HRNK

An Update on the Human Rights Situation in North Korea
2019-03-05 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | European Parliament Brussels, ASP A3E2, United States
Lea PEREKRESTS, Human Rights Without Frontiers. Presentation title: Defending Human Rights in North Korea at the United Nations: a year in review
As the Deputy Director of HRWF, Lea Perekrests has worked on North Korean human rights issues for the past three years. She has specifically looked at the issue of North Korean overseas workers around the globe, presenting her research at Leiden University, the United Nations in Geneva, as well as in Brussels. Her knowledge expands regionally, as she has developed research regarding religious communities in China, South Korea, and South-east Asia. Created in Brussels in 2001, Human Rights Without Frontiers International (HRWF Int’l) is a non-profit association that seeks to shape European and international policy in ways that strengthen democracy, uphold the rule of law and protect human rights globally.
Greg SCARLATOIU, Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) Washington, D.C.
Greg Scarlatoiu is a visiting professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul as well as instructor and coordinator of the Korean Peninsula and Japan class at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Scarlatoiu is vice president of the executive board of the International Council on Korean Studies (ICKS). He has over six years of experience in international development, on projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. For sixteen years, Scarlatoiu has authored and broadcast the weekly Korean language ‘Scarlatoiu Column’ to North Korea for Radio Free Asia. A seasoned lecturer on Korean issues, Scarlatoiu is a frequent commentator for CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, i24News Israel, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and other media organizations. He has published op-eds and letters to the editor in newspapers including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Scarlatoiu holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Seoul National University’s Department of International Relations. He graduated from the MIT XXI Seminar for U.S. national security leaders in 2016-2017. He is fluent in Korean, French, and Romanian. A native of Romania born and raised under that country’s communist regime, Scarlatoiu is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Amanda MORTWEDT OH, JD, LLM, human rights attorney at HRNK
Amanda Mortwedt Oh is desk officer for the series of satellite imagery reports on North Korean prisons and prison camps published by HRNK and DigitalGlobe Analysis Center, and subsequently AllSource Analysis. Her research focuses on human rights, international criminal law, and North Korea’s prison camps. In 2017, Amanda co-authored “From Cradle to Grave: The Path of North Korean Innocents” with Robert Collins (HRNK, 2017) and “The Parallel Gulag: North Korea’s ‘An-jeon-bu’ Prison Camps with David Hawk. She currently conducts human rights research and interviews with North Korean escapees in South Korea for HRNK. She holds a Master of Laws in International Law (LL.M) degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she wrote her thesis on North Korea and transitional justice.
KIM Tae-Hoon, President, PSCORE and Lawyers for human rights and unification for Korea
Kim Tae-Hoon previously served as a chief judge of Seoul District Court, a chief of the Special Committee on North Korea within National Human Rights Committee of Korea. Additionally, he was a member of the committee during the Korean war abduction from the Prime Minister’s office, the Deputy Chairman of the North Korean Human Rights Committee, and the Chairman of the Research Committee for Reunification at the Korean Bar Association. He also received the Human Rights Award at the 2013 Korea National Assembly Human Rights Forum.
NAM Bada, Secretary-General, PSCORE
Working for North Korean human rights and peacebuilding in the Korean peninsula since 2010. He also oversaw the production of multiple research reports including child labor within North Korea (2017), North Korean education system (2016), and overseas North Korean laborers (2015)
HWANG In-Cheol
Representative, 1969 Korean Air Abductees’ Families Association
He is the son of Hwang Won, a South Korean journalist who was abducted by North Korea in the hijacking of a civilian aircraft 1969. For the past 18 years, he has worked to break the silence that has surrounded his father’s abduction both domestically and internationally. In 2009, he established the 1969 Korean Air (KAL) Abductees’ Families Association, which carries out research, campaign, and advocacy projects aimed at establishing the fate and whereabouts of the KAL abductees and bringing about their repatriation.

An Update on the Human Rights Situation in North Korea
2019-03-05 10:00 - 12:00 | European Parliament, ASP A3E2, United States

“Understanding and Tolerance for the Newcomers”- Forum on Social Integration Experiences of North Korean Defectors "북한이탈주민에 대한 이
2019-03-07 14:00 - 18:00 | Room A, CENTRE·POINT, Gwanghwamun, 31 Saemunan-ro 5-gil, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Korea, Republic of

North Korea's Logistics Revolution: Cell Phones and Private Transportation in North Korea
2019-03-19 12:00 - 13:30 | KEI Conference Facility, 1800 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20006, United States

NetKAL NK HR Panel
2019-03-21 14:15 - 15:45 | Chardonnay Rm (B1), Grand Ambassador Hotel, 287 Dongho-ro, Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea, Republic of

Negotiating Peace on the Korean Peninsula: Security & Human Rights in the Balance
2019-03-28 18:30 - 20:00 | One Judiciary Square, 441 4th Street Northwest, 11th Floor, Room 1117, Washington, DC, 20001, United States

Human rights documentation and monitoring for the promotion of human rights in the DPRK 북한인권 증진을 위한 인권기록과 모니터링 세미나
2019-04-26 13:00 - 17:00 | Ruby Hall, 22F, The Plaza | 더플라자 호텔, 22층 루비홀, Korea, Republic of

Korea Club with Gwang-il Jung: Documenting the North Korean Gulag: The Yoduk List
2019-05-01 18:30 - 21:00 | Woo Lae Oak Korean Restaurant, 8240 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA, 22182, United States
Dear Colleague:
You are invited to the Korea Club event on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. The event will feature Mr. Jung Gwang-il, Founder and Director of “No Chain” and survivor of Political Prison Camp No. 15 in North Korea. He will share his memories of detention and his current work to keep the North Korean human rights situation in focus. Mr. Jung will share complimentary copies of his organization’s report “Yoduk List” with the participants. The report comprises a list of 180 victims of enforced disappearances whom he met while being detained at Camp No. 15.
Jung Gwang-il was a prisoner at No.15 Yodok Political Penal-labor Colony for three years, from 1999 to 2002. He is currently one of the best-known former North Koreans involved in outreach activities aiming to expose North Korea’s human rights violations and to inform the international public opinion on the human rights situation in that country. Mr. Jung’s UN testimony was critical in passing a resolution on North Korean human rights by the UN General Assembly in the fall of 2014. He has provided testimony to UN representatives in New York City and Geneva and human rights organizations around the world. He has also been compiling lists of prisoner names in North Korea, a rare asset in the hands of the North Korean human rights investigator. Such information will prove critical to the accountability and transitional justice process in North Korea.

PROGRAM DETAILS
The dinner will start at 7:00 pm, followed by the speaker’s presentation and Q & A session. The program will conclude at 9:00 pm. The cost of the dinner is $25.00, payable at the door by check, cash or credit card.
RSVP is required for this program. Seating is limited. To register for this program or for further questions, please email HRNK.
WOO LAE OAK RESTAURANT IN TYSONS CORNER
The evening program will be held at Woo Lae Oak Korean restaurant in Tysons Corner—see address above. The program will start at 6:30 pm with a cash bar, set up inside the Korea Club conference room on the 1st floor of the restaurant. For more information on Woo Lae Oak, please take a few minutes to visit the restaurant’s website: http://www.woolaeoak.com.
FOR DRIVERS
Woo Lae Oak is conveniently located in the heart of Tysons Corner. If you need assistance locating the restaurant, please call the restaurant (703-827-7300). Ample free parking is available in the restaurant’s multi-story parking garage.
FOR METRO RIDERS
Silver Line stop at Greensboro Metro Station. The restaurant is located just south of Greensboro Metro Station. Upon arriving at Greensboro Metro Station, please exit using the West Entrance Exit. For step-by-step directions, please use http://wmata.com.
Korea Club Directors

Jim Kelman

Greg Scarlatoiu

Sang Kim

Meridian International Center

HRNK

KEI

(703) 568-6987

(202) 499-7973

(202) 464-1985

Seminar on the North Korean Abductions Issue
2019-05-03 08:45 - 10:45 | Hudson Institute, Stern Policy Center, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20004, United States
RSVP on Eventbrite

Hudson Institute, the Government of Japan, and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) will host a seminar addressing the abduction of Japanese, South Korean, American and nationals of other countries by North Korea. This two-part seminar will feature families of abductees who will discuss the process of seeking to learn the fate of loved ones held in North Korea. The seminar will also explore international cooperation toward the comprehensive resolution of outstanding issues of concern such as abductions, nuclear, and missile issues.
For part one, we have speakers from Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States, including abductee family members, to talk about their agony. For part two, Japanese and U.S. officials will give remarks regarding their work on the abductions issue and will include a question and answer session with the audience.
This event will include simultaneous translations.
NOTE: This event is open to the press. All members of the media should RSVP to press@hudson.org.

SPEAKERS
Nick Eberstadt (Moderator)
Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy
American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Keiji Furuya
Chairman
Committee of Congressional Members to Act for the Early Rescue of Japanese Victims Abducted by North Korea
Luci Arveseth Griffiths
Senior Legislative Assistant
Office of Congressman Chris Stewart
Koichiro Iizuka
Vice Secretary-General
Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea
Hwang Incheol
Leader
Association for Family Members of the 1969 KAL Kidnapping Victims
Melanie Kirkpatrick
Senior Fellow
Hudson Institute
Lewis “Scooter” Libby (Moderator)
Senior Vice President
Hudson Institute
Tsutomu Nishioka
Chairman
National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN)
Tom Rose
Senior Advisor to the Vice President
Akira Sato
State Minister of Cabinet Office
Government of Japan
Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Michael Schiffer
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Michael Sneddon
Brother of David Sneddon who was allegedly abducted by North Korea in 2004
Cindy Warmbier
Mother of Otto Warmbier who was tortured & imprisoned in North Korea
Ken Weinstein
President and CEO
Hudson Institute
Takuya Yokota
Secretary-General
Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea
PROGRAM
Registration
8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Introductory Remarks
9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Part 1
9:20 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.
Part 2
9:55 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Audience Q & A
10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Seminar on the North Korean Abductions Issue
2019-05-03 08:45 - 10:45 | Hudson Institute, Stern Policy Center, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20004, United States

Symposium on International cooperation to resolve the abductions issue as a global issue
2019-05-10 16:00 - 18:00 | Conference Room 6 (CR-6), UN Headquarters, United States

Event: ‘Sex Slaves: The Prostitution, Cybersex, and Forced Marriage of North Korean Women and Girls in China’
2019-05-20 17:00 | Committee Room 17, the Houses of Parliament, United States

ICKS Annual Conference 2019
2019-06-04 08:45 - 17:00 | Korea Economic Institute of America, 1800 K Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC, 20006, United States
8:15 a.m. – Registration
8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Opening Remarks
Speakers:
General Byung Kwan Kim, ROKA (Retired), Co-Chairman, Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies (ROK Council)
General John H. Tilelli, Jr., USA (Retired), Co-Chairman, Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies (U.S. Council)
Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol, Jr., President, International Council of Korean Studies and Angelo State University
Mr. Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Mr. Troy Stangarone, Korea Economic Institute
9:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Panel I. North and South Korea: Economic Reconciliation?
Moderator:
General & Dr. Jae Chang Kim, ROKA (Retired)
Papers:
“Sanctions, Inter-Korean Relations and North Korea’s Denuclearization,” Dr. Ihn-hwi Park, Ehwa Womans University
“The North Korean Economic System: Challenges and Issues,” Mr. Kyle Ferrier, Korea Economic Institute of America
“Economic Challenges in the ROK-US Alliance,” Mr. Troy Stangarone, Korea Economic Institute of America
Discussants:
Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol, Jr., Angelo State University and ICKS
Dr. Il Hwa Jung, Council on Korea-U.S. Security Studies
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Luncheon and Luncheon Speech
“Security and Unification Issues on the Korean Peninsula,” Mr. Stephen E. Biegun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, U.S. Department of State
Introduced by General John H. Tilelli, Jr., USA (Retired), Co-Chairman, Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies (U.S. Council)
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Panel II: Four Power Relations on the Korean Peninsula
Moderator:
Mr. David Maxwell, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Papers:
“Japan’s Role in Korean Security Issues,” Mr. James Durand, International Council on Korean Studies
“China’s Role in Inter-Korea Relations,” Mr. Gordon Chang, Forbes.com
“North Korea and Regional Security,” Dr. Nam-Sung Huh, Korea Institute for Military Affairs
Discussants:
William Newcomb, former member, UN Panel of Experts
Lt. General Kap Jin Lee, ROK Marine Corps (Retired)
Dr. Sukjoon Yoon, Captain, ROK Navy (Retired), KIMA
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Panel III: Human Rights and the Future of the Korean Peninsula
Moderator:
General John H. Tilelli, Jr., USA (Retired), Co-Chairman, Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies (U.S. Council)
Papers:
“The Future of Human Rights in North Korea,” Mr. George Hutchinson, International Council on Korean Studies
“Tying Human Rights to US-NK-ROK Negotiations,” Mr. Greg Scarlatoiu, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
“The ROK-US Alliance and Human Rights,” Dr. Taewoo Kim, Council on Korea-U.S. Security Studies
Discussants:
Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute
Dr. Jaekap Ryoo, Council on Korea-U.S. Security Studies
5:00 p.m. – End of the Conference
RSVP

Escaping North Korea
2019-06-20 19:30 - 21:00 | The Cell Theatre, 338 West 23rd Street, New York, NY, 10011, United States

Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu Keynote Speaker at Hwa Jeong Peace Foundation
2019-07-29 | Hwa Jeong Peace Foundation at the Seoul Press Center, United States
On Monday, July 29, Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu was the keynote speaker at an event organized by the Hwa Jeong Peace Foundation at the Seoul Press Center. The event was titled “North Korean Human Rights and International Society Action, attended by about 80 participants. Scarlatoiu gave a Korean language presentation about HRNK’s history and current activities and provided comments on the history and current state of U.S. and South Korean policy on North Korean human rights as well as current challenges at the UN. His comment that South Korea’s current policy on North Korean human rights was not clear was picked up by the Donga Daily in an article dedicated exclusively to Scarlatoiu’s remarks. The Donga Daily also reported on Scarlatoiu’s urging the South Korean government to resume support for North Korean human rights organization, as most of them can now only rely on US support as their only remaining lifeline. The Donga Daily article is available through the following link:
http://www.donga.com/news/article/all/20190729/96750031/1

2019 HUFS International Summer Session
2019-07-30 18:00 - 19:30 | HANKUK UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES, 107 Imun-Ro, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Please click here to view the full agenda.

Active Minds: North Korea
2019-08-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Bear Valley Branch Library, 5171 W. Dartmouth Ave, Denver, CO, 80236, United States

북한댁 강하나작가와의 만남
2019-09-10 19:00 - 21:00 | 삼양페이퍼피더블, 중구 창경궁로 1길 33(충무로4가, 삼양페이퍼피더블) 3층, 서울시, Korea, Republic of

North Korea's Organization and Guidance Department: The Control Tower of Human Rights Denial
2019-09-18 14:00 - 15:30 | AEI Auditorium, 1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20036, United States
North Korea is the world’s most repressive state — and the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) is the key apparatus in Pyongyang’s administration of tyranny. The OGD may be little known in the United States, but, according to North Korean defector Jang Jin-sung, it is “the only entity that actually matters when it comes to decision-making or policy-making” in the Kim family regime. What exactly is the OGD, how does it operate, and why do North Korea watchers, American policymakers, and human rights activists need to know about it?
Robert M. Collins lifts the veil on this ominous apparatus in the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea’s new report “Organization and Guidance Department: Control Tower of Human Rights Denial.” Please join AEI’s Nicholas Eberstadt for a panel discussion on the report and the latest research about the OGD.
Agenda
1:45 PM
Registration
2:00 PM
Welcome:
Nicholas Eberstadt, AEI
2:05 PM
Introductory remarks:
Greg Scarlatiou, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
2:15 PM
Remarks:
Robert M. Collins, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
2:35 PM
Panelists:
Robert M. Collins, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Markus V. Garlauskas, US Government
David Maxwell, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
Moderator:
Nicholas Eberstadt, AEI
3:30 PM
Adjournment

Pressing North Korea on Human Rights is Key to Making Progress on Security Issues
2019-10-04 12:00 - 13:15 | Philippines Conference Room Encina Hall, 616 Serra Mall, Third Floor, Central, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States

Lost Generation: The Health and Human Rights of North Korean Children, 1990–2018
2019-10-18 09:30 - 11:00 | Cannon 122, 27 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC, 20003, United States
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) cordially invites you to:
Lost Generation:
The Health and Human Rights of North Korean Children, 1990–2018
Friday, October 18, 2019
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Cannon 122
27 Independence Ave SE
Washington, DC 20003
AGENDA
Speaker:
W. Courtland Robinson
Author, Lost Generation: The Health and Human Rights of North Korean Children, 1990–2018
Discussants:
Roberta Cohen
Co-Chair Emeritus, HRNK
Marcus Noland
Executive Vice President and Director of Studies, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Board Member, HRNK
Moderator:
Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director, HRNK
Featuring:
Members of Congress
Please click here to RSVP
On the 15th anniversary of the signing of the North Korean Human Rights Act into law, HRNK highlights the health and human rights status of the children of North Korea. After 61 interviews conducted in China and South Korea, HRNK’s latest report, Lost Generation: The Health and Human Rights of North Korean Children, 1990–2018, applies a public health perspective that treats health as a human right that must be guaranteed to every child in North Korea without discrimination. The report also comprehensively lays out recommendations for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the international community.
Please join HRNK for a presentation by the author, Courtland Robinson as well as a discussion with Roberta Cohen and Marcus Noland. Please stay tuned for remarks by esteemed Congressional representatives.
Please contact HRNK Director of Programs and Editor Rosa Park at rosapark@hrnk.org with any questions or concerns.

GWIKS North Korea Program
2019-10-26 18:00 - 2019-11-21 21:00 | Chung-wen Shih Conference Room, Suite 503 Elliott School of International Affairs The George Washington University, 1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC, 20052, United States

Digital Trenches: North Korea's Information Counter-Offensive
2019-12-18 09:30 - 11:00 | National Press Club Holeman Lounge 13th Floor Main Level, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20045, United States
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) cordially invites you to the rollout of its report:
Digital Trenches:
North Korea’s Information Counter-Offensive
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
National Press Club Holeman Lounge
529 14th St NW,
Washington, DC 20045
AGENDA
Introductory Remarks:
The Honorable Robert King
Former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues
Board Member, HRNK
Presenter:
Martyn Williams
Author, Digital Trenches: North Korea’s Information Counter-Offensive
Discussants:
Michael C. Anderson
Major, USMC (ret.)
Thomas Barker
Partner, Co-Chair, Healthcare Practice, Foley Hoag LLP
Board Member, HRNK
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Board Member, HRNK
Moderator:
Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director, HRNK
RSVP
Please join HRNK for introductory remarks by HRNK Board Member and the former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues,
The Honorable Robert King, and a presentation by the author, Martyn Williams as well as a discussion with Michael C. Anderson, Thomas Barker, and David Maxwell.
Please contact HRNK Director of Programs and Editor Rosa Park at rosapark@hrnk.org with any questions or concerns.

Human Rights in North Korea: Regaining Lost Ground
2020-03-19 10:00 - 17:00 | Second Floor Conference Center, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20036, United States
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), The Office of the Korea Chair at CSIS, and the George W. Bush Institute cordially invite you to:
Human Rights in North Korea: Regaining Lost Ground
featuring
Amb. Robert King
Board Member, The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Senior Adviser, CSIS Korea Chair
Former Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issue
Dr. Victor Cha
Senior Advisor and Korea Chair, CSIS
Vice Dean for Faculty and Graduate Affairs and
D.S.-Song – KF Professor of Government, Georgetown University
Fellow in Human Freedom, George W. Bush Institute
Ms. Roberta Cohen
Co-Chair Emeritus,
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Mr. Lindsay Lloyd
Bradford M. Freeman Director of the Human Freedom Initiative,
George W. Bush Institute
Mr. Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director,
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
More speakers to be announced.
In the past three years, the momentum to bring human dignity to the citizens of North Korea has lost ground. In 2018, the UN Security Council failed to renew a debate on North Korean human rights abuses in its chambers for the first time since the release of the 2012 Report of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in North Korea. To galvanize momentum on human rights issues and to promote discussions of concrete and actionable policy recommendations with a focus on creating change, current and former government officials, scholars, and experts will address developments after the UN COI, explore the nexus of human rights and denuclearization, hear the stories of North Korean refugees, and present new research in the area of human rights.
This event will be co-hosted with CSIS and the George W. Bush Institute.

Six Years after the UN COI Report: A Discussion with Justice Michael Kirby
2020-06-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom, United States
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) cordially invites you to:
Six Years after the UN COI Report:
A Discussion with Justice Michael Kirby
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
This event will be on the record.
HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu will moderate a conversation with The Honorable Michael Kirby, former Chief Commissioner of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the DPRK. Justice Kirby and Executive Director Scarlatoiu will address the post-UN COI state of human rights in North Korea and measures needed to bring about improvement.
Please send your RSVP to the attention of Rosa Park, HRNK’s Director of Programs, at rosapark@hrnk.org. Once we receive your RSVP, we will send you Zoom credentials.
Biography of The Honorable Michael Kirby
When he retired from the High Court of Australia on 2 February 2009, Michael Kirby was Australia’s longest serving judge.
He was first appointed in 1975 as a Deputy President of the Australian Conciliation & Arbitration Commission. Soon after, he became inaugural Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975-84). Later, he was appointed a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia, then President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal (1984-96) and, concurrently, President of the Court of Appeal of Solomon Islands (1995-6). His appointment to the High Court of Australia followed in 1996 and he served thirteen years. In later years, he was Acting Chief Justice of Australia twice.
In addition to his judicial duties, Michael Kirby has served on three university governing bodies being elected Chancellor of Macquarie University in Sydney (1984-93). He also served on many national and international bodies. Amongst the latter have been service as a member of the World Health Organisation’s Global Commission on AIDS (1988-92); as President of the International Commission of Jurists, Geneva (1995-8); as UN Special Representative for Human Rights in Cambodia (1993-6); as a member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (1995-2005); as a member of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Judicial Reference Group (2007- 9) and as a member of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights(2004-).
Following his judicial retirement, Michael Kirby was elected President of the Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia from 2009-2010. He served as a Board Member of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (2009-14). He has been appointed Honorary Visiting Professor by twelve universities. And he participates regularly in many local and international conferences and meetings. He has been awarded a number of honorary doctorates at home and abroad. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Laws of Australia (2009 – ).
He served 2011-12 as a member of the Eminent Persons Group on the future of the Commonwealth of Nations. He was a Commissioner of the UNDP Global Commission of HIV and the Law 2011-2012. He was appointed to the Advisory Council of Transparency International, based in Berlin in 2012. In 2013- 2014, he was appointed Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights Violations in North Korea. He a Commissioner of the UNAIDS Lancet Commission on AIDS to the Right to Health (2013-2014); the Global Fund’s Equitable Access Panel (2015-16); the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access to Essential Medicines (2015-16); and UNAIDS/OHCHR’s panel on overreach of criminal law (2017); and Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (2018 – ).
He was awarded the Gruber Justice Prize in 2010 and has been Patron of the Kirby Institute on Blood Borne Diseases in UNSW Sydney, Australia since 2011. In May 2017, he was invested by Japan with the insignia of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star in Tokyo, with an audience with the Emperor of Japan.

Remembering Otto: A Conversation with Cindy Warmbier
2020-06-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Description:
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) cordially invites you to:
Remembering Otto:
A Conversation with Cindy Warmbier
Friday, June 19, 2020
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Dear Friend of HRNK,
We wish to invite you to join us for a Zoom conversation with Mrs. Cindy Warmbier, mother of Otto Warmbier. HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu will moderate a virtual meeting with Mrs. Warmbier, to be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, June 19th, the day we commemorate three years since the tragic passing of Otto at the hands of the Kim regime.
Otto Warmbier, a bright, handsome, and talented 22-year-old Ohio native and University of Virginia student, passed away on June 19th, 2017, from injuries suffered while detained on fabricated charges in North Korea.
The Kim regime imprisoned and killed Otto. Ever since their beloved son was taken away from them, Cindy and Fred Warmbier have relentlessly pursued truth and justice for him and for the millions of unknown North Koreans who have been similarly subjected to the brutality of the Kim regime.
As the United States and the world are struggling to cope with unprecedented challenges, we hope you can join Mrs. Warmbier and HRNK in this celebration of Otto’s life and legacy.
Please confirm your participation by emailing your RSVP directly to Rosa Park, HRNK’s Director of Programs: rosapark@hrnk.org. Once we receive your RSVP, we will send you Zoom credentials.
Sincerely yours,
The HRNK Team

North Korean Human Rights: An Update in the Age of COVID-19 - A Discussion with UN Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana
2020-08-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom, United States
Dear Friends of HRNK,
We are delighted to inform you that we have been able to reschedule a very special event, previously postponed due to reasons outside of HRNK’s control.
Please join us for a Zoom conversation titled “North Korean Human Rights: An Update in the Age of COVID-19.” The event will feature The Honorable Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur for the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). The event, moderated by HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu, will be held from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, August 28, 2020.
Please click here to RSVP: https://forms.gle/7nPJzwn3Vux8akSP7.
The Honorable Tomás OJEA QUINTANA is a lawyer with more than 14 years of activities in the field of human rights. He has worked at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. He was also the Executive Director of the OHCHR Programme for Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Bolivia.
Most recently, he has represented the Argentinean NGO “Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo” in cases concerning child abduction during the military regime.
The Honorable Ojea Quintana was Special Rapporteur for the human rights situation in Myanmar between 2008 and 2014.
The Zoom credentials will be sent to you shortly before the program.
Please email the Director of Programs and Editor at rosapark@hrnk.org if you have any questions or concerns.

The David Sneddon Case: Not Forgotten
2020-09-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) cordially invites you to:
The David Sneddon Case:
Not Forgotten
A Discussion with
James Sneddon
Thursday, September 10, 2020
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
This event will be on the record. Please click here to RSVP: https://forms.gle/2GNXXcQC58J5gqJFA.
Dear Friends of HRNK,
On Thursday, September 10, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT, HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu will moderate a Zoom event with James Sneddon, brother of David Sneddon. In August 2004, David Louis Sneddon, at the time a 24-year-old Brigham Young University student, disappeared in China’s Yunnan Province after traveling alone through Tiger Leaping Gorge. The evidence surrounding his disappearance followed patterns identified in multiple cases of North Korean abductions.
As the older brother of David Sneddon, the only US citizen believed to be held against his will in the DPRK, James Sneddon is intimately aware and personally dedicated to the return of all DPRK abductees while helping shine a bright light on the abysmal human rights record of North Korea. He believes that only through this lens, that of the DPRK’s past and concurrent human rights abuses, will his family gain traction to find out the full truth about his brother and secure his release. James personally searched in China and, with his father Roy Sneddon and older brother Michael Sneddon, developed the original detailed executive report utilized today as the launchpad for explaining David’s disappearance.
James, having spent over 20 years working and living in Asia, has keen insight into Asian cultures, and is able to carefully leverage his Japanese language fluency and cultural adaptability to navigate the original abduction information sourced from NGOs, and to consult with Government officials and organizations allied to this passionate common cause.
Professionally, James has spent the past two decades working with the tech companies in Silicon Valley, including leadership roles with companies including Google, Intel, and Qualcomm.
In 2011, HRNK published the report “Taken: North Korea’s Criminal Abduction of Citizens of Other Countries,” authored by Mr. Yoshi Yamamoto and edited by former HRNK Executive Director Chuck Downs, together with a team of HRNK interns that served in various capacities.
According to “Taken,” the number of abductees taken by North Korea may well approach 180,000. During the Korean War, by October 28, 1950, 82,959 South Koreans had been abducted and taken to the North. Since the signing of the Korean War Armistice on July 27, 1953, an additional 3,824 South Koreans, 3,721 of them fishermen, have been abducted. Over 93,000 ethnic Koreans residing in Japan were lured to North Korea, and most were never allowed to return to Japan. The Japanese government officially lists 17 persons whose disappearances are attributable to North Korean abductions, while acknowledging that the number of those taken may be as high as 883. News reports estimate that 200 Chinese, most of ethnic Korean background, were abducted to North Korea. Over 25 citizens of other countries, including David Sneddon, have been seen in North Korea by the accounts of witnesses. They can be assumed to have been taken against their will and are more than likely being held against their will.
The Zoom credentials will be sent to you shortly before the program.
Please email the Director of Programs and Editor at rosapark@hrnk.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Inaugural HRNK Author Speaking Series: “Hidden Gulag” with David Hawk
2020-11-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Zoom, United States
HRNK is delighted to host a Zoom event featuring author David Hawk at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, November 19. This is going to be the first of our new “Virtual HRNK Author Speaking Series.” For over two decades, David Hawk has investigated and reported on North Korea’s vast system of unlawful imprisonment. His 2003 report “Hidden Gulag” was HRNK’s first, and also the first report ever to combine witness testimony with satellite imagery analysis to scrutinize North Korea’s political prison camps. Ever since, David Hawk has authored four more reports for HRNK, on both the kwan-li-so political prison camps and the kyo-hwa-so reeducation through labor camps. During this program, he will provide an overview of his investigation over the past 20 years as well as his views on the transformation of North Korea’s prison camp system in the 21st century. The event will be moderated by HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu.
The event will be open to the press, and on-the record.
Please click here to RSVP: https://forms.gle/SuQKk6vj6FsWnoe3A.
Please email the Director of Programs and Editor at rosapark@hrnk.org if you have any questions or concerns.
