Body
December 9, 2011
The Honorable Hong Joon-pyo, Chairman of the Grand National Party
The Honorable Park Hee-Tae, Speaker of the National Assembly
The Honorable Hwang Woo-Yea, Floor Leader of the Grand National Party
The Honorable Son Hak-Gyu, Chairman of the Democratic Party
The Honorable Kim Jin-Pyo, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party
The Honorable Sim Dae Pyung, Chairman of the Liberty Forward Party
The Honorable Kim Nak Sung, Floor Leader of the Liberty Forward Party
Dear National Assembly and Party Leaders:
On the eve of the 63rd anniversary of the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are writing to express to you our deep concern for the ongoing human rights abuses suffered by the people of North Korea, and the lack of action by the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly to address these conditions.
We have seen major parties in other countries join together to address Pyongyang’s violations: the United States Congress in 2004; the Japanese Diet in 2006; and most recently, the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the European Parliament. The United Nations has appointed a Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea and has adopted a resolution on the situation every year since 2005.
In 2005, National Assembly member (now Governor) KIM Moon Soo first submitted a North Korea Human Rights Act. We hear repeatedly that the National Assembly will not take action because of the ‘politics’ in South Korea. But this is not about politics. It is about the fate of 23 million people, many of whom are engaged in a daily struggle to survive.
We, the signatories of this letter, represent many points on the political spectrum, we are of many faiths and many nations. But we are united in the belief that all people who are fortunate to live in freedom have a moral obligation to act on behalf of those who live in tyranny.
We believe it is crucial that you, the political leaders of South Korea, join together to speak out forcefully in defense of the North Korean people, including passing the North Korea Human Rights Act. Thank you.
With respect,
Suzanne Scholte, President
Defense Forum Foundation
Seoul Peace Prize Laureate
USA
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division
Human Rights Watch
USA
Roberta Cohen, Chair
Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
USA
Jack Rendler, Founding Member
International Coalition to Stop Crimes
Against Humanity in North Korea
USA
Richard V. Allen, Senior Fellow,
Hoover Institution on War, Revolution & Peace, Stanford University
USA
Jay Lefkowitz,
U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea Human Rights 2005-2009
Katrina Lantos Swett, President
Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice
USA
Dr. Carl Moeller, President & CEO
Open Doors USA
USA
Carl Gershman, President
National Endowment for Democracy
USA
Morton Abramowitz, Senior Fellow
The Century Foundation
USA
Marcus Noland
Deputy Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics*
USA
Ann Buwalda, Esq.
Founder and Executive Director
Jubilee Campaign
USA
Jim Butterworth, Director
Incite Productions
Producer, Seoul Train
USA
Agnieszka Gratkiewicz, Project Officer
Lech Walesa Institute
Poland
Helen-Louis Hunter
Author, Kim Il Song’s North Korea
USA
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean
Simon Wiesenthal Center
USA
Peter Kang, Ph.D., President
Seung-Yop Lee, Board Member
Korean Freedom Alliance
USA
Haruhisa Ogawa, Honorary Co-Representative,
The Society to Help Returnees to North Korea
Japan
Jared Genser, International Human Rights Lawyer,
USA
James Han, President
Korean Vietnam Veterans of Washington
USA
Pierre Rigoulot, President
Robert Pepin, Secretary General
Committee to Help the People of North Korea
France
Gregory Stanton, President,
Genocide Watch
Chair, International Alliance to End Genocide
USA
Patrick Cheh, President
Wakingup Media
Producer, Crossing
USA
Shojun Sunagawa and Mokuri Ozawa,
Co-Representatives
NO FENCE
Japan
Jeff King, President
Isaac Six, Advocacy Officer
International Christian Concern
USA
Roland Watson, Director
Dictator Watch
USA
Dr. Kongdan Oh, Non-Resident Senior Fellow
Brookings Institution*
USA
PSALT NK
USA
Willy Fautre, Director
Human Rights without Frontiers
Belgium
Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader,
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
United Kingdom
NC Heikin, Independent Film Director
Producer/Director Kimjongilia
France
Chang Kun Chong, President
Federation of Korean American Senior Citizens Association of MD, VA, DC
USA
Tae Ha Lee, President
Korean War Veterans Association of Washington
USA
Jae Hyun Bae, Chairman, Board of Directors,
Citizen’s Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees
USA
Andrew Langer, President
Institute for Liberty
USA
Charles J. Eusey, Esq., Director
Public Affairs and Religious Liberty
Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
USA
Elsye Elisabet Rau
Indonesian Christian Church*
Indonesia
Peter Kwon, National Chairman
Korean-American Peace Alliance
USA
In Young Park, Chairman
NGNK (No Gulags North Korea)
USA
Pastor Wally Magdangal, Founder and President
Roxann Moss, Administration & Special Projects
Christians In Crisis
USA
Lisa Colacurcio, Board Member
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Japan
Sam Kim, Executive Director
Korean Church Coalition for North Korea Freedom
USA
Rosa Manson, Independent Diplomat
Humanitarian Emergency Planning Disaster Relief
Consultancy Ltd (HEPDRC)
United Kingdom
Heung Kwang Kim, Executive Director
Myung Hak Doh, Secretary General,
In Ae Hyun, Vice-Director,
Young Hee Lee, General Affairs Manager
Geum Chum Choi, Editing Designer,
Joo Han Oh, Editor in Chief,
Choong Shik Park, Director of Planning,
Young Chul Huh, Productions Director,
Hyung Il Kim, Web Designer,
Michelle Trujillo, Dir. of International Cooperation,
NK Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS)
Republic of Korea
Rev. Heemoon Lee, President
HANKR (Helping Angels for North Korean Refugees)
USA
Dr. Thomas Y. Chung, CEO & President
William B. Min, Esq., Vice-President
Tom Byun, Executive Director
Korean War POW Affairs &
International Korean War Memorial Foundation
USA
Frank Testa
Alpha and Omega Ministries
USA
Pavel Klein, M.D., Director
Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy & Sleep Center
USA
Ted Gover, Instructor of Political Science
Central Texas College
USA
Nam Hee Kim, Treasurer.
ThiNK of Georgetown University*
Republic of Korea
Michelle Petrazzuolo, Founder
United for North Korean Freedom
United States
Bong Keon Kim, President,
Free Korea Vanguard Foundation
USA
Yohngsohk Choe, President,
Headquarters for Korean American Movement to Protect Dokdo Islands
USA
Teresa Ost, Director,
North Korea Freedom Coalition of Mexico
Mexico
Jaehee Yoo, Student
LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill*
USA
Rainer Crosett, Member
HRiNK - Harvard Human Rights in North Korea*
USA
Ulma Lee, President
Rose of Sharon Mission
Canada
Pastor Mushtaq Gill, President
LEAD
Pakistan
Mattias Johansson, Technical Support Specialist
Sweden
Joan Y Hoover, Circle of Friends
Jubilee Campaign
USA
Yang-Chun Lee, President
Korean American Freedom Alliance
USA
Hiroshi Kato, Director
Life Funds for North Korean Refugees
Japan
Steve Y. Rhee, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Armstrong Atlantic State University
USA
Hungju Yu, President
Freedom Society of America
USA
Betsy Page Sigman, Distinguished Teaching Professor
Georgetown University*
USA
Sam Han, Founder and CEO
Han-Schneider International Children's Foundation
USA
Marivic Quiazon, Founding Director
North Korea & Beyond Missions International
United Kingdom
Choi Kwang-suk, Commissioner of International Cooperation
Korean War Abductees' Family Union
Republic of Korea
Nancy Purcell, CEO
318 Partners Mission Foundation
USA
Sung Wook Chung, Professor of Theology
Denver Seminary
USA
Tim Peters, Founder
Helping Hands Korea
Republic of Korea
David Hawk, Visiting Scholar
Columbia University Institute for the Study of Human Rights
USA
Brother Adalberto Santiago,
Volunteer Director and Founder
International Christian Embassy
Puerto Rico, USA
Nicholas Eberstadt
Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy
American Enterprise Institute
USA
Ryan Mauro, National Security analyst
Wikistrat
USA
Kan Ando, Journalist
Japan
Andrew Yeo, Assistant Professor
Catholic University of America
USA
Chung Kyu Ho, Vice President
Korean Council on Latin America & the Caribbean
Professor Emeritus, Hankuk University
Republic of Korea
Hun Sok Kang (Republic of Korea)
Anna David (USA)
Rita Vasquez (USA)
Freedom and Life for All North Koreans
Richard Kim, President
Hanwul Movement
USA
Marlene Bagnull, Director
Write His Answer Ministries
USA
Chuck Downs, Author
Over the Line
USA
Jee Jee Kim, Director
Awareness Respect Compassion
USA
Tomoyuki Kawazoe, Chairperson
Kanagawa Association for The Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea
Member, Reporters Without Borders
Japan
Robert Atkins Walker, Ph.D., CPA, President
Robert Atkins Walker PC
USA
Mikko Heikkonen, teacher
Vesala junior high school
Finland
Daniel Varela, President
Christian Lawyer Association of Paraguay
Paraguay
Kyung B. Lee, President
Chando Park, Vice President
Gye Young Kim, Secretary
Alain Dionne, Regional Director - Ottawa
The Council for Human Rights in North Korea
Canada
Hairyong Suh, President
Korean Americans for Liberty and Human Rights
USA
Mark Albrecht, Senior Editor
Trans World Editorial Services
USA
William Choi, Director
The Asia Inc.
USA
Doug Gentile, President
James 2 Association
USA
Jin Gyun Shin, President
Hwanghae-do Association of Greater Washington Region
USA
Kyu Yon
Korean War Veterans Association of Washington
USA
Rev. Yoon Sik Park, Chairman
Korean Hwarang Association of Washington
USA
Dong-Shin Kim, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
Kyungpook National University
USA
Helen Chang, President
Federation of Korean American Associations, Mid-South
USA
Kyung Jun Son, President
North Korean Provinces Association
of Washington DC Region
USA
Dr. Richard Land, President
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Southern Baptist Convention
USA
Hon Tidal W. McCoy, Chairman,
TW McCoy Foundation
USA
Lisa Scaling, Chairman
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
USA
Peter Jung, Director
Justice For North Korea (JFNK)
Republic of Korea
Keong Suk Suh, Representative
ANKHRO (Association of North Korea Human Rights Organizations)
Republic of Korea
Kyu Ho Kim, Secretary-General
CSR (Christians for Social Responsibility)
Republic of Korea
David Lippiatt, Executive Director and President
WE International, Inc.
USA
Sin U Nam, Architect
North Korea Human Rights Activist
USA
Young Ae Ma, President
NK Refugees Mission
USA
Linda Dye, member
North Korea Freedom Coalition
USA
David K. O'Hannah, musician
USA
Yungkeun Oh, Poet and Professor Emeritus
Yonsei University
USA
Hyun Song, Board of Directors
PSALT
Betsy Kawamura, Consultant
Norway
Maria Kim, Member
North Korea Freedom Coalition
USA
Beverlie Myers
USA
Young Soon Lee
USA
Michael Dorr
USA
Sachin Desai, Law Student
Harvard Law School
USA
Hanhwe Kim, Law Student
USA
Bok Lee, Member
North Korea Freedom Coalition
USA
Aaron Peterson, Member
North Korea Freedom Coalition
USA
Jenny Mae Taylor, Member
Jubilee Campaign
Canada
Kelley Pinzon
USA
Jay Keddy, Teacher
Canada
Bill Hawkins, retired teacher and world traveler
USA
Soobin Im, Artist
USA
Chang Bog Lee, Ret.Brig.General
Korean War Veteran
USA
Mary A. Robbins
USA
Jinhye Jo
North Korean defector
USA
Eunhye Jo
North Korea defector
USA
Mi Song Han
North Korean defector
USA
(*please note title and organization for identification purposes only)
The following are 26 North Korean Defector NGOs who signed on to this appeal:
Hong Soong Kyung, Director
Committee for the Democratization of North Korea
Park Sang Hak, Director
Fighters for Free North Korea
Kim Tae Jin, Director
Free the North Korean Gulag
Jang Se Yul, Director
North Korean People’s Liberation Front
An Chan Il, Director
World Institute of North Korea Studies
Huh Chang Gul, Director
NK Information
Jung Sung San, Director
NK Cultural Foundation
Bahng Book Oak, Director
NK Women’s Human Rights Campaign
Kim In Sil, Director
North Korean Defectors’ Volunteers Association
Kim Tae Beom, Secretary-General
Peace Unification NK Defectors’ Alliance
Kang Su Jin, Director
Coalition for North Korean Women’s Rights
Kim Young Il, Director
PSCORE (People for Successful COrean REunification)
Kim Young Nam, Director
North Korean Defectors Artists Association
Han Nam Soo, Director
NK Young Defectors’ Human Rights Alliance
The Rev. Kang Chul Ho, Director
NK Defectors’ Support Center
Kang Chul Hwan, Director
Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights
Huh Kwang Il, Director
Unity Preparations NK Defectors’ Association
Lee Hae Young, Secretary-General
Association of the North Korean Defectors
Yoon In Ho, Director
South North Love Club
Im Young Sun, Director
SPTV (Seoul Pyongyang TV)
Choi Jung Ha, Secretary-General
Sungy Association
Kim Seong Min, Director
Free North Korea Radio
Jo Bong Il, Director
People Together
Kim Shin Oak, Director
Pyongyang Performing Artists Troupe
Koh Mae Hwa, Director
North Korean Defectors’ Silver Volunteers’ Association
Joo Myung Shin, President
Paektu-Halla Association
(26 North Korean defectors organizations)
The following is a list of individual North Korean Defectors who signed onto this letter:
Oh Jin Ha
Choi Jung Hyun
Lee Myung Hee
Choi Hyun Joon
Chae Myung Min
Kim Jung Ae
Kim Myung Hah
Lee Sung Hoon
Kim Young Deok
Kim Tae Gun
Han Jong Gu
Park Hyok
Yoon Jae Hong
Kim Young Nam
Lee Yeol Dae
Han Jong Gu
Huh Min Seop
Kim Young Soon
Lee Nam Soo
Hahm Cheol Jin
Park Sang Joon
Lee Cheol Ho
Kim Seong Il
Kim Jae Il
Lee Gwang Myung
Park Sung Jin
Han Young Joo
Lee Kyung Chul
Kim Cheol Min
Kim Gwang Myung
Kim Cheol Nam
Kim Cheol
Kang Young Il
Cha Cheol Hyok
Jung Chul Gil
Choi Myung Ho
Lee Song Il
Jung Na Hyun
Kim Seong Guk
Kim Myung Soo
Kim Jung Yoon
Jung Young Nam
Park Song Guk
Ahn Cheol Yong
Ahn Jong Ho
Kimg Jung Chol
Kim Jong Guk
Ahn Cheol Min
Lee Gwang Ho
Jung Gwang Cheol
Choi Deok Soo
Park Hak Il
Jang Guk Cheol
Seo Won Cheol
Kim Young Soo
Kang Myong Cheol
Kim Kwang Nam
Lee Dong Hoon
Kim Jeong Gul
Kim Seong Cheol
Ahn Chang Il
Huh Gwang Il
Yoo Sang Jun
Cha Kyung Sook
Man Young Nam
Lee Seong Hyun
Lee Gook Chun
Kim Choong Gil
Kim Gwang Il
Lee Jong Joo
Lee Kwang Cheol
Lee Won Ho
Kim Kyung Deok
Lee Sung Rok
Park Choong Kil
Lee Gook Seong
Park Hyun Nam
Yoon Hee Yong
Park Seong Ryul
Kim Myung Seop
Kim Il Nam
Lee Young Hee
Kwak Young Ae
Song Young Sam
Lee Myung Sook
Park Gun Hah
Park Geum Joo
Lee Cheol Oak
Kim Hyang Choon
Park Jin Sook
Kwak Myong Il
Kim Gwang Il
Kim Myung Seong
Lee Jin Myong
