North Korean Holocaust Exhibit in Seoul

Suzanne Scholte at the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea wrote today with this announcement:

NORTH KOREAN HOLOCAUST EXHIBIT
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, SEOUL
NOVEMBER 8, 9, and 10, 2004

[T]he Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, the Democracy Network Against the North Korean Gulag, and Helping Hands Korea, [will] sponsor and moderate panels as part of the North Korea Holocaust Exhibit. Other organizations will be contributing material for the exhibit as well as participating in these panels.

In addition to the numerous and powerful displays at the Exhibit depicting North Korea’s death camps, China’s detention centers, hunger, atrocities, and the plight of refugees, panel discussions will be led by leading North Korea human right activists including Kim Sang Hun, Tim Peters and North Korean defectors themselves.

Our hope is that many South Koreans will come to the exhibit and also take advantage of learning more by attending these panel discussions.

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NORTH KOREA HOLOCAUST EXHIBIT SPECIAL PANEL DISCUSSIONS

PANEL 1: North Korea’s Death Camps 2-3 pm November 8
sponsor: Democracy Network Against the North Korean Gulag
moderators: Ahn Hyok, Kang Chul Hwan
panelists: survivors of the North Korean gulag describe the horrors of North Korea’s death camps and ways that activists can work to end these atrocities

PANEL 2: Terror in China: Plight of North Korea Refugees and their Rescuers
sponsor: Helping Hands Korea 10-11 am November 9
moderator: Tim Peters
panelists: refugee survivors describe the terrors they faced as refugees in China while rescuers, jailed in China for helping North Korea refugees, describe their inhumane treatment; positive strategies for helping refugees will be discussed

PANEL 3: North Korea: World’s Worst Violator of Human Rights
10-11 am November 10
sponsor: Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights
moderator: Sang Hun Kim
panelists: experts cover the scope of violations of the North Korean regime from the denial of basic human rights to all people, the kidnapping of South Korean citizens, the kidnapping of Japanese citizens and descriptions of Kim Jong-il’s illicit drug and counterfeiting, terrorist activities–they will show why North Korea is known as the world’s worst violator of human rights

Does anyone think that Roh’s government would have allowed this even six months ago? Clearly, the North Korean reaction is no longer Roh’s only concern these days. That represents a sustantial improvement.