Join Our Webinar to Discuss the Human Rights of North Korean Women on March 10th

Dear Friends:

As promised, I am following up to let you know that NKFC Vice Chair Jason West has set up an online webinair for us, so that our planned panel at the UN Commission on the Status of Women can go forward. 
The online webinar will be held tomorrow night March 10th at 6:15 pm and everyone is invited to join.  
You can find all details here for how to join this event online at this link:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/25-years-of-repression-and-regression-for-north-korean-women-tickets-96724211721

Many thanks and blessings,

Suzanne

NGO CSW64 Forum Venues Closed

I wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that the UN Commission on the Status of Women has closed all venues due to the corona virus.  Thus, we will not be able to host our panel with North Korean women escapees and NGO experts next week in New York City as planned.  We are looking at alternatives plans and will keep you posted.  Thank you for your understanding.

Warmest regards,


Suzanne

Join Us in New York City! at NKFC’s panel March 10th during the UN Commission on the Status of Women

We are once again ensuring that the voices of the women of North Korea are heard during the annual UNCSW.  The North Korea Freedom Coalition is hosting a panel at the UN CSW entitled: 25 Years of Repression and Regression for North Korean Women to mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration.  Our panel will be Tuesday, March 10th at 6:15 pm in the Aqua Room at 4 West 43rd Street, New York, New York (same location as last year).  We have two amazing eyewitnesses to speak out on behalf of the women of North Korea: Eiko Kawasaki, North Korean escapee of Japan, and Shinae Oh, North Korean escapee of the USA, plus outstanding NGO experts to provide insights and recommendations: Ann Buwalda, of our own NFKC, Greg Scarlatiou of HRNK, and John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.

Everyone is invited to attend and can RSVP at this link: nkwomen.eventbrite.com

We will also be visiting several UN Missions to request specific actions that can be taken to address the status of North Korean women both in their homeland but also as refugees.  You all know — but most people do not — that most of the escapees from North Korea are women as they bear the brunt of the suffering in the DPRK.  You can also help us accomplish this work by supporting these efforts financially. Your Financial Support Is needed:  Please consider a donation – any amount helps – to support this effort to ensure that the suffering of the women of North Korea is not ignored.  Donations can be made online here at: http://www.plumfund.com/charity-fundraising/csw2020

Many thanks and blessings,

Suzanne

Save North Korean Refugees Day 2019 Report

Organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition In Solidarity with the Hong Kong Freedom Fighters Activists Worldwide Call on Xi Jinping: Stop Repatriating North Koreans

  • Toronto
  • London
  • Mexico City
  • Pretoria
  • Seoul
  • Los Angeles

Thank you to all of you who took part in the annual Save North Korean Refugees Day to appeal to Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to stop his brutal, inhuman and illegal treatment of North Korean men, women and children. It is an indisputable that North Koreans forced back to North Korea by China’s policy suffer torture, imprisonment, and even execution. We are so thankful to the folks highlighted in this report who would not remain silent but took time to participate in Save North Korea Refugees Day.

A few observations for this year: the PRC was very well aware of our efforts. There was a reported increase of Chinese security presence. It appears that at many embassies the Chinese hired additional private security which may have resulted with our plans to show solidarity with the Hong Kong protesters and sing the song Sing Hallelujah to the Lord.  NKFC members in Pretoria reported that they were specifically told they could not sing! NKFC members in Washington, D.C. were also met for the first time by a security guard who prevented them from approaching the embassy to deliver the petition –but they preceded with the vigil and sang anyway. The most heavily reported push back was in Malawi where NKFC members reported that they were prevented from taking a photo or recording their demonstration, but they did succeed in delivering the petition and singing in solidarity with the Hong Kong protesters.

Second, the commitment to be a voice for the North Korean refugees was very strong and NKFC members in Puerto Rico were so determined to deliver their appeals before tropical storm Karen hit their island, they sent their appeals the night before. They wanted to be sure the PRC consulate got their appeals before they lost electricity which did happen as a result of the storm.

Third, there were many NKFC members praying for all of us – we got a lot of emails from people who felt called to set aside time to pray and fast for North Korean refugees and for what we were doing that day of September 24th. We have included some examples in this report.

And finally, now a confession: the horrific treatment of North Korean refugees is worse than ever before, and I sometimes wonder do these events really matter? Are we making a difference?

Then, I remember two female defectors who had been victims of trafficking and a humanitarian worker who had been in jail in China. All three shared with me that they had thought about suicide, but they heard about these protests against China and they knew: I am not forgotten and it gave them the will to survive. NKFC Vice Chairman Rabbi Cooper once told me that we had to keep doing these protests. We must continue to speak out because silence is acquiescence. We know that silence is death for North Koreans. So, here’s a report from your colleagues and friends from around the world who would not remain silent.

Acta Non Verba,



Suzanne Scholte
Chair, North Korea Freedom Coalition

Continue reading “Save North Korean Refugees Day 2019 Report” →

North Korea Freedom Week 2019 Acknowledgements

  • NKFW Press Conference
  • Opening Church Service
  • Wreath Laying Ceremony
  • Visit to David’s Tent
  • CSIS – Women and Market Mechanisms in North Korea
  • Institute on Religion and Democracy Reception
  • Heritage Foundation – Bridging the Policy Gap Between North Korean Human Rights and Security Threats
  • Korea Freedom Alliance Dinner
  • Radio Free Asia Visit
  • Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Staff Briefing
  • AEI – Troubling Changes in the South Korean Government in Their Treatment of North Korean Defectors
  • FRC and the Isabella Foundation – From Orphanages to Escape, An Update on the Current Situation faced by North Korea Orphans
  • Human Rights Abuses Against the DPRK Military
  • North Korea: What are The Prospects for Regime Change from Within?
  • Protest against China’s Repatriation of North Korean Refugees
  • Petition for President Moon Jae In delivered to the Republic of Korea Embassy
  • Petition Delivered to the Chinese Embassy
  • Candlelight Vigil for North Korean Refugees at the PRC Embassy
  • Delegation Dinner hosted by Gina and Alan Price
  • Farewell Dinner
North Korea Freedom Week 2019 AcknowledgementsDownload

Total Lack of Protection for North Korean Women and Girls – Video, Report, and Transcripts

Event Report

Testimony Transcripts

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a world where North Korean women are discriminated against, persecuted, punished, tortured, and even killed by their own government, the UN Commission on the Status of Women has yet to take up this issue. We were in New York for the annual meetings again this year and highlighted the suffering of North Korean women through expert and eyewitness testimony.

Continue reading “Total Lack of Protection for North Korean Women and Girls – Video, Report, and Transcripts” →

Joint Letter to UN Special Rapporteur: Defend the Free Speech of North Korean Defectors and Human Rights Activists in South Korea

NEW YORK (February 27, 2019) — In a joint letter addressed to the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, and the North Korea Freedom Coalition urge Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana to address the South Korean government’s efforts to silence North Korean defectors and other human rights activists, thereby abusing their hard-won rights to free speech and free assembly.

Joint Letter
Continue reading “Joint Letter to UN Special Rapporteur: Defend the Free Speech of North Korean Defectors and Human Rights Activists in South Korea” →

North Korea’s Secret Missile Operating Bases

Published on Feb 26, 2019, Center for Strategic & International Studies

Little is known about North Korea’s Sakkanmol missile operating base. Using commercial satellite technology, CSIS has identified 13 of the approximately 20 unidentified North Korean missile operating bases. Can North Korea truly denuclearize without acknowledging their secret missile operating bases? CSIS Korea Chair Victor Cha explains.