At its 55th meeting on April 24th, HRNK's Board of Directors unanimously elected The Honorable Jack David as its new Co-Chair and The Honorable Robert Joseph as its new Co-Vice-Chair.

Upon their decision to leave the Board after long years of service, HRNK's Board of Directors expressed its deep gratitude to outgoing Co-Chair Gordon Flake and Co-Vice-Chair Suzanne Scholte, and unanimously adopted resolutions honoring their remarkable contributions to the North Korean human rights cause and HRNK's mission.

Please find the biographies of Co-Chair Jack David and Co-Vice-Chair Robert Joseph enclosed, together with the resolutions honoring former Co-Chair Gordon Flake and former Co-Vice-Chair Suzanne Scholte.

Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director

The Honorable Jack David is a Senior Fellow and Member of the Board of Trustees at Hudson Institute, as well as a manager of his own investments. Additionally, he is an independent consultant on national security matters, especially combating weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. David has had long involvement with international human rights issues, serving several years as a delegate to a working group of the UN Human Rights Commission. For many years, he was a director of the International League for Human Rights. He was one of the founders of the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights, on the board of directors of which he served in its initial years.

His publications include numerous articles on issues of federal or U.S. constitutional law, which he authored or edited. His articles relating to U.S. foreign and U.S. national security policy have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Forward, and The New York Sun, National Review Online, and other media outlets. He has written many privately distributed analyses of foreign and security affairs. He is also the editor of The Blessings of Liberty (Random House, 1989).
 

Ambassador Robert Joseph is a Senior Scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy. Until March 2007, Ambassador Joseph was Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. In this capacity, he reported directly to the Secretary of State as the principal State Department officer for non- and counterproliferation matters, arms control, arms transfers, regional security and defense relations, and security assistance. His management responsibilities included oversight of three major bureaus headed by Assistant Secretaries of State: International Security and Nonproliferation; Political and Military Affairs; and Verification, Compliance and Implementation. 

Previously, from January 2001 through November 2004, Dr. Joseph served on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense. In this capacity, he was responsible, under the supervision of the National Security Advisor, for developing and coordinating U.S. policies and strategies for preventing, deterring and defending against threats to the United States from weapons of mass destruction. Earlier, he was Principal Deputy Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control.

Dr. Joseph was also the founder and Director of the Center for Counterproliferation Research at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.  His awards include the National Defense University President’s Award for Individual Achievement and the National Nuclear Security Administration Gold Medal for Distinguished Service. He also received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service (and Bronze Palm), and multiple Senior Executive Service Meritorious Achievements citations. In 2006, he was the recipient of the annual Ronald Reagan award for his contributions to U.S. missile defense.
 

A RESOLUTION HONORING GORDON FLAKE, FORMER CO-CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA (HRNK)

WHEREAS, GORDON FLAKE provided critical initiative and support throughout most of HRNK’s development;
 
WHEREAS, GORDON FLAKE served as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for eight years;
 
WHEREAS, GORDON FLAKE displayed admirable leadership and dedication;
 
WHEREAS, GORDON FLAKE made extraordinary contributions to HRNK’s mission;
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea on this 24th day of April 2024 that GORDON FLAKE be honored and thanked for his long service to the organization.
 

A RESOLUTION HONORING SUZANNE SCHOLTE, FOUNDING MEMBER AND FORMER CO-VICE-CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA (HRNK)

WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE provided critical initiative, vision, and support during HRNK’s development as a founding member and Co-Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for twenty-three years;

WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE led the vanguard of the North Korean human rights movement with faith, passion, compassion, and resilience;
 
WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE pioneered the introduction and advancement of North Korean human rights before the U.S. Congress and the American people;
 
WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE was the first to give North Korean escapees a voice before the U.S. Congress;
 
WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE made critical contributions to the adoption of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 and subsequent reauthorizations;
 
WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE has saved North Korean lives and given hope to many in the North Korean escapee community;
 
WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE has kept the flame of North Korean human rights and freedom burning, against all odds;
 
WHEREAS, SUZANNE SCHOLTE is a freedom fighter who imparts mentorship, leadership, and inspiration to human rights defenders in the United States, South Korea, Japan, and beyond;
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea on this 24th day of April 2024 that SUZANNE SCHOLTE be honored and thanked for her long service to the organization and for her lifelong commitment to bringing freedom, human rights, prosperity, and democracy to all Koreans.