[imText1]The groups running the ‘Daughter of Tongyeong Rescue Campaign’ aim to collect one million signatures for submission to to Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, along with a request for the UN to dispatch a special envoy to North Korea to call for the freeing of Shin Suk Ja and her two daughters, all reportedly detained as political prisoners.
In an outdoor event held today at Cheonggyecheon Plaza in downtown Seoul, activists distributed petition cards to the public and announced their plans to bring the movement onto the international stage.
Speaking at the event, Ha Tae Kyung from Open Radio for North Korea announced, “In conjunction with Human Rights Day (10th December), we will be sending one million petition cards to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to request the dispatch of a special envoy to North Korea for the freeing of Shin Suk Ja. Should North Korea reject the special envoy, we will request the setting up of a UN investigation committee to deal with the issue of South Korean political prisoners and hostages so as to exert pressure on the North.”
The setting up of an investigation committee does not require the approval of the Security Council and may be ordered on the authority of the secretary-general.
In addition, activists from both the campaign and the International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity(ICNK) will be working with international human rights organizations to publicize the movement in major cities such as New York, Tokyo, and London. Also, rallies will be held in front of about ten North Korean embassies and missions around the world on November 10th to demand the freeing of Shin Suk Ja and her daughters.
Speaking at the campaign, Oh Gil Nam, Shin Suk Ja’s husband, thanked the public for their concern and revealed his plans to travel to Germany on the 25th to seek the German government’s assistance in the movement.
