“2007 North Korea Freedom Week” begins in Washington

[imText1]The DailyNK held an online interview with Suzanne Scholte, President of the Defense Forum Foundation and Chairman for the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

For the past 3 years, Ms. Scholte, also known as the godmother of North Korea human rights movements, has been successfully leading the movement of North Korea freedom week.

She said, “For the past 10 years, I have principally been involved in promoting awareness of this issue, but now it is also time to give the North Korean people a glimpse of what life would be like without Kim Jong Il” and added that the discussions would focus on the “transformation of North Korea.”

In the past, emphasis was place on the awareness of North Korea human rights, however from this year, the NKFW will aim to direct the talks on advancing North Korea human rights movements by developing and investigating strategies to end the Kim Jong Il regime.

She explained the role of North Korea human rights movements and said, “We fight this battle for the freedom, human rights and dignity of the North Korean people” but “we must also address the spiritual battle that we face in confronting Kim Jong Il, the most evil dictator on Earth.”

She added, “We will be praying together (South Korean, North Korean, American, Japanese, and Chinese) for God to bring about leaders in North Korea who will rise up to help the North Korean people be liberated from their enslavement to Kim Jong Il.”

On the first day of the NKFW, forums will be held to discuss the U.N. Security Council’s intervention on North Korea human rights issues. On the 24th, talks will be held on the importance of North Korea broadcasting and the end of the Kim Jong Il regime and the impact of the collapse of the Kim Jong Il regime on neighboring countries.

Following, on the 25th, a congressional hearing will be held to discuss the response of the Korean and Chinese government towards defectors and supporters of the human rights movements and the on the 26th, the issue of religious persecution will be opened.

On the 27th, a prayer meeting will be held for the people of North Korea. On the last day, a petition will be held in front of the Chinese embassy to mark the end of NKFW and protest against China’s policy of forcefully repatriating defectors back to North Korea.

On the same day, the petition held in front of the Chinese embassy will not only be held in the Washington but throughout the world including major cities of the U.S., Belgium, the Netherlands and South Korea.

[imText2]– NK Freedom Week has been held for 4 years now. What have been some of the major achievements of the event? Do you feel that there have been changes to public opinion regarding North Korea issues in the U.S. and/or in the world?

In 2004 it led to the passage of the North Korea Human Rights Act by galvanizing grassroots support for this legislation. In 2005 and 2006, it created greater awareness of the many atrocities and illegal activities being committed by Kim Jong-il: the abductions of South Korean citizens during the Korean War, the abductions of citizens from Japan and other nations, the holding of Korean War POWs, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, slave labor and led to the historic meeting of North Korean defectors Kim Seung Min and the Han Mee family and Megume Yokota’s mother, Sakie Yokota, with President Bush. Also, in 2005 and 2006, North Korea Freedom Week focused attention on the horrors facing the North Korean refugees and on the government most responsible for this suffering: China. The last two years and this year we will focus on China’s horrific repatriation policy.

– The proposed ‘Panel on Failure to Protect: A Call to the U.N. Security Council to Act on North Korea’ to be held on Monday seems very interesting. What other events are scheduled for NKFW 2007?

I believe the most significant event of NKFW 2007 will be the prayer service for North Korea and the North Korean people who will be with us. Although we fight this battle for the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people in this world, we must also address the spiritual battle that we face in confronting Kim Jong-il, the most evil dictator on Earth. We will be praying together (South Korean, North Korean, American, Japanese, and Chinese) for God to bring about leaders in North Korea who will rise up to help the North Korean people be liberated from their enslavement to Kim Jong-il. We will pray for forgiveness for all the horrors that Korea has faced in the past and the strangleholds that grip North Korea today.

– What is the main focus of this year’s events?

The purpose and intention of North Korea Freedom Week is always the same: to fight for the freedom, human rights and dignity of the North Korean people.

In January I wrote to the North Korean defectors that our purpose for NKFW 2007 was the following: 1) To show that regime collapse will be an economic benefit to China, North and South Korea, and the world community; 2) To show that the North Korean defectors are ready to help guide their homeland to become a free and prosperous democracy; 3) To highlight the success of individual defectors to show their ability to triumph in the face of overwhelming obstacles; 4) To reveal the horrors and atrocities that the government of China is committing against its own people, humanitarian workers from other countries, as well as the North Korean refugees; 5) To continue to expose Kim Jong-il as a corrupt dictator involved with drug trafficking, counterfeiting, abductions, slave and child labor, and show that the regime is unworthy of both China and South Korea’s constant bailouts; and 6) To continue to build upon and show the growing international consensus against China’s cruel policy toward the refugees and against Kim Jong il.

Every event has in mind the promotion of the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people whether to address how to reach them through broadcasting to be discussed through the panel, to expose the horrors they face daily through the genocide exhibit, to reveal the atrocities China is committing against them through the Congressional hearing, etc.

In addition, we will have many special private meetings exclusively for the visiting of North Korean defectors to help plan for the transformation of North Korea into a free and prosperous nation.

[imText3]– Many North Korea human rights advocates from South Korea and throughout the world participated in the 2006 Freedom Week. Who are the speakers and participants of the 2007 Freedom Week?

OUR CHAMPIONS, THE DEFECTOR LEADERS will include HONG Soon-Kyung,HUH Kwang-Il, KIM, Seong-Min, KANG Chul Hwan, PARK Sang Hak, EOM Myong-Heui KANG Hak- Sil, LEE Sung Gyu;

HUMAN RIGHTS CHAMPIONS
MOON Kook Han, BUCK Rev. Phillip Buck (“John Yoon”) and CHOI Yong-hun, and our long-time friends and partners from Japan TERUAKI MASUMOTO and YOSHI YAMAMOTO and representatives from the Japanese government.

We are now in the process of confirming the VIPs from US and other governments for the many different activities, but we expect to have excellent participation for all the events from the Bush administration and the US Congress.

– The U.N. has been tackling North Korea’s human rights issues for the last 4 years. When defector testimonies were revealed for the first time, I think it shocked the whole international community. Now, it is time to approach the NK human rights issues differently. Are you trying to find some ways to tackle defector issues differently this year?

We are moving on several fronts in that regard.

First, regarding the UN, we strongly support the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea’s Report: Failure to Protect in calling for action at the UN Security Council on the human rights issues as Kim Jong-il is committing crimes against humanity. We also support greater engagement by the international community as a whole and our working to grow our coalition.

In addition, we are working hard to increase broadcasting and outreach to the North Korean people. This is vital and will be a major focus of my foundation’s (Defense Forum Foundation) work this coming year. We want to see more balloons going in to North Korea, more radios, increased broadcasting. The North Korean people need to know we are fighting for them.

In addition, we are not only focusing on the atrocities today but on the future. For the past 10 years I have principally been involved in promoting awareness of this issue, but now it is also time to give the North Korean people a glimpse of what life would be like without Kim Jong-il. So, among the private meetings we are planning during North Korea Freedom Week are the transformation of North Korea.

– The Bush Administration declared that the international community should have handled NK human right issues as well as the nuclear issue before closing the latest round of 6 Party Talks. Yet, lately, the Bush Administration seems to place greater focus on the nuclear issue and the Feb 13 Agreement rather than human rights issues. What is your opinion on the latest attitude of the U.S. government?

I can hardly respond because I am so upset about this latest farce. The issue is human rights and nothing else. I don’t want to say anything more.

– Some argue that the U.S. government’s funds to solve NK human rights problems should be used for defectors’ organizations. What is your opinion on this?

I would support funding for the defectors organizations, but also the South Korean, Japanese, and any NGOs that are promoting North Korean human rights. The main obstacle the NGO community faces is a lack of funds. So many of these very worthwhile organizations are surviving on very small budgets, but doing great work. The more support they can get, the more lives can be saved, the more hope for North Koreans.