This Wednesday there’s an opportunity to hear about human rights abuses first-hand from North Korean escapees, in the Houses of Parliament. The World’s Most Closed Nation: Exposing Crimes against Humanity in North Korea Kim Joo-il Former Soldier in the North Korean Army Shin Dong-hyuk North Korean prison camp escapee Yun Tae-yang Parliamentary Candidate in South … [Read More]
Category: Social Justice (page 7)
London joins in global protest against DPRK rights abuses
Last Friday was a global day of protest against North Korean human rights abuses. 9 December 2012 was the 63rd anniversary of the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which North Korea acceded in 1989. For many people in the West, the human rights abuses … [Read More]
London protest against DPRK rights abuses
I hear there might be a protest against human rights abuses outside the North Korean Embassy in West London today 9 Dec http://t.co/9KYMBpdR. [Read More]
Fasting for North Korea: Okhwan Yoon’s hunger strike in Parliament Square
As I crouched on the concrete slabs ringing Parliament Square outside the Mother of Parliaments, it was difficult to truly comprehend the scale of Okhwan Yoon’s journey, as the South Korean lay confined to his tent, motionless and gaunt. “I have cycled through 191 of the world’s nations since 2001 on my quest for peace. … [Read More]
North Korean refugee gives testimony
Radio interview with Kim Hye Sook, an escapee from one of North Korea's prison camps, on the BBC website: http://bbc.in/lFPRlO # The testimony of concentration camp escapees before the All Party Parliamentary Group now seems to be an annual event. This year courtesy of Christian Solidarity Worldwide Michael Rank reports from the hearing in the … [Read More]
It’s not all grim up North
Darren Southcott discovers that North Korean refugees in the UK find life tough, particularly with looming spending cuts Food shortages and societal collapse have brought record numbers of refugees fleeing the grip of the North Korean regime, yet for many the short crossing of the Tumen River into China brings more the life of the … [Read More]
Paradise does not exist: the tough experience of north Koreans in the South – By Mihyun Jang
Thousands of North Korean refugees fleeing face a cold reality in South Korean society. Many are seeking refuge in 3rd countries, although strict asylum rules mean many eventually are forced to settle in the South without benefits or resettlement payments. By Mihyun Jang North Korean refugees in China According to the Unification Ministry of South … [Read More]
Oxford seminar on North Korean Human Rights and Migration
Notice of an upcoming seminar in Oxford, organised by the Korea Institute for National Reunification: KINU Seminar on North Korean Human Rights and Migration 13:00-18:00, 15 December 2010 Seminar Room, Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) 58 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6QS Programme 13:00-14:00 Sandwich lunch reception and registration 14:00-14:15 Introductory remarks by Dr … [Read More]
Banksy’s Simpsons animation sweatshop slur angers Koreans
I thought The Simpsons took off Korean “sweatshop” animation studios years ago. Or maybe it was South Park. But I’m pretty sure Banksy’s critique is not original. http://bit.ly/aKj3r9 (Daily Mail article) [Read More]
60% of actresses have been offered benefits for sex
A report jointly conducted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Korean Women’s Development Institute interviewed 111 actresses and 240 actress-hopefuls between September and December of last year, says the Korea Times. The findings? More than 60 percent of the interviewees received at least one proposal to have sexual intercourse from influential figures … [Read More]
North Korean human rights and money laundering discussed in the Lords
A transcript of the discussion in the House of Lords earlier this week North Korea: Human Rights Question 2.57 pm Tuesday February 2nd 2010 Tabled by Lord Alton of Liverpool To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of alleged human rights violations in North Korea following the publication of the report by the … [Read More]
Nineteen Years in South Korea’s Gulag
Suh Sung: Unbroken Spirits – Nineteen Years in South Korea’s Gulag Rowman & Littlefield, 2001 Original Japanese version, (Gokuchû 19 Nen, Nineteen Years in Prison) 1994 We are all familiar with stories reporting the horrors of torture and starvation in North Korean prison camps. What we can forget is that over the past decades South … [Read More]
From Gulag to Getaway: North Korean refugees tell their story in Parliament
“In South Korea, we are taught English, Maths, things like that. We are taught nothing about North Korea.” I was talking to a young South Korean after a meeting of the North Korean All-Party Parliamentary Group. She was visibly shocked at what she had just heard. Two North Korean refugees – Jung Guang-il and Lee … [Read More]
Choi Jin-shil “failed to maintain dignity”
The late Choi Jin-shil, domestic violence and her advertising contract: The top court ruled that she caused damage to the [construction] company by “failing to keep her social and moral honor” and thus depreciating the brand image. Following Choi’s suicide last October, her two children ― one preschooler and the other primary schooler ― are … [Read More]
Escaping North Korea – documentary on BBC
A 50-minute documentary currently available on BBC’s iPlayer service for the next few days. Details below, from the BBC website: This World: Escaping North Korea International investigative documentary series. The dramatic stories of North Koreans who are risking everything, including torture and execution, to escape the repression and hunger of their homeland and reach safety … [Read More]
Escaping North Korea book launch
At the book launch of Escaping North Korea last week, author Mike Kim explained that he wanted the book to be “inspirational”. Having seen the huge obstacles faced by North Korean escapees, he found hope in each of their stories: “If the North Koreans can overcome their mountains, I can overcome my hill”, is the … [Read More]