ICNK URGES CHINA TO ALLOW FAMILY OF NORTH KOREANS SAFE PASSAGE
As a member of ICNK, Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (LFNKR) urges China to comply with the international principle of non-refoulement.
Below is the statement issued by ICNK:
New Book Chapter Gives Voice to North Korean Refugees
Professor Tony Docan-Morgan of the University of Wisconsin has co-authored a book chapter that aims to give voice to North Korean refugees, and specifically looks at the experiences of North Korean refugee memoirists.
After examining the document, we found the contents to be an extremely useful reference to help people understand the suffering of North Korean people.
We recommend reading this document (or at the very least skimming it).
Here is the link to the document in Google books:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P76I0AKG6NLpKsSGwan_aoTcKEBUetuU/view
Or if you would rather download a PDF copy, click here.
STATEMENT
Welcome “Free Joseon”!
Since its founding in Sept. 1998, Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (LFNKR) has been actively engaged in rescuing victims of the systematic, widespread and grave human rights violations in North Korea. As one element of our activities, we have, to date, helped approximately 200 North Korean refugees to reach countries where they have started new lives.
After Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was assassinated by VX gas in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February 2017, a group called “Cheollima Civil Defense” has provided on-going protection for Kim Han-sol, Kim Jong-nam’s eldest son. On March 1, 2019, Cheollima Civil Defense renamed itself to “Free Joseon,” declaring the establishment of a provisional government to prepare the foundation for a future nation built upon respect for the principles of human rights and humanitarianism, holding sacred the principle of manifest dignity for every woman, man and child.
Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), the predecessor of Free Joseon, is an NGO with whom we have dedicated ourselves to battle the brutal human rights violations and to rescue North Korean defectors, conducting them to safe countries.
Mr. Adrian Hong, Yale-educated human rights activist, was a co-founder and executive director of LiNK. He was arrested and expelled from China in 2006 for his efforts in helping to arrange the first instance of asylum given to six North Korean refugees by the US. Hong visits us in Japan several times a year for open discussion.
Our executive director, Hiroshi Kato, was arrested and detained in China in October 2002 while arranging to supply winter clothing and food to needy people in North Korea. So Kato, as the leader of LFNKR, has undergone the same harsh, unreasonable treatment as Adrian Hong because of helping North Korean defectors.
Hong told Kato, he has concluded that LiNK’s activities are insufficient to improve ongoing human rights violations in North Korea. He has, therefore, initiated Pegasus Strategies LLC, a strategic advisory firm.
Based on discussions with Hong, LFNKR has come to believe that Hong is sincerely trying to establish a true international network through which more victims of human rights violations can be successfully helped. This is the primary theme of the Free Joseon declaration. Thus, we wish to urge people around the world to fight together for true human rights. We hold that striving to strengthen universal human rights is a common bond that we all can value.
The grave human rights violations in North Korea have continued for decades. Based upon findings in the report submitted by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution in February 2014 condemning human rights abuses and urging the UN Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In recent news, there was a raid on the North Korean Embassy in Spain on March 22, 2019, which caught the world by surprise. Regrettably, most international media have been releasing one-sided comments, typically referring to the group who broke in as a criminal organization. LFNKR feels strongly that the media has an obligation to also cover other, more crucial, information. For instance, what issues led to the raid? Close observers say that this was not just a burglary.
Behind the raid is the clear fact that the North Korean government has long engaged in systematic violations of human rights, including freedom of thought, expression and religion. The regime also sharply limits freedom of movement and residence, and dictates the right to food, as recently reported by the UN Commission of Inquiry.
What upset us all was that some news channels publicly released the names of the group members. Thus, the media have provided information that can be useful for any assassin team dispatched by North Korea’s espionage directorate general. This act of revealing names has the effect of supporting human rights violations, and it should be condemned in the strongest terms. The group Free Joseon has announced that they are involved in the raid, and that they did not murder, injure or torture any of the embassy people. The media’s most important mission is to deliver to the public information based on deeper investigation. LFNKR strongly urges the media to listen to and focus on claims by Free Joseon in addition to the comments by the Spanish government.
As a member of the International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), LFNKR urges the ICNK organization and the entire global community to redouble our fight against the violators of human rights.
Life Funds for North Korean Refugees
April 6, 2019
Rescue follow-up
Back in December, we posted a story about a North Korean mother and her daughter who had asked LFNKR for help escaping from China. We regret that in the three months since that post, sufficient funds for the rescue have not become available. For that reason, rather than keep the mother and her child waiting indefinitely, we handed the operation over to a well-respected South Korean NGO who also does this type of rescue work.
We do wish to thank you for your continuing interest in the ongoing situation regarding those who have had the courage to leave their home country seeking a better, safer life in some place with greater freedom, more opportunities, and less injustice.
Mother and Daughter Seek Our Help
LFNKR has received a request from a North Korean woman, HU (age 28) and her daughter KH (age 7).
The woman was sold to a Chinese man who, it turned out, was a gambling addict. Every time he lost heavily or ran out of money, he would bring men home and force her to pay off his gambling debts with sex.
Here is what she says:
“My Chinese husband abused me from the very beginning, always reminding me that I am a Korean woman, so I have no nationality in China. I was constantly watched even after I gave birth to my daughter. For her sake, I swallowed my bitter tears and bore the years of hell, but I cannot take this any longer. I desperately want to escape and go to South Korea with my daughter. Please help us.”
Helping them out of their current situation will require a minimum of USD $5,000.
Please help us rescue this mother and her daughter.
Flash update: 3 orphans reach safety
On December 24, the 3 North Korean orphans have been accepted by a neutral third country where they can safely await for the trip to South Korea, their final destination.
As with most refugees fleeing oppression, these three also faced several unexpected delays along the way, but fortunately made it all the way to the safe haven.
We at LFNKR wish to extend our most sincere thanks for all the help and support you have provided in this case as well as all many other refugees you helped over the years.
3 North Korean Orphans Need Our Help
Our organization, LFNKR, has just received a request for help from three orphans who, until recently, had been living on the street. These children area girl, age 14, and two boys, ages 10 and 8. Currently, they are hiding in China to avoid being found and arrested by Chinese police. We need to lead them out to a safe country as soon as possible.
Below is the request we received from the girl, who speaks for her small group. Here is her story.
This year’s rescue operations
At the annual meeting of LFNKR held on October 14, details of this organization’s rescue operations were reported as follows.
During the past year, LFNKR received requests for rescue from a total of 27 North Korean refugees, 12 being mothers accompanied by children, and 15 being unaccompanied women. LFNKR-led operations resulted in the rescue of 8 adults (5 mothers with their children and 3 unaccompanied women). The rescue operations cost more than USD $20,000. LFNKR is extremely grateful for the donations we received to help these refugees.