▲ Seminar for the release of the 2009 White Paper on North Korean Human Rights in Washington D.C. on Thursday ⓒ the Daily NK

Washington D.C. -- The release of the English version of the 2009 White Paper on North Korean Human Rights was accompanied by a seminar in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon, held by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) and co-sponsored by both the US-Korea Institute at SAIS and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

During the seminar, Dr. Yoon Yeo Sang and Director Kim Sang Hun of the NKDB introduced their mission and activities since 2003 when the organization was founded. The NKDB has accumulated and applied statistical analysis to 11,206 incidents of human rights abuses to date.

Dr. Yoon commented that North Korea is like a department store of human rights abuses which his organization aims to transform it into a museum.

Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division Advocacy Director Sophie Richardson, who was in attendance, was very positive about the role of the NKDB, “This kind of database is very important for promoting North Korean human rights," she said, "Records such as those compiled in this database are useful in encouraging organizations like the UN to take stronger action.”

▲ NKBD Director Kim Sang Hun introduces his organization ⓒ the Daily NK