May 18, 2023
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), the Hoover Institution, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have the pleasure to invite you to a full-day conference entitled "North Korean Human Rights: Is There Still a Way Forward?" on Thursday, May 18 at NED.
As North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities, this conference will examine the human rights situation in the country and explore how human rights issues may be elevated in future bilateral & multilateral interactions with Pyongyang.
The full program agenda is enclosed below.
The welcome & opening remarks and the first session will be livestreamed online at https://www.ned.org/events/north-korean-human-rights-i
March 29, 2023
HRNK will be featuring its latest report, The Root of All Evil: Money, Rice, Crime & Law in North Korea by Joshua Stanton.
The Root of All Evil examines the record of UN and U.S. sanctions implementation against North Korea, and it "proposes a long-term, multilateral legal strategy...to find, freeze, forfeit, and deposit the proceeds of the North Korean kleptocracy into international escrow."
"By forfeiting misspent funds and disbursing them for humanitarian purposes," Stanton argues, "a coalition [of like-minded nations] can compel Kim Jong-un to make better decisions with the wealth that rightfully belongs to the North Korean people."
The report launch will be conducted virtually, via Zoom, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET) on Wednesday, March 29.
Access information will be shared with confirmed participants the day prior to the event.
The even
March 19, 2023
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), the International Bar Association (IBA), and the Center for International Studies of the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Yonsei University have the pleasure to invite you to an event entitled Ten Years after the UN COI: Pressure Points and the Future of the North Korean Human Rights Movement.
The event, organized in cooperation with the CREDO Association and the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), will be held on Monday, March 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Korea Standard Time) in a hybrid format: virtually on Zoom and in-person at Yonsei University in Seoul. This event is centered on both the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) and
March 17, 2023
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations have the pleasure to invite you to a side-event on “Investigating DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years after the UN COI: Satellite Imagery, Lines of Responsibility, Accountability” that will be held on Friday, 17th March 2023, 13:00-14:00 (Geneva time) in-person at Palais des Nations, Room XXII.
Ten years after the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), this event aims to highlight the human rights infringements and crimes against humanity perpetrated at DPRK detention facilities as well as the chain of command and control responsible for those violations in order to emphasize the importance of human rights accountability in the DPRK.
The event will feature remarks and briefings by ROK Ambassador-at-Large Shin-wha Lee, HRNK Senior Satellite Imagery Analyst Joseph S. Be
March 14, 2023
The offices of MEP Michiel Hoogeveen and MEP Lukas Mandl (Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Korean Peninsula - D-KOR), together with The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) have the pleasure to invite you to a side-event on “Investigating DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years after the UN COI: Satellite Imagery, Lines of Responsibility, Accountability” that will be held on Tuesday, 14th March 2023, 13:30-15:00 in-person – at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in WEISS S2.2.
At this event we will be joined by three North Korean defectors, who will give testimonies about their time in North Korean prison camps.
PROGRAMME:
Welcoming Remarks:
MEP Michiel Hoogeveen
Part 1: “DPRK Human Rights, Ten Years after th
February 28, 2023
Dear Friends of HRNK,
We invite you to "One Decade Since the UN COI: Advocating for a Human Rights Up Front Approach," an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 22/13, which established, by consensus, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in North Korea.
This event, hosted by HRNK, will be held at the DACOR Bacon House (1801 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.) on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
This event will aim to: assess progress on North Korean human rights over the past decade; propose a "paradigm shift" that would place a "Human Rights Up Front" approach at the center of North Korea policy and interactions with North Korea, next to other critical issues; and assess the likelihood of Korean unification under a free, prosperous, democratic, capitalist Republic of Korea as the key to re
November 16, 2022
Dear Friends of HRNK,
You are kindly invited to participate in a hybrid lecture, "North Korea and its Regime," organized by the Dutch United Nations Student Association (SIB Amsterdam) and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK).
The lecture will highlight HRNK's role as a North Korean human rights advocate, the Kim regime and Juche ideology, human rights violations in North Korea, and what can be done by the general public.
This hybrid event will be held on Wednesday, 16 November 1 PM (EST) / 7 PM (CET). The physical event will be hosted by SIB in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (UvA Roeterseilandcampus, Roetersstraat 11). It will also be live-streamed on Zoom.
For further information, please contact SIB Amsterdam at
[email protected]
October 28, 2022
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations, and the European Union Delegation to the UN hosted a side-event, “Investigating the DPRK Human Rights: Satellite Imagery, Lines of Responsibility, Accountability” on Friday, 28th October 2022, 1:15-2:45 PM (EST) in a hybrid format: virtually on Zoom and in-person at the premises of the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the UN.
This event highlighted the human rights infringements and crimes against humanity perpetrated at DPRK detention facilities as well as the chain of command and control responsible for those violations, in order to emphasize the importance of human rights accountability in the DPRK.
Following presentations by ROK Ambassador-at-Large Lee Shin-wha
September 26, 2022
On Monday, September 26, 2022, HRNK held a virtual launch of its latest report, North Korean Workers Officially Dispatched to China & Russia: Human Rights Denial, Chain of Command & Control by Greg Scarlatoiu, with Raymond Ha and Hyunseung Lee.
The report finds that "the working conditions at overseas worksites constitute forced, slave labor." In particular, "there are severe violations of the International Labor Organization's core Conventions and North Korea's own labor laws." The report also provides information about the situation of overseas workers in China & Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as an outline of the chain of command & control that directs the official dispatch of overseas workers.
The report is available online at https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Overseas_Workers_0926.pdf.
September 15, 2022
HRNK hosted the 18th General Meeting of the International Parliamentarians' Coalition for North Korean Refugees and Human Rights (IPCNKR) on Thursday, September 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at the DACOR Bacon House.
Greg Scarlatoiu, HRNK Executive Director, moderated the event.
Opening & Congratulatory Remarks
(9:00-9:30 a.m.)
The Hon. Ha Tae-keung, IPCNKR Chairperson & ROK National Assembly
The Hon. Damon Wilson, President & CEO, National Endowment for Democracy
The Hon. Hwang Woo-yea, IPCNKR Honorary Chairperson & former ROK Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs
Session 1: Promotion & Protection of Freedom of Opinion & Expression in N. Korea
(9:30-10:40 a.m.)
Jang Hyoek, former entrepreneur &
August 12, 2022
On October 9, 1983, North Korean agents planted a bomb at the Martyrs' Mausolem in Rangoon, Burma, attempting to assassinate the fifth president of South Korea, Chun Doo-hwan. Although Chun was unharmed due to an act of providence, fourteen South Korean presidential advisers, journalists, and security officials were killed, together with four Burmese nationals. One out of three North Korean assassins survived. This is the story of Kang Min-chol, the lone survivor of the 1983 North Korean terrorist hit squad.
The report launch will be conducted virtually, via Zoom, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET) on Friday, August 12.
Following a presentation by Amb. Ra Jong-yil, the event will feature remarks by retired Lt. General Chun In-bum, ROKA, who was at the scene of the attack in 1983 as a first lieutenant, and Robert Collins, HRNK Author and Senior Adviser.
Greg Scarlatoi
June 27, 2022
On June 27, 2022, following an exhaustive multi-year Inquiry, HRNK and the International Bar Association (IBA) launched in Washington, D.C. a report entitled "Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity in North Korean Detention Centers." The Inquiry, chaired by four renowned international judges--including the former Presidents of the ICC and the Rwanda Tribunal, as well as judges who served on the criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Cambodia--concluded that crimes against humanity have been, and continue to be, committed in North Korea's pre-trial detention centers, holding centers, and labor training camps.
Remarks by:
Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay (Inquiry Chair)
- Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Former President, Rwanda Tribunal; Former Judge, International Criminal Court (ICC)
Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi
- President, Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC; Former President, ICC
June 09, 2022
This event will begin with a screening of the documentary Abandoned Heroes No. 43 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, featuring:
Mr. Seon-Woo Lee
POW in North Korea from 1953 to 2006, when he escaped to South Korea
Lt. Gen. Wallace "Chip" Gregson, Jr. (USMC, Retired)
President, WC Gregson & Associates
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs
Ms. Hee-Eun Kim
Founder, President & CEO, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy (CAPS)
Col. David Maxwell (U.S. Army, Retired)
Board Member, HRNK
Senior Fellow, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD)
Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr. 
June 02, 2022
Moderated by HRNK Co-Chair Emeritus Roberta Cohen
Presenters:
Dr. Rana Siu Inboden
Adjunct Assistant Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Distinguished Scholar, Strauss Center for International Security and Law
North Korea and Authoritarian Collaboration in the United Nations: The Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Process
The report Dr. Inboden will feature examines ways that North Korea benefits from protection in the UN human rights system. In particular, it examines patterns where other authoritarian countries shield North Korea from human rights criticism during the UN's Universal Periodic Review process by offering praise for the North Korean government, even in the face of severe human rights violations. It shows that jointly North Korea and other countries, such as China, blunt the effectiveness of external human rights scrutiny and mo
April 26, 2022
HRNK will be featuring Army of the Indoctrinated: The Suryong, the Soldier, and Information in the KPA by George Hutchinson, the latest report in an ongoing project to examine North Korea's information environment.
The report launch will be conducted virtually, via Zoom. Login information will be shared with confirmed participants the day prior to the event.
The event will be open to the press and on-the-record.
Please email Raymond Ha, HRNK Director of Operations and Research, at
[email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
March 04, 2022
Dear Friend of HRNK and IBA,
We invite you to a Hearing in connection with an Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity in North Korean Detention Centers that is being led by HRNK and the IBA. The Hearing, which will be held on March 4, 2022 from 09:00 to 17:30 (EST), will feature (1) in-person testimony from survivors of North Korean detention centers, and (2) expert testimony on command and control structures in the Kim regime, satellite images of detention centers, etc. The goal of the Hearing is to determine culpability for alleged crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, ranging from actors at the highest level of the regime (i.e., Kim Jong-un), to low-level guards who carry out many of the worst human rights abuses.
Four renowned international jurists – who, together, have presided over the most consequential international criminal tribunals since the Nuremberg trials – will preside over the March 4th Hearing:
December 22, 2021
HRNK will be featuring its latest report under a long-term project employing satellite imagery analysis and former political prisoner testimony to shed light on human suffering in North Korea's prison camps.
The report launch will be conducted virtually, via Zoom. Login information will be shared with confirmed participants the day prior to the event.
The event will be open to the press and on-the-record.
Please email Raymond Ha, HRNK Director of Operations and Research, at
[email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
November 03, 2021
HRNK will be featuring its latest report under a long-term project employing satellite imagery analysis and former political prisoner testimony to shed light on human suffering in North Korea's prison camps.
The report launch will be conducted virtually, via Zoom. Login information will be shared with confirmed participants the day prior to the event.
The event will be open to the press and on-the-record.
Please email Raymond Ha, HRNK Director of Operations and Research, at
[email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
October 26, 2021
Featuring:
The Honorable Tomás Ojea Quintana
Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Moderated by:
Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director, HRNK
Mr. Tomás Ojea Quintana was appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of Korea by the Human Rights Council in 2016.
Mr. Ojea Quintana is a lawyer from Argentina working in the field of criminal law, human rights and public interest, representing NGOs and other groups in different cases, including child abduction by the military regime, sexual abuses by members of the church, and business criminal liability for human rights abuses. He is currently the attorney of a universal jurisdiction case on the abuses against Rohingyas.
He served as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar from 2008 to 2014, and previously as Consultant for th
July 22, 2021
HRNK will be featuring the latest report under a long-term project employing satellite imagery analysis and former political prisoner testimony to shed light on human suffering in North Korea's prison camps.
The event will be open to the press, and on-the-record. Please click here to RSVP.
The Zoom credentials will be sent to you shortly before the program.
Please email Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor, at
[email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.