press release. Justice for ‘Comfort Women’ UK ‘Live Statue’ event in London Saturday 5 March 2016 12:00 – 16:00 Outside Tate Modern To publicise … [Read More]
Event news: an evening with 3 North Korean exiles
A useful preparation for the all-day conference on the UN Commission of Inquiry’s report on human rights in the DPRK. Booking required via Eventbrite. Exposing North Korea’s Human Rights Abuse: An Evening with 3 Exiles 10 March 2016, 19:00–21:00 Location: MEET 116 | SOAS | Thornhaugh Street | Russell Square | London WC1H 0XG Hosted … [Read More]
Conference news: The Commission of Inquiry — What Next?
News of a one-day conference organised by European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea: The Commission of Inquiry: What Next? Venue: Ascham Room, Bloomsbury House, 2 – 3 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2RL Date: Friday, March 11, 2016 Time: 9am – 5pm Lunch will be provided. Attendance is free. To register, email the address … [Read More]
Conference news: Addressing violence against women and girls in the DPRK
News of the APPGNK’s upcoming one-day conference: Addressing violence against women and girls in the DPRK 22 February 2016, The Houses of Parliament 9am – 4pm The All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea is pleased to announce the programme for its upcoming conference, titled Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls in the DPRK. Programme 9.00 … [Read More]
Comfort Women deal protested at Ban Ki-moon speech
The Justice for ‘Comfort Women’ UK group held a quiet protest outside Westminster Central Hall yesterday as people filed in to listen to a talk by Ban Ki-moon. The dignified campaign continued inside: as Ban got up to speak, a protestor held up a sign demanding that the intergovernmental “deal” be annulled. Ban’s speech was targeted … [Read More]
Event news: A talk with North Korean refugee Sungju Lee
The EARHNK’s first event of the year is in the Houses of Parliament on 1 February: A Talk With Sungju Lee: North Korean Refugee and UK Chevening Scholar Venue: Committee Room 17, the Houses of Parliament, London Date: Monday, February 1, 2016 Time: 5pm The European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea is proud … [Read More]
Looking back at 2015: Domestic news
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 … [Read More]
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) … [Read More]
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 … [Read More]
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 … [Read More]
Statements on the Comfort Women issue
Statements published jointly today by the Japanese and South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs aim to bring closure to the issue of wartime sexual slavery. The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan also published a statement on the inter-governmental announcements, which says that the issue is by no means … [Read More]