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North Korea Freedom Week Focuses Washington's Attention

By Derek Repp

A week of events focusing attention on human rights issues in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK) culminated May 2. The events were part of North Korea Freedom Week, an event organized annually since 2004 by the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

In 2008, activities included a march from the Chinese Embassy to the South Korean Embassy to welcome South Korea President Lee Myung-Bak, a rally on Capitol Hill, pre-release screenings of Crossings, a new movie on human rights in North Korea and a panel discussion featuring several North Korean defectors. Participants included representatives from religious and human rights groups from the United States and South Korea.

Suzanne Scholte, chairman of the coalition, said the week aimed to highlight the 2004 North Korea Human Rights Act, a U.S. law that gives refugees and defectors an opportunity to testify, speak out and raise awareness of conditions in North Korea. "Having these brave defectors speak and give eyewitness testimony is one of the most critical aspects" of North Korea Freedom Week, she said.

On April 29, after a rally and concert near the U.S. Capitol Building, participants visited congressmen to express their concerns on issues related to human rights in North Korea.

Several congressional representatives voiced their concerns about human rights in North Korea, including Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia and Representative Trent Franks of Arizona. "The complete lack of human and religious freedom in North Korea is extremely disheartening," Franks said during a briefing he co-chaired April 30 on restrictions on religious freedom in the DPRK.

Marcus Noland, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a specialist on North Korea, participated in a panel discussion at the institute with several DPRK defectors April 30. Noland said North Korea Freedom Week is important because it focuses public and congressional attention on the situation in the DPRK. In addition, it provides an opportunity for people interested in the issue of human rights in North Korea to form networks and interact in a way that is usually not possible, he said.

President Bush recognized the event in a White House statement, saying: "I am deeply concerned about the grave human rights conditions in North Korea, especially the denial of universal freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and association, and restrictions on freedom of movement and workers' rights." (See Remarks by President Bush on North Korea Freedom Week ( http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=texttrans-english&y=2008&m=May&x=20080501120430eaifas0.9169275&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html&distid=ucs ).)

More information is available on the North Korea Freedom Coalition ( http://www.nkfreedom.org/ )Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of State