[imText1]The U.S.’ Freedom House, the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights (NKnet, Chief Director Yoo Se Hee) and five other domestic North Korean human rights NGOs will participate in the North Korean International Forum with the theme “Six-Party Talks and North Korean human rights” for two days, starting on the 21st.

Freedom House’ Deputy Director Thomas O. Melia, David Hawk, the author of the Hidden Gulag, Kang Cheol Hwan, Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Democratization of North Korea, Kim Young Hwan, a researcher of NKnet, Park Young Ho, a senior Researcher of Korea Institute for National Unification, and Ha Tae Kyung, Open Radio for North Korea’s representative, and others will participate in the international forum and hold discussions.

They will share about the reality of North Korea’s prison camps for political criminals and the trend of North Korea’s human rights situation.

Especially, they will discuss various ways to resolve the North Korean human rights issue, such as the connection between human rights and the six party talks, plans for outsiders’ resolution, and the possibility of approaching a North Korean Helsinki Process.

The planners revealed the purpose of the event as “putting forth the necessary effort to diffuse the seriousness of North Korea’s human rights issue, which has fallen from international interest the after the February 13th agreement and the North Korean nuclear experiments, into domestic and foreign policies,.”

Also, they expressed frankly, “Presenting North Korea’s human rights problem will not counter the reconciliation movement which has been rapidly growing since the February 13th agreement between the North and South on the peninsula and between North Korea and the U.S.”

The planners added, “From a universal value, the North Korean human rights problem should not become a means to political evaluation and a loss/gain relationship. Preparing a unified mindset and countermove regarding the human rights issue in domestic North Korean human rights organizations will be very important for diffusing the human rights issue long-term.”

At this year’s international meeting, Mr. Kim Ik Han, one of the forum planners, said, “There are parts that cannot be separated from North Korea’s nuclear problem and human rights. This can be one way to thoroughly investigate a fundamental solution through human rights as North Korea’s nuclear weapons run into obstacles.”

On the last day of the forum, a meeting for representatives to promote the solidarity movement of university students in North Korean human rights organizations. At the meeting, the University Student’s Alliance for North Korean Democracy, Organization for Defector University Students, Student Media without Borders and others will participate. Individuals who are current domestic college students will also be able to participate.