The leading official in Washington for North Korean human rights urged for increased efforts in disseminating information about the outside world to the isolated state through various means like broadcasts, leaflets, and media devices like USB hard drives.
Ambassador Julie Turner emphasized the importance of providing independent information to the DPRK citizens during a forum in downtown Seoul. North Korea is officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK.
“Numerous organizations in Seoul are making a significant impact by communicating messages to the North Korean people, emphasizing that they are seen and deeply cared for in terms of their well-being and dignity,” Turner expressed.
The Seoul Freedom Forum was organized to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the publication of the significant UN Commission of Inquiry report on human rights in North Korea.
In 2014, the COI report detailed North Korean crimes against humanity, such as torture, rape, execution, deliberate starvation, and forced labor, which were described as unprecedented in the modern world.
After a decade, the human rights situation in North Korea is still considered one of the most severe globally, according to Turner.
She mentioned that Washington is encouraging North Korea to resume negotiations.
“We are ready to engage in an open discussion about human rights,” Turner stated. “Let’s discuss how we can collaborate to bring to life the suggestions outlined in the Commission of Inquiry report.”
Turner was named the North Korean human rights envoy in October 2023, stepping into a position that had been empty since the start of 2017. She is currently on an 11-day journey to Tokyo and Seoul, scheduled to conclude on Thursday, to honor the anniversary of the event.
Activists and Defectors Advocate for Freedom Messages into North Korea Despite Past Opposition
Another participant in Monday’s panel was Park Jung-oh, leading an activist group that sends supplies into North Korea from border areas.
“North Korea tightly controls the information flow to its citizens to uphold the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un,” Park stated. “There is nothing more powerful than individuals, living in freedom, sending messages of liberty to our fellow human beings in North Korea.”
Park mentioned that nine defectors had recently arrived in South Korea after receiving his rice bottles.
Ilhyeok Kim, a North Korean defector who escaped the country at age 17, mentioned that external pressure is helping to increase awareness among North Koreans.
“The pressure from the international community on human rights in North Korea has put the Kim Jong Un dictatorship in a difficult position,” Kim stated. Residents are discussing instances of unfair treatment as “human rights violations.“
He mentioned that these efforts offer a glimmer of hope for North Korean residents who have been deprived of all freedoms and rights, potentially giving them a reason to survive.
North Korea has strongly opposed defectors sending balloons with leaflets and USB drives across the border in the past. In June 2020, Pyongyang cut off all communication with Seoul and destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office, citing South Korea’s inability to control defectors.
During the previous administration, South Korea enacted a law in December 2020 that banned sending information into North Korea, as part of efforts to improve diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.
In September of last year, South Korea’s Constitutional Court invalidated the law, stating that it infringed upon the freedom of speech.
