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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131114T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131114T000000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125033Z
UID:712023-1384387200-1384387200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Panel talks North Korea's instability By Candace Cooksey Fulton Special to the Standard-Times
DESCRIPTION:The tenuously but long divided Korean peninsula poses a problem of huge proportions for the people of North and South Korea. But the ramifications of what will happen if the North Korean government falls\, or if civil war erupts between the North and South affect much of the world\, particularly the United States. \nThursday\, Angelo State University’s Center for Security Studies hosted a lecture series\, featuring three of the nation’s leading scholars on North Korea. Titled “Preparing for Collapse in North Korea: Challenges and Issues\,” the expert panel “explored the varied issues the world will have to face with a collapsing North Korea\,” said Bruce Bechtol\, a political scientist and Korean Peninsula expert on ASU’s security studies faculty. \nIn introducing the panel\, Bechtol said: “We should all care about this because the North Koreans proliferate weapons of mass destruction to rogue states like Syria. “They threaten U.S. forces in Asia with missiles and nuclear weapons\, and yet the government is so unstable that it could collapse at any time. Because of this\, we may see in the near future more U.S. troops deploying to the Korean Peninsula to conduct stabilization operations.” \nSeated on the panel were David S. Maxwell\, Greg Scarlatoiu and Richard C. Bush III. \nMaxwell\, associate director of the Center for Security Studies and the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University\, who as a retiring Special Forces colonel in 1999 authored the first contingency plan for the fall of North Korea’s government\, spoke on the fragile situation of the “unnaturally divided Korean peninsula.” \n“The war between North and South Korea has not officially ended\,” Maxwell reminded the audience filling one of the largest classrooms in the Rassman building. The armistice signed at the end of the Korean conflict\, or “forgotten war\,” set the goal or reuniting the north and south peacefully. \nMaxwell said that has not happened\, nor does it seem like it will. \n Internal conditions \nBush\, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of its Center for East Asia Policy Studies\, focused his remarks on China\, “the elephant in the room.” It is considered an ally of North Korea\, but decidedly unpredictable in how it would react in any of three scenarios: collapse of the North Korean government\, a North Korea attack on South Korea or\, at least possible for another decade or so\, the continuation of “muddling through.” \nScarlatoiu\, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, discussed the human rights situation for much of the population of North Korea. Conditions are more horrible than can be described\, Scarlatoiu said. Because of the tyrannical “mafia-like-culture crime family” in power for 60 years\, the majority of the population is malnourished\, existing in extreme poverty. \n“Most likely millions have perished and are near death in the five political concentration camps we know exist in North Korea\,” Scarlatoiu said. \nBut such a population cannot be freed easily. And freed\, the people would need extreme medical care\, far beyond the basics of food and shelter\, which they also don’t have. In the fallout of a failed North Korean government\, Scarlatoiu said coming to the aid of the people would “likely be the greatest humanitarian relief effort of the world.” Scarlatoiu said: “They can’t go back to their families; their families are most likely dead. They can’t go back to their land; they have no land.” \nIs China prepared for an influx of 30 million refugees? Hardly\, Bush said. \n Potential for war \nMaxwell said the best advice would be to “prepare\, prepare\, prepare\,” but with so many variables it’s hard to know how to prepare. \n“What must be done is plan for the worst-case scenario. We know reasons for failure in war is failure to learn\, failure to adapt and failure to anticipate\,” Maxwell said. “Resistance of North Korea will be far more complicated than with Iraq or Afghanistan. North Korea has a large special operations force in place\, a chemical and biological weapons program\, delivery systems for those weapons and numerous global networks.” \nMaxwell predicts if the North Korean regime collapses\, there is a danger Kim Jong Un could make a decision to go to war\, and there should also be the assumption China would intervene. \n“There is great potential for major powers to go to war\,” Maxwell said. “China has not fought a major war in over 30 years\, and then did not have overwhelming success.” Bush added: “A war between the U.S. and China would be the first war between two countries with nuclear weapons.” \n  \n© 2013 San Angelo Standard Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published\, broadcast\, rewritten or redistributed. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/panel-talks-north-koreas-instability-by-candace-cooksey-fulton-special-to-the-standard-times/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131107T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131107T220000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125035Z
UID:712028-1383849000-1383861600@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Korea Club with Shin Dong-hyuk
DESCRIPTION:  									 \n\n\n\n\nThe Korea Club meton Thursday\, November 7\, 2013 and featured Shin Dong-hyuk\, who gave a presentation entitled “Born in the Hidden Gulag“.  \n  \nShin Dong-hyuk was born in 1982 in Camp Number 14\, a notorious “total control zone” political prison camp located in Kaechon north of Pyongyang\, the capital of North Korea. Like all other prisoners Shin Dong-hyuk wasexpected to serve a life sentence and die in the camp. His only crime was that he was born as the child of prisoners. He lived in the camp until he was 24 years old. Within the camp\, he was constantly fell victim to torture\, forced labor\, induced malnutrition and complete lack of medical care. Years of hard labor have left scars as well. At the age of 14\, he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother\, who had tried to escape. \n  \nShin Dong-hyuk escaped in 2005 at the age of 23 after hearing stories about the outside world from another prisoner and made his way to the Sino-North Korean border in one month. He lived in hiding in China until he resettled in South Korea in 2006. His father remains in the camp\, his fate unknown. Since Shin Dong-hyuk's defection to South Korea he has become involved with human rights groups to increase awareness of the atrocities occurring in North Korea. A book about his life\, authored by Blaine Harden—former Washington Post correspondent in Seoul for 10 years— was published in March 2012: Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West. The book has been translated in more than 25 languages. \n  \n  \n  \n 												Korea Club Directors \n  \nJim Kelman (KUSCO)         Greg Scarlatoiu (HRNK)             Linda Butcher (KEI) 												(703) 568-6987                      (202) 499-7973                             (857) 373-9110 \n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/korea-club-with-shin-dong-hyuk/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131106T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131106T203000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132100Z
UID:712162-1383753600-1383769800@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:The Heart of Darkness: North Korea's Hidden Gulag
DESCRIPTION:The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Committee for Human Rights in North Korea invite you to join us for an exclusive and groundbreaking human rights conference\, as we reveal the brutal and often fatal realities of the North Korean gulag system. Please click on the link here to view the agenda.  \nReservations required by Friday\, November 1 at HRNK@ilhmec.org
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/the-heart-of-darkness-north-koreas-hidden-gulag-2/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131106T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131106T203000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125031Z
UID:712020-1383753600-1383769800@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:The Heart of Darkness: North Korea’s Hidden Gulag
DESCRIPTION:The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Committee for Human Rights in North Korea invite you to join us for an exclusive and groundbreaking human rights conference\, as we reveal the brutal and often fatal realities of the North Korean gulag system. Please click on the link here to view the agenda.  \nReservations required by Friday\, November 1 at HRNK@ilhmec.org \nPlease view the conference video here. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/the-heart-of-darkness-north-koreas-hidden-gulag/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131030T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131030T000000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125033Z
UID:712022-1383091200-1383091200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Statement by Roberta Cohen\, Co-Chair\, HRNK Before the UN Commission of Inquiry
DESCRIPTION:My remarks will concentrate on the most vulnerable women in North Korean society\, those imprisoned in political penal labor camps (kwan-li-so)\, long term prison labor facilities (kyo-hwa-so)\, and in police interrogation and detention centers on the China-North Korea border.  \nThe Commission of Inquiry will have to consider whether these women have been subject to widespread practices that punish\, degrade\, violate\, intimidate and humiliate them while in custody. It must also consider whether the forced abortions carried out against pregnant women forcibly returned to North Korea from China and held in detention facilities constitute state sponsored sexual violence and whether the reported killings of their babies constitute state sponsored infanticide and racially motivated murder.     \nPlease view the full transcript here. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/statement-by-roberta-cohen-co-chair-hrnk-before-the-un-commission-of-inquiry/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131016T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131016T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132059Z
UID:712161-1381948200-1381957200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Korea Club with Professor Hyun In-ae
DESCRIPTION:An Insider's Perspective on North Korean Society: Transformation\, Stagnation or Regression?
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/korea-club-with-professor-hyun-in-ae/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131016T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131016T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125032Z
UID:712021-1381948200-1381957200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Korea Club with Professor Hyun In-ae: An Insider's Perspective on North Korean Society-Transformation\, Stagnation or Regression?
DESCRIPTION:Korea Club with Professor Hyun In-ae \nWednesday\, October 16\, 2013 6:30 pm–9:00 pm   An Insider's Perspective on North Korean Society: Transformation\, Stagnation or Regression?   Guest Speaker:   Hyun In-ae Resident Fellow\, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea Member\, Korea National Unification Advisory Council Former Professor\, Najin Maritime University   Woo Lae Oak Korean Restaurant 8240 Leesburg Pike Vienna\, VA 22182   \nDear Colleagues and Friends: \nYou are invited to attend a meeting of the Korea Club on Wednesday\, October 16\, 2013. The event will feature Professor Hyun In-ae who will give a presentation entitled “An Insider's Perspective on North Korean Society: Transformation\, Stagnation or Regression?”    Professor Hyun In-ae studied philosophy at Kim Il Sung University in the 1970s\, and taught Juche philosophy at Najin Maritime University in North Hamgyong Province from 1979 to 1988 and at Chongjin Medical College from 1988 to 2001. She left North Korea and arrived in South Korea in 2004. A founding member of North Korean Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS)\, she served as the organization's deputy representative. She has written numerous articles and given lectures at a variety of institutions in South Korea. She is a member of the Republic of Korea National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC). She has completed a master's degree at Ehwa Women's University in South Korea and is in the process of completing a doctoral degree at the same university. Since January 2013\, she has been a resident fellow at the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) in Washington\, D.C.     PROGRAM DETAILS \nReception will begin at 6:30pm\, followed by a buffet dinner at 7:00 pm\, and the speaker’s presentation and Q & A session. The program will conclude at 9:00 pm. The cost of the dinner is $20.00\, payable at the door by either check or cash. RSVP is required for this program. WHEN YOU SEND YOUR RSVP\, PLEASE SPECIFY WHETHER YOU WILL NEED SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM AND TO DUNN LORING METRO WITH YOUR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL. \nTo register for this program or for further questions\, please e-mail your confirmation to Linda Butcher\, KEI's Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs (lb@keia.org). \nWOO LAE OAK RESTAURANT IN TYSONS CORNER \nThe 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 2nd 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. \nFOR DRIVERS \nWoo 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-storey parking garage. \nFOR METRO RIDERS \nOrange Line stop at Dunn Loring-Merrifield. The restaurant is 3 miles north of Dunn Loring Metro. Between 6 pm and 7 pm\, an HRNK intern holding a Korea Club sign will be greeting Korea Club members at the ground level of Dunn Loring Metro Station—there is only one exit. Vehicles provided by Woo Lae Oak Restaurant will be on stand-by in front of Dunn Loring Metro between 6 pm and 7 pm\, to drive metro riders to the restaurant. Shuttle service back to Dunn Loring Metro will also be provided after the conclusion of the program at 9 pm. \nKorea Club Directors   Jim Kelman (KUSCO)         Greg Scarlatoiu (HRNK)             Linda Butcher (KEI) (703) 568-6987                      (202) 499-7973                             (857) 373-9110     Korea Economic Institute 1800 K Street\, NW\, Suite 1010\, Washington\, DC 20006 | P: 202-464-1982 | F: 202-464-1987
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/korea-club-with-professor-hyun-in-ae-an-insiders-perspective-on-north-korean-society-transformation-stagnation-or-regression/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130816T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130816T160000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125031Z
UID:712019-1376661600-1376668800@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Lecture on North Korean Human Rights by HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu
DESCRIPTION:Please click on this link to view the photographs taken at this lecture. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/lecture-on-north-korean-human-rights-by-hrnk-executive-director-greg-scarlatoiu/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130612T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130612T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132059Z
UID:712158-1371061800-1371070800@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Korea Club with Ambassador Andrew Natsios
DESCRIPTION:Dear Colleague: \n You are invited to attend a meeting of the Korea Club on Wednesday\, June 12\, 2013. The event will feature Ambassador Andrew Natsios who will give a presentation entitled “The Transformation of North Korea?”  \n  \nAmbassador Andrew S. Natsios\, Co-chair of the Committee for Human Rights in NorthKorea\, is Executive Professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service\, Texas A&M University. \n  \nFrom January 13\, 2006 to June 2012\, Ambassador Natsios served on the faculty of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. From May 1\, 2001 to January 12\, 2006\, he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)\, the leading US government agency conducting international economic development and humanitarian assistance. During this period he managed USAID’s reconstruction programs in Afghanistan\, Iraq\, and Sudan\, which totaled more than $14 billion over four years. President Bush also appointed him Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance and Special Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan.Natsios also served as U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan from October 2006 to December 2007.Natsios has served previously at USAID\, first as director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance from 1989 to 1991 and then as assistant administrator for the Bureau for Food and Humanitarian Assistance (now the Bureau of Democracy\, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance) from 1991 to January 1993. After serving 23 years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a civil affairs officer\, Natsios retired in 1995 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is a veteran of the Gulf War. \n  \nPROGRAM DETAILS \n Reception will begin at 6:30pm\, followed by a buffet dinner at 7:00 pm\, and the speaker’s presentation and Q & A session. The program will conclude at 9:00 pm. The cost of the dinner is $20.00\, payable at the door by either check or cash. RSVP is required for this program. WHEN YOU SEND YOUR RSVP\, PLEASE SPECIFY WHETHER YOU WILL NEED SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM AND TO DUNN LORING METRO WITH YOUR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL. \n To register for this program or for further questions\, please e-mail your confirmation to Linda Kim\, KEI’s Director for Programs (lk@keia.org).  \n WOO LAE OAK RESTAURANT IN TYSONS CORNER \n 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 theKorea Club conference room on the 2nd 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. \n FOR DRIVERS \n 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-storey parking garage. \n FOR METRO RIDERS \n Orange Line stop at Dunn Loring-Merrifield. The restaurant is 3 miles north of Dunn Loring Metro. Between 6 pm and 7 pm\, an HRNK intern holding a Korea Club sign will be greeting Korea Club members at the ground level of Dunn Loring Metro Station—there is only one exit. Vehicles provided by Woo Lae Oak Restaurant will be on stand-by in front of Dunn Loring Metro between 6 pm and 7 pm\, to drive metro riders to the restaurant. Shuttle service back to Dunn Loring Metro will also be provided after the conclusion of the program at 9 pm. \n Korea Club Directors \n  \nJim Kelman (KUSCO)         Greg Scarlatoiu (HRNK)             Linda Kim (KEI)        (703) 568-6987                      (202) 499-7973                      (857) 373-9110
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/korea-club-with-ambassador-andrew-natsios-2/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130612T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130612T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125029Z
UID:712018-1371061800-1371070800@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Korea Club with Ambassador Andrew Natsios
DESCRIPTION:The Korea Club met on Wednesday\, June 12\, 2013 and featured Ambassador Andrew Natsios\, who gave a presentation entitled “The Transformation of North Korea?”  \n  \nAmbassador Andrew S. Natsios\, Co-chair of the Committee for Human Rights in NorthKorea\, is Executive Professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service\, Texas A&M University. \n  \nFrom January 13\, 2006 to June 2012\, Ambassador Natsios served on the faculty of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. From May 1\, 2001 to January 12\, 2006\, he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)\, the leading US government agency conducting international economic development and humanitarian assistance. During this period he managed USAID’s reconstruction programs in Afghanistan\, Iraq\, and Sudan\, which totaled more than $14 billion over four years. President Bush also appointed him Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance and Special Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan.Natsios also served as U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan from October 2006 to December 2007.Natsios has served previously at USAID\, first as director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance from 1989 to 1991 and then as assistant administrator for the Bureau for Food and Humanitarian Assistance (now the Bureau of Democracy\, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance) from 1991 to January 1993. After serving 23 years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a civil affairs officer\, Natsios retired in 1995 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is a veteran of the Gulf War. \n  \n  \n Korea Club Directors \n  \nJim Kelman (KUSCO)         Greg Scarlatoiu (HRNK)             Linda Kim (KEI)        (703) 568-6987                      (202) 499-7973                      (857) 373-9110
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/korea-club-with-ambassador-andrew-natsios/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130523T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130524T190000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132058Z
UID:712157-1369312200-1369422000@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Asan's Transitional Justice in a Reunified Korea: Peace-Building & Reconciliation
DESCRIPTION:If and when Korean unification takes place\, undertaking a fair and transparent process of transitional justice will be one of the key elements for peace-building and reconciliation in a reunified Korea. This conference will bring together renowned experts on North Korea\, human rights\, and transitional justice to examine the issue of transitional justice in a post-reunified Korea.   \nPlease click on this link to view the conference agenda.  \nPlease RSVP to Ms. Collins at lisadalem@asaninst.org by Thursday\, May 16\, 2013.
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/asans-transitional-justice-in-a-reunified-korea-peace-building-reconciliation/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130523T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130524T190000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125028Z
UID:712016-1369312200-1369422000@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Transitional Justice in a Reunified Korea: Peace-Building & Reconciliation
DESCRIPTION:If and when Korean unification takes place\, undertaking a fair and transparent process of transitional justice will be one of the key elements for peace-building and reconciliation in a reunified Korea. This conference will bring together renowned experts on North Korea\, human rights\, and transitional justice to examine the issue of transitional justice in a post-reunified Korea.   \nPlease click on this link to view the conference agenda.  \nPlease RSVP to Ms. Collins at lisadalem@asaninst.org by Thursday\, May 16\, 2013. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/transitional-justice-in-a-reunified-korea-peace-building-reconciliation/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130418T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130418T203000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132057Z
UID:712156-1366311600-1366317000@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:THiNK's Farewell Dear Leader Unlocking North Korean Famine\, Defection\, and Resettlement
DESCRIPTION:The three panelists are Gordon Flake\, an executive director of the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation and co-author of Paved with Good Intention: The NGO Experience in North Korea\, Sandra Fahy\, a post-doctoral research fellow at University of Southern California studying defectors in South Korea and Japan\, and Jinhye Jo\, a North Korean defector who currently resides in Virginia. \nPlease RSVP to Angela Xu at cx10@georgetown.edu. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/thinks-farewell-dear-leader-unlocking-north-korean-famine-defection-and-resettlement/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130402T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130402T190000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132057Z
UID:712155-1364911200-1364929200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Human Rights in Kim Jong-un's North Korea: Is Progress Possible?
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/human-rights-in-kim-jong-uns-north-korea-is-progress-possible-2/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130402T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130402T190000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125027Z
UID:712015-1364911200-1364929200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Human Rights in Kim Jong-un’s North Korea: Is Progress Possible?
DESCRIPTION:Please click on the link for the conference agenda. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/human-rights-in-kim-jong-uns-north-korea-is-progress-possible/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130305T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130305T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132055Z
UID:712152-1362510000-1362517200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Screening of "Danny from North Korea"
DESCRIPTION:Danny is a North Korean refugee that LiNK helped escape a life of indoctrination\, routine public executions\, and starvation. As each step takes him closer to finding freedom\, he saw a world he never knew existed. A world where movement was not monitored by the government\, information was readily available\, and most importantly at the time\, there was enough food to fill his empty belly. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/screening-of-danny-from-north-korea/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130304T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130304T220000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132056Z
UID:712154-1362427200-1362434400@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Screening of "Danny from North Korea"
DESCRIPTION:Join AU's club Fight Back/Rebuild and the international organization LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) for a FREE screening premiere of “Danny”  \nLiNK's mission is to “redefine North Korea by focusing on the people while rescuing and providing resettlement support to North Korean refugees and pursuing an end to the North Korea crisis.” \nThis awareness event is partnering with LiNK's efforts to redefine North Korea so that public perception will shift from the politics to the people.  \nWatch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FdnlOKZNU&feature=player_embedded \nLiNK's history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmZLbk6lfTc
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/screening-of-danny-from-north-korea-3/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130228T191500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130228T213000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132056Z
UID:712153-1362078900-1362087000@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Screening of "Danny from North Korea"
DESCRIPTION:Danny is a North Korean refugee that LiNK helped escape a life of indoctrination\, routine public executions\, and starvation. As each step takes him closer to finding freedom\, he saw a world he never knew existed. A world where movement was not monitored by the government\, information was readily available\, and most importantly at the time\, there was enough food to fill his empty belly. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/screening-of-danny-from-north-korea-2/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130225T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130322T000000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132054Z
UID:712151-1361750400-1363910400@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:22nd regular session of the Human Rights Council
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/22nd-regular-session-of-the-human-rights-council/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130218T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130222T000000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132054Z
UID:712150-1361145600-1361491200@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:10th Session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
DESCRIPTION:The 10th session of the Advisory Committee will take place from 18 to 22 February 2013 in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Chamber (Room XX) at Palais des Nations in Geneva\, Switzerland.
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/10th-session-of-the-human-rights-council-advisory-committee/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20121213T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20121213T133000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125025Z
UID:712013-1355392800-1355405400@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Human Rights in North Korea: Prison Camps in 2012
DESCRIPTION:Jae Ku\, director of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS; Gordon Flake\, co-vice chair of the board of directors at Human Rights North Korea and executive director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation; Insung Kim\, researcher at the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights; Joseph Bermudez Jr.\, senior analyst at DigitalGlobe’s Analysis Center; and Greg Scarlatoiu\, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, discussed this topic. Keynote remarks were delivered by Carl Gershman\, president of National Endowment for Democracy\, during lunch following the panel discussion.
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/human-rights-in-north-korea-prison-camps-in-2012/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20121128T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20121128T000000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125027Z
UID:712014-1354060800-1354060800@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:International Forum on North Korea
DESCRIPTION:  \nSTATEMENT BY ROBERTA COHEN AT THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON NORTH KOREA\, SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY\, THE KOREA INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL UNIFICATION AND THE HENRY JACKSON SOCIETY\, LONDON\, NOVEMBER 28\, 2012 \n\n\n \nIn my remarks today as a discussant\, I’m going to focus on the challenges to information gathering in the case of North Korea. But first let me begin by emphasizing the importance of unearthing information about the extent of human rights violations in the country. The organizations on this panel have helped bring to light extensive information about human rights in North Korea. As a result of their meticulous work\, governments and the United Nations have been able to rely on this information for their own reports and policy positions on North Korea.\n \nWe have heard from our panelists today that public executions may be on the decline in North Korea\, in part because of international criticism. We have also heard that North Korea's participation in the Paralympic games may signal a change in policy toward the disabled. And we have heard that fewer people are dying from starvation because they have learned to survive by growing their own food which the government is increasingly permitting. All these areas are being researched as are the prison camps\, where particular efforts are being made to ascertain whether one camp has been closed down and another relocated and the significance of such information.   \n \nThis certainly contrasts with the past when the world was largely in the dark about human rights conditions in North Korea. It was not until 40 years after Kim Il-sung assumed power — in the late 1970s and 80s — that international NGOs first began to report on the human rights situation. More recently with the escape of some 25\,000 North Koreans to the South\, information has become more plentiful about all aspects of human rights in North Korea. Hundreds of former prisoners and former prison guards are among the defectors and have been providing testimony about their prison experiences. And since 2003\, satellite photos of the camps have helped verify the information provided by the former prisoners and guards. North Koreans hiding in China have also been providing information. The report of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, Lives for Sale\, is based on interviews with North Korean women who made their way to China. And information is forthcoming — by means of new technology — from North Koreans still inside North Korea.\n \nNonetheless\, many obstacles remain to information gathering.  Let us focus on three.\n \nThe first is the severe crackdown being carried out at the border since Kim Jong-il's death. Shoot to kill orders\, intensified surveillance and other restrictive measures have reduced the number of defectors arriving in the South and with them the information they bring. This year\, the total number of North Koreans expected to reach the South is 1400\, less than half the number who arrived last year and in many past years. North Korea’s efforts to reduce the number is in great measure a response to all the information North Korean defectors have been providing to the outside world\, and which also has been going back into North Korea. China for its part has also been discouraging North Korean departures to prevent instability in the North but also to reduce the bad publicity Beijing has been receiving for forcibly repatriating North Koreans who are then subject to severe punishment. An international discussion is needed on how to address the restrictions imposed on North Koreans trying to exit and the forced repatriations of those who manage to cross the border. Governments\, international organizations\, NGOs and defectors should all be part of this discussion.    \n \nA second difficulty to information gathering is the continued lack of access to North Korea by international human rights groups and United Nations human rights rapporteurs. The only time that a human rights organization was invited to the North was in 1995 (nearly 20 years ago) when Amnesty International was allowed in\, subject to heavy restrictions. That same year\, North Korea invited the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women to visit but only to discuss World War II's comfort women and Japan. The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea\, who was appointed in 2004 to investigate and report on the human rights situation\, has never been allowed into the country. Nor has the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights\, the UN’s chief human rights advocate. For nearly10 years\, the High Commissioner has been trying to establish a dialogue and technical assistance programs with North Korea. North Korea\, however\, has made it known that it might only allow a visit of the High Commissioner in exchange for something else — the termination of UN resolutions on the human rights situation. UN member states\, however\, are not inclined to bargain away their resolutions\, and rightly so. An overall international strategy needs to be developed for addressing the lack of access.\n \nA third difficulty arises when UN officials and governments do not give full weight to defector testimony. Because the UN and governments can not directly assess the situation themselves\, they often qualify the information they receive from defectors\, sometimes even making it seem doubtful. UN High Commissioners for Human Rights for example have long pointed out that the UN can not form its own independent diagnosis of the situation because they cannot verify it directly. This may explain in part why no High Commissioner has ever issued a separate stand alone statement on North Korea’s human rights situation. There may be other reasons as well but the lack of direct access has for too long served as a handy rationale.\n \nThe US State Department Human Rights Report on North Korea for 2011 even contains a disclaimer at the end that says that no one can “assess fully human rights conditions or confirm reported abuses” in North Korea and that defector information can be dated. The language on political prison camps in the report therefore rings a bit tentative: the camps are attributed to reports of defectors or NGOs which presumably can not be confirmed.\n \nYet former prisoners and prison guards have been regularly providing first hand accounts of their experiences so that there is accumulated testimony\, which often corroborates other testimony\, making it factual. Sometimes the testimonies are accompanied by drawings. Satellite photos further provide verification of the camps. Shouldn’t a new approach be developed for dealing with human rights information coming from those who directly experienced severe and unspeakable abuses? The idea that international monitors have to verify each and every piece of information through a visit to the country and its prisons sets up a gold standard of proof that would be inapplicable in many situations. Even if a visit were ever permitted\, the access allowed would not permit the kind of verification sought. To Shin Dong-hyuk\, the prisoner who escaped Camp 14\, “more and more people are dying in the camps. We cannot wait for more tangible evidence.”\n \nSince 2008\, reputable NGOs have found the violations reported so grave as to warrant calling upon the UN General Assembly and Security Council to investigate whether North Korea is committing crimes against humanity. A coalition formed in 2011 of more than 40 organizations is calling for a UN commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity in North Korea. The UN Special Rapporteur\, Marzuki Darusman\, in his 2012 report to the UN General Assembly himself acknowledges that certain widespread or systematic imprisonment may constitute crimes against humanity and expresses support for a mechanism of inquiry.\n \nBut there still remains a substantial gap between what the NGOs and independent experts are calling for and what senior UN and government officials are ready to acknowledge and act upon. The gap of course benefits North Korea. Regularly calling attention to the lack of verifiable information in North Korea unintentionally lends support to its efforts to hide its human rights record – particularly the camps which are hidden away in the mountains. It also unintentionally lends support to its claim that human rights abuses are unfounded allegations emanating from those who betrayed their country.\n \nWhy not convene an expert meeting on the information gap? It should identify the information that is available and the information that is lacking\, ascertain which information constitutes crimes against humanity\, and decide how such information can best be presented to and used by UN and government officials. The information could be broken down to encompass specific issues – such as the imprisonment of whole families because of guilt by association\, the incarceration of children in camps\, and the cases of specific prisoners about which information has come to light. Such a meeting must address why governments and the UN haven’t yet figured out a way to shine a spotlight on the prison camp system – about which so much information has come out. \n \nFurther\, it would be valuable for governments to monitor the camps via satellites and if possible share the information with NGOs. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea has been adept at working with Google Earth and Digital Globe to establish a watch over the camps\, but interpretation of the information could benefit from government expertise.   \n \nFinally\, greater support is needed to get new technology into North Korea — whether USB flash drives\, phones or miniature recording devices — in order to bring information out from North Korea. And greater support is needed for radio broadcasts\, DVDs and mobile media equipment to send information into the country. People to people exchanges should also be encouraged to increase the information flow. North Korea has been making extensive efforts to restrict information into and from its country but it has been failing in this enterprise. The more that North Koreans learn about conditions in other countries\, the more likely it will be that they will seek reform of their own. \n \n\n 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/international-forum-on-north-korea/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20121018T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20121018T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132053Z
UID:712147-1350585000-1350594000@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:K-Pop: The New Ping-Pong Diplomacy to North Korea?
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/k-pop-the-new-ping-pong-diplomacy-to-north-korea/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20121012T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20121012T133000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132050Z
UID:712145-1350028800-1350048600@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:North Korea's Political Prisoner Camp System and the Plight of North Korean Refugees:  A Call for Action
DESCRIPTION:Seating is limited. Please RSVP to hrnkla@hrnk.org. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/north-koreas-political-prisoner-camp-system-and-the-plight-of-north-korean-refugees-a-call-for-action-2/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20121012T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20121012T133000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125021Z
UID:712012-1350028800-1350048600@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:North Korea’s Political Prisoner Camp System and the Plight of North Korean Refugees:  A Call for Action
DESCRIPTION:Seating is limited. Please RSVP to hrnkla@hrnk.org. 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/north-koreas-political-prisoner-camp-system-and-the-plight-of-north-korean-refugees-a-call-for-action/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.hrnk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/LA-Conference-Logos.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20121004T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20121004T210000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T132050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T132053Z
UID:712149-1349377200-1349384400@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:The People's Crisis Film and Discussion
DESCRIPTION:  \n 	Guest Speakers:\n 	Justin Artoff\, Chi Ko and Sonny Van\, from Liberty in North Korea\n 	 \n 	The People’s Crisis (2012\, 54 min)\, by Liberty in North Korea [LiNK]\n 	 \n 	Join Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) and BloomBars community arts space  for a film screening and discussion of The People’s Crisis – The real crisis in North Korea is not about its reclusive leaders or its nuclear weapons. It is about 24 million people living under the most ruthless system of political oppression ever assembled by humankind. The North Korean people have suffered through crippling poverty\, humanitarian disasters\, chronic food shortages and a denial of even the most basic freedoms.\n 	 \n 	This documentary offers a comprehensive overview of the North Korean people's crisis\, featuring interviews with North Korean refugees who have escaped\, their journey to freedom\, expert analysis\, and insight into some of the grassroots changes happening inside the country.\n 	 \n 	For our discussion we will speak with Justin Artoff\, Chi Ko\, and Sonny Van – who are all current LiNK Nomads (or\, traveling representatives). We’ll talk about the film and about LiNK's campaign to raise awareness about the human rights and humanitarian crisis in North Korea.\n 	 \n 	Website / RSVP:  http://tinyurl.com/LiNK-rsvp \n 	Movie trailer:  http://tinyurl.com/LiNK-trailer \n 	 \n 	Suggested $10 donation\n 	Free popcorn and refreshments provided.\n 	 \n 	**Please show your support through the purchase of LiNK merchandise (DVDs\, clothing apparel\, etc)\, which will be available for sale.\n 	 \n 	BloomScreen is a weekly series of independent and foreign films\, accompanied by discussions with filmmakers and other experts.
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/the-peoples-crisis-film-and-discussion/
CATEGORIES:Events,North Korean Human Rights Events Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20120911T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20120911T150000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125018Z
UID:712011-1347370200-1347375600@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:An Update on the Campaign to Rescue Dr. Oh Kil-nam's Family
DESCRIPTION:The Story of Oh Kil-nam and His Family \n\n \nSource: Chosunilbo\n \n\n \nDr. Oh Kil-nam was once a South Korean elite strongly opposed to the Yusin Constitution system\, who left South Korea to study in Germany.\n \nAfter the No. 3 Office of the Central Committee of the Workers Party noticed Dr. Oh in Germany\, North Korean agents approached him and lured him to North Korea with promises of a position\nin which he could study economics as much as he pleased. The North Korean agents also promised medical treatment for Dr. Oh’s wife\, who was suffering from hepatitis. Because of these promises\, Dr. Oh decided to enter North Korea in 1985\, bringing his wife and two young daughters\, Hye-won and Gyu-won\, with him.\n \n“It was a real donkey act!” Dr. Oh said of his decision. Upon arriving at the airport in Pyongyang\, he had already realized his mistake. His family was sent to a military camp in the mountains\, and they were forced to repeatedly and solely study the sayings of Kim Il-sung. After that he was posted to a position at the “Voice of National Salvation\,” a North Korean radio propaganda broadcaster targeting South Korean people.\n \nThe following year\, Dr. Oh was instructed to go to Germany to win over South Korean students studying there for the North Korean government. He was not allowed to bring his family with him to Germany\, and they were forced to stay in North Korea. His wife\, Shin Suk-ja\, pushed him to take the opportunity to defect back to South Korea. Dr. Oh eventually asked for asylum in Copenhagen\, Denmark in 1986 and reentered South Korea in 1992. In that period he had relentlessly tried to bring his family to him wherever he was\, in every way conceivable\, but failed to do so.\n \nAccording to Dr. Oh\, the so-called national composer\, Yun Isang\, tried to apply pressure to Dr. Oh saying\, “You betrayed the Leader Kim Il-sung\, who did you a favor. As well\, you also know the secrets of the Mt. Chilbo Liaison Office (which is in charge of the “Voice of National Salvage”). Therefore\, we have no choice but to take your family hostage.”\n \nYun again attempted to persuade Dr. Oh to go back to North Korea by giving him a letter from Dr. Oh’s wife. There was also an audio tape recorded by his wife and two daughters\, which sounded as though they had been forced and threatened into recording.\n \nSince 1987\, Shin Suk-ja\, Hye-won\, and Gyu-won- Dr. Oh’s entire family-have reportedly been imprisoned in the notorious political prison camp- Yoduk. Kang Cheol-hwan\, Ahn Hyuk\, Kim Tae-jin\, and other former prisoners of Yoduk who now live in the South have testified unanimously that they have met Dr. Oh’s family in Yoduk.\n \nNow South Korean NGOs have undertaken this campaign to rescue Dr. Oh’s wife and children from the prison camps of North Korea. The aim of this campaign is to collect signatures from South Koreans and citizens of the world to urge UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to take care of Shin Suk-ja\, Hye-won\, and Gyu-won\, and to work to bring them back to their home in South Korea.\n \n-ICNK\nOctober 27\, 2011\n \n 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/an-update-on-the-campaign-to-rescue-dr-oh-kil-nams-family/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20120719T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20120719T133000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125008Z
UID:712009-1342699200-1342704600@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Coercion\, Control\, Surveillance\, and Punishment:  An Examination of the North Korean Police State
DESCRIPTION:Please click on this link for the photo gallery from this event.  \n \nThe Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) launched the 130-page report\, Coercion\, Control\, Surveillance\, and Punishment: An Examination of the North Korean Police State\, on July 19 at the Korea Economic Institute (KEI).   \nAuthored by North Korean leadership specialist Ken E. Gause\, Coercion\, Control\, Surveillance\, and Punishment reveals that the Kim family created a pervasive state security apparatus to consolidate power\, relying on constant surveillance and a network of informants to root out threats to the regime from the smallest neighborhoods to the highest levels of the military. \nThe report rollout\, moderated by Greg Scarlatoiu\, HRNK Executive Director\, also featured remarks by discussants Chuck Downs\, former HRNK Executive Director\, Helen-Louise Hunter\, HRNK Board Member\, and Kim Kwang-jin\, HRNK Non-Resident Fellow. \n  \nSPEAKER BIOS: \nKen Gause\, the report author\, is a senior research analyst with CNA Strategic Studies’ International Affairs Group and Iranian Studies Program. He oversees CNA’s work on foreign leadership studies and is expert on leadership issues concerning North Korea. Mr. Gause began his career as a leadership analyst with the U.S. government\, posted for three years in Moscow. Since the mid-1980s\, he has worked for a number of defense-related think tanks\, where he has strived to push the boundaries of leadership analysis. Prior to joining CNA in 1999\, Gause was Director of Research for Keesing’s Worldwide Directory of Defense Authorities. Mr. Gause holds a B.A. in Political Science and Russian from Vanderbilt University\, and earned an M.A. in Soviet and East European Affairs from George Washington University. \nChuck Downs was HRNK Executive Director from 2008 to 2011 and Board member from 2001 to 2008. He authored Over the Line: North Korea’s Negotiating Strategy while serving as Associate Director of the Asian Studies Program at the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Downs served for most of his career in the Pentagon\, as Deputy Director for Regional Affairs and Congressional Relations in the Pentagon’s East Asia Office. Mr. Downs was also Senior Defense and Foreign Policy Advisor to the House Policy Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives. As a Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Public Policy he chaired the North Korea Working Group\, providing policy recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Downs graduated with honors in political science from Williams College in 1972. \nHelen-Louise Hunter\, member of HRNK’s Board and Executive Committee\, is an attorney who has engaged in private practice with a large international law firm in Washington\, D.C.\, and has served as Permanent Law Clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. For more than 20 years\, she was a Far East specialist at the Central Intelligence Agency. In the late 1970s\, she served as the Assistant National Intelligence Officer for the Far East. She is the author of Kim Il-song’s North Korea (1999). \nKim Kwang-jin is a North Korean defector and former DPRK international finance agent. An HRNK non-resident fellow\, Mr. Kim is currently a resident senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) in Seoul\, South Korea and HRNK non-resident fellow. Mr. Kim is an invaluable experienced resource shedding light into the darkest corners of the North Korean regime’s secret and illegal international financial operations. His revelations have saved re-insurance companies tens of millions of dollars and brought an end to an important method the corrupt regime employed to earn from foreign sources the funds it needed to maintain its internal oppression. Mr. Kim holds an MBA in Finance and Insurance from Kookmin University (Seoul\, 2012)\, a Masters in Economics/IT of North Korea at the University of North Korean Studies (Seoul\, 2008)\, a Degree in British Literature from Kim Il-sung University (Pyongyang\, 1989)\, and a Degree in English from the Pyongyang Foreign Language Institute (1984). Working for the North Korean regime\, Mr. Kim served as Singapore Representative of North East Asia Bank (2002-2003); an agent of the Korean Foreign Insurance Company and North East Asia Bank\, Pyongyang\, (2000–2002); a manager of the Foreign Trade Bank of DPRK (1999)\, and Professor of the Pyongyang Computer College (1991–1997). He has produced a number of publications on the North Korean economy and the current power transition in North Korea\, including two HRNK reports. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/coercion-control-surveillance-and-punishment-an-examination-of-the-north-korean-police-state/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20120606T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20120606T153000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20190107T125008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190107T125013Z
UID:712010-1338991200-1338996600@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:Marked for Life: Songbun\, North Korea's Social Classification System
DESCRIPTION:Please click on this link for the photo gallery from this event.
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/marked-for-life-songbun-north-koreas-social-classification-system/
CATEGORIES:Events,HRNK Events
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20120305T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20120305T153000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130711
CREATED:20120306T023810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230109T202242Z
UID:700768-1330956000-1330961400@www.hrnk.org
SUMMARY:China’s Repatriation of North Korean Refugees
DESCRIPTION:Please see the video gallery for a live recording of this hearing. \nUnable to Attend in Person \nStatement of Roberta Cohen\, Chair\, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow\, the Brookings Institution\, on China’s Repatriation of North Korean Refugees\, at the Hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China\, March 5\, 2012 \nOn behalf of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, I would like to express great appreciation to Congressman Christopher Smith and Senator Sherrod Brown for holding this hearing today to highlight the case of an estimated 30 to 40 North Koreans who fled into China and now risk being forcibly returned to North Korea where they will most assuredly be severely punished. We consider it essential to defend the fundamental rights of North Koreans to leave their country and seek asylum abroad and to call upon China to stop its forcible repatriation of North Koreans and provide them with the needed human rights and humanitarian protection to which they are entitled. The right to leave a country\, to seek asylum abroad and not to be forcibly returned to conditions of danger are internationally recognized rights which North Korea and China\, like all other countries\, are obliged to respect. \nThis particular case of North Koreans has captured regional and international attention. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak has spoken out publicly against the return of the North Koreans and National Assembly woman Park Sun Young has undertaken a hunger strike in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. The Parliamentary Forum for Democracy encompassing 18 countries has urged its members to raise the matter with their governments. \nThe case\, however\, is situated at the tip of the iceberg. According to the State Department’s Human Rights Report (2010)\, there may be thousands or tens of thousands of North Koreans hiding in China. Although China does allow large numbers of North Koreans to reside illegally in its country\, they have no rights and China has forcibly returned tens of thousands over the past two decades. Most if not all have been punished in North Korea and according to the testimonies and reports received by the Committee for Human Rights\, the punishment has included beatings\, torture\, detention\, forced labor\, sexual violence\, and in the case of women suspected of become pregnant in China\, forced abortions or infanticide. \nStringent punishment in particular has been meted out to North Koreans who have associated abroad with foreigners (i.e.\, missionaries\, aid workers or journalists) or have sought political asylum or tried to obtain entry into South Korea. The North Koreans currently arrested and threatened with return are therefore likely to suffer severe punishment should they be repatriated. Some might even face execution; the North Korean Ministry of Public Security issued a decree in 2010 making the crime of defection a “crime of treachery against the nation.” \nThe Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, a Washington DC-based non-governmental organization\, established in 2001\, has published three in-depth reports on the precarious plight of North Koreans in China and the cruel and inhuman practice of forcibly sending them back to one of the world’s most oppressive regimes. The first\, The North Korean Refugee Crisis: Human Rights and International Response (2006)\, edited by Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland\, establishes that most if not all North Koreans in China merit a prima facie claim to refugee or refugee sur place status. The second\, Lives for Sale: Personal Accounts of Women Fleeing North Korea to China (2010) calls upon China to set up a screening process with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to determine the status of North Koreans and ensure they are not forcibly returned. The third\, to be published in April\, Hidden Gulag second edition\, by David Hawk\, presents the harrowing testimony of scores of North Koreans severely punished after being returned to North Korea. \n  \nReasons North Koreans in China should be considered refugees \nAlthough China claims that North Koreans in its country are economic migrants subject to deportation\, we submit that North Koreans in China should merit international refugee protection for the following reasons: \nFirst\, a definite number of those who cross the border can be expected to do so out of a well founded fear of persecution on political\, social or religious grounds. It is well known that in their own country North Koreans suffer persecution if they express or even appear to hold political views unacceptable to the authorities\, listen to foreign broadcasts\, watch South Korean DVDs\, practice their own religious beliefs\, or try to leave the country. Some 200\,000 are incarcerated in labor camps and other penal facilities on political grounds. Moreover\, North Koreans imprisoned for having gone to China for food or employment often try\, once released\, to leave again. Some conclude they will always be under suspicion\, surveillance and persecution in North Korea and therefore cross the border once again\, this time seeking political refuge\, ultimately in South Korea. \nBecause China has no refugee adjudication process to determine who is a refugee and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has no access to North Koreans at the border\, it has not been possible to ascertain how many North Koreans are seeking asylum because of a well-founded fear of political or other persecution. But those who cross the border because of political\, religious or social persecution will no doubt fit the definition of refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.[1] \nSecond\, those who cross the border into China for reasons of economic deprivation\, probably the majority\, may also qualify as refugees if they have been compelled to leave North Korea because of government economic policies that could be shown to be tantamount to political persecution. These North Koreans are not part of the privileged political elite and therefore have insufficient access to food and material supplies. In times of economic hardship in particular\, food is distributed by the government first to the army and Party based on political loyalty whereas many of the North Koreans crossing into China during periods of famine are from the “impure\,” “wavering” or “hostile” classes\, which are the poor\, deprived lower classes\, designated as such under North Korea’s songbun caste system.[2]  Their quest for economic survival could therefore be based on political discrimination and persecution. Examining such cases in a refugee determination process might establish that certain numbers of North Koreans crossing into China for economic survival merit refugee status under the 1951 Convention. \nThird\, and by far the most compelling argument why North Koreans should not be forcibly returned is that most if not all fit the category of refugees sur place. As defined by UNHCR\, refugees sur place are persons who might not have been refugees when they left their country but who become refugees “at a later date” because they have a valid fear of persecution upon return. North Koreans who leave their country because of economic reasons have valid reasons for fearing persecution and punishment upon return. Their government after all deems it a criminal offense to leave the country without permission and punishes persons who are returned\, or even who return voluntarily. North Koreans in China therefore could qualify as refugees sur place. \nThe High Commissioner for Refugees\, Antonio Guterres in 2006 while on a visit to China raised the concept of refugees sur place with Chinese officials. He told them that forcibly repatriating North Koreans without any determination process and where they could be persecuted on return stands in violation of the Refugee Convention. To UNHCR since 2004\, North Koreans in China without permission are deemed “persons of concern\,” meriting humanitarian protection.[3] It has proposed to China a special humanitarian status for North Koreans\, which would enable them to obtain temporary documentation\, access to services\, and protection from forced return. To date\, China has failed to agree to this temporary protected status. \nWhile China has cooperated with UNHCR in making arrangements for Vietnamese and other refugees to integrate in China or resettle elsewhere\, it has refused to cooperate when it comes to North Koreans. Only in cases where North Koreans have made their way to foreign embassies or consulates or the UNHCR compound in Beijing has China felt impelled to cooperate with governments or the UNHCR in facilitating their departure to South Korea or other countries. In the vast majority of cases\, China considers itself bound to an agreement it made with North Korea in 1986 (the “Mutual Cooperation Protocol for the Work of Maintaining National Security and Social Order and the Border Areas”). This agreement obliges China and North Korea to prevent “illegal border crossings of residents.” Chinese police as a result collaborate with North Korean police in tracking down North Koreans and forcibly returning them to North Korea without any reference to their rights under refugee or human rights law or the obligations of China under the agreements it has ratified. Implementation of this agreement sounds remarkably like the efforts made by the former Soviet Union to support the German Democratic Republic’s actions to punish East Germans for trying to leave their country. It is an agreement that undermines and stands in violation of China’s obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (which it signed in 1982)\, its membership in UNHCR’s Executive Committee (EXCOM)\, which seeks to promote refugee protection\, and the human rights agreements to which China has chosen to adhere. So too do China’s domestic laws contradict its international refugee and human rights commitments. A local law in Jilin province (1993) requires the return of North Koreans who enter the province illegally. \nChina is bound not only by the Refugee Convention that prohibits non-refoulement but the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel\, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment\,\nwhich China ratified in 1988. It prohibits the return of persons to states “where there are substantial grounds for believing” that they would be “subjected to torture.”  Indeed\, the Committee against Torture (CAT)\, the expert body monitoring the convention’s implementation\, has called upon China to establish a screening process to examine whether North Koreans will face the risk of torture on return\, to provide UNHCR access to all North Korean persons of concern\, and to adopt legislation incorporating China’s obligations under the convention\, in particular with regard to deportations. \nAnother UN expert body\, the Committee on the Rights of the Child\, which monitors compliance by China and other states with the Convention on the Rights of the Child\, similarly has called on China to ensure that no unaccompanied child from North Korea is returned to a country “where there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk of irreparable harm to the child.” \nChina of course has legitimate interests in wanting to control its borders. It is concerned about potential large scale outflows from North Korea and the impact of such flows on North Korea’s stability. It also is said to be concerned about potential Korean nationalism in its border areas where there are historic Korean claims. But China should not become complicit in the serious human rights violations perpetrated by North Korea against its own citizens. The reports of the United Nations Secretary-General and of the Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea as well as the resolutions of the General Assembly\, adopted by more than 100 states\, have strongly criticized North Korea for its practices and called upon North Korea’s “neighboring states” to cease the deportation of North Koreans because of the terrible mistreatment they are known to endure upon return. \n  \nRecommendations \nTo encourage China to fulfill its international obligations in this matter\, the following recommendations are offered: \nFirst\, additional hearings should be held by the United States Congress on the plight of North Koreans who cross into China. A spotlight must be kept on the issue to seek to avert China’s forced repatriation of North Koreans to situations where their lives are at risk. \nSecond\, members of Congress should lend support to the efforts of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy\, established in 2010\, so that joint inter-parliamentary efforts can be mobilized in a number of countries around the world on behalf of the North Koreans in danger in China. Such joint efforts can also offer solidarity to South Korean colleagues protesting the forced return of North Koreans. \nThird\, the United States should encourage UNHCR to raise its profile on this issue. It further should lend its full support to UNHCR’s appeals and proposals to China and mobilize other governments to do likewise in order to make sure that the non-refoulement provision of the 1951 Refugee Convention is upheld and the work of this important UN agency enhanced. China’s practices at present threaten to undermine the principles of the international refugee protection regime. \nFourth\, together with other concerned governments\, the United States should give priority to raising the forced repatriation of North Koreans with Chinese officials but in the absence of response\, should bring the issue before international refugee and human rights fora. UNHCR’s Executive Committee as well as the UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly of the United Nations should all be expected to call on China by name to carry out its obligations under refugee and human rights law and enact legislation to codify these obligations so that North Koreans will not be expelled if their lives or freedom are in danger. Specifically\, China should be called upon to adopt legislation incorporating its obligations under the Refugee Convention and international human rights agreements and to bring its existing laws into line with internationally agreed upon principles. It should be expected to call a moratorium on deportations of North Koreans until its laws and practices are brought into line with international standards and can ensure that North Koreans will not be returned to conditions of danger. \nFifth\, the United States should promote a multilateral approach to the problem of North Koreans leaving their country. Their exodus affects more than China. It concerns South Korea most notably\, which already houses more than 23\,000 North Korean ‘defectors’ and whose Constitution offers citizenship to North Koreans. Countries in East and Southeast Asia\, East and West Europe as well as Mongolia and the United States are also affected as they too have admitted North Korean refugees and asylum seekers. Together with UNHCR\, a multilateral approach should be designed that finds solutions for North Koreans based on principles of non-refoulement and human rights and humanitarian protection. International burden sharing has been introduced for other refugee populations and should be developed here. \nSixth\, the United States should make known its readiness to increase the number of North Korean refugees and asylum seekers admitted to this country.[4] Other countries should be encouraged as well to step forward and take in more North Korean refugees and asylum seekers until such time as they no longer face persecution and punishment in their country. \n  \nThank you. \n  \nRoberta Cohen \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n  \n\n\n[1] Under the Convention\, a person is a refugee if he or she is outside his/her country of origin because of “a well-founded fear of being persecuted” for “reasons of race\, religion\, nationality\, membership of a particular social group or political opinion” and unable or unwilling to avail him or herself of the protection of that country. An exception is if the person has committed criminal acts (although in the case of North Korea\, the term criminal would be open to discussion). \n  \n\n\n[2] See Committee for Human Rights in North Korea\, Marked for Life: Songbun\, North Korea’s Social Classification System\, 2012 (forthcoming). \n\n\n[3] In September 2004\, the High Commissioner announced before UNHCR’s Executive Committee that North Koreans in China are ‘persons of concern.” One reason why UNHCR used this term was that it had no access to the North Koreans; another was that under the Refugee Convention\, persons of dual nationality could be excluded from refugee status. (However it has been pointed out that in the case of North Koreans\, not all are able to avail themselves of their right to citizenship in South Korea\, some may not choose to do so\, and South Korea may not take in every North Korean. The United States and other countries do not consider North Koreans ineligible for refugee status because of the dual nationality provision.) \n  \n  \n\n\n[4] See Roberta Cohen\, “Admitting North Korean Refugees to the United States: Obstacles and Opportunities\,” 38 North\, September 20\, 2011. \n\n\n 
URL:https://www.hrnk.org/event/chinas-repatriation-of-north-korean-refugees-5/
LOCATION:Hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China\, United States
CATEGORIES:Congressional Hearings
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