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2017.06.28
| Won | Pyongyang | Sinuiju | Hyesan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Rate | 8,070 | 8,050 | 8,095 |
| Rice Price | 5,800 | 6,000 | 5,900 |
[imText1]
A number of youth student groups, Youth Forum, Young Defectors’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and Young NK, held a press conference at Cheonggye Plaza on Wednesday to add their voices to the chorus of opposition to forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. The event, which included several performances condemning the policy of forced repatriations, hit home about an issue which has been attracting intense domestic opposition over the last few days.
One group of students could be seen trundling around having tied themselves up with rope like prisoners. Some of the ‘prisoners’ could be heard bemoaning their fate: the high risk of death that awaits all escapees who find themselves back in the custody of the North Korean authorities. Meanwhile, a man wearing a Kim Jong Eun mask stood around the group to symbolize their captor, while others standing around yelled out for the North Korean people to be given more food.
The groups also issued a statement to reinforce the emotive imagery, in which they claimed that “The dynastic dictatorship in North Korea is the reason for the vicious cycle of escape, arrest and refoulement. We all need to come out together and oppose this evil dynastic dictatorship."
Baek Yo Saep, a defector who was arrested in China and repatriated before escaping again successfully, said “The horror I felt when I got back to North Korea and saw the portraits of Kim Jong Il was extreme. It was like somebody was escorting me through the gates of hell.”
“In prison they call you by a number, not your name, and during the interrogation process you are subjected to extreme violence. The screams of a friend of mine who was bloodily executed are still vivid in my mind. That screams will keep going on and on for as long as the dictatorial regime of North Korea continues.”
Another defector, Kim Ji Yeon said “I think it’s important that a lot of people take an interest in and understand this issue if defectors are to stop being forcibly returned to North Korea.” Kim said that she would keep using her experience to spread word of North Korean human rights issues to as many people as possible.
A number of youth student groups, Youth Forum, Young Defectors’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and Young NK, held a press conference at Cheonggye Plaza on Wednesday to add their voices to the chorus of opposition to forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. The event, which included several performances condemning the policy of forced repatriations, hit home about an issue which has been attracting intense domestic opposition over the last few days.
One group of students could be seen trundling around having tied themselves up with rope like prisoners. Some of the ‘prisoners’ could be heard bemoaning their fate: the high risk of death that awaits all escapees who find themselves back in the custody of the North Korean authorities. Meanwhile, a man wearing a Kim Jong Eun mask stood around the group to symbolize their captor, while others standing around yelled out for the North Korean people to be given more food.
The groups also issued a statement to reinforce the emotive imagery, in which they claimed that “The dynastic dictatorship in North Korea is the reason for the vicious cycle of escape, arrest and refoulement. We all need to come out together and oppose this evil dynastic dictatorship."
Baek Yo Saep, a defector who was arrested in China and repatriated before escaping again successfully, said “The horror I felt when I got back to North Korea and saw the portraits of Kim Jong Il was extreme. It was like somebody was escorting me through the gates of hell.”
“In prison they call you by a number, not your name, and during the interrogation process you are subjected to extreme violence. The screams of a friend of mine who was bloodily executed are still vivid in my mind. That screams will keep going on and on for as long as the dictatorial regime of North Korea continues.”
Another defector, Kim Ji Yeon said “I think it’s important that a lot of people take an interest in and understand this issue if defectors are to stop being forcibly returned to North Korea.” Kim said that she would keep using her experience to spread word of North Korean human rights issues to as many people as possible.
