Organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition Activists Worldwide Call on Xi Jinping: Stop Repatriating North Koreans
Dear Friends:
Despite the ongoing hostile response from Communist China whose officials refuse to change their illegal and inhumane repatriation policy, YOU would not be silenced and once again took the time to stand up for the North Korean refugees in China. This year, activists representing 23 countries and 40 cities joined Save North Korean Refugees Day to deliver a clear message to Xi Jinping: Stop repatriating North Koreans! Even though the CCP hires additional security and often refuses to accept our appeals, these diplomat posts must report back to Beijing, so the CCP will know that people around the world will not be silent and will continue to raise their voices and concerns for the North Korean people.
Here in Washington, D.C., Kenji Sawai, Johnny Park, and I went to the Chinese Embassy to hand-deliver our appeal. After I rang the intercom, an embassy staff member came outside but refused to accept our letter or even let us leave it at the gate. So, we took a photograph and sent it by certified mail! Our friends in Los Angeles also tried to deliver their signed appeal, but the Consulate refused to receive it. In London, our friends at Christian Solidarity Worldwide faced hostility when delivering theirs.
But an embassy’s refusal to accept a letter does not change what is happening to these refugees. Children, women, and men who fled North Korea remain in danger of being sent back to face imprisonment, torture, and even execution. We must keep calling attention to China’s responsibility for their suffering and call for China to abide by its international treaty obligations and allow safe passage.
In Seoul, North Korean defectors gathered to appeal for those still in danger, and a survivor of forced repatriation shared her own testimony. These are people who know personally the terror of being sent back. How grateful I am that they continue to speak out for others, and that friends around the world are standing with them.
To everyone who delivered an appeal, gathered signatures, organized a demonstration, prayed, or brought others into this effort: thank you! Please never doubt the importance of standing up for those who cannot speak freely for themselves. The following report recognizes the wonderful individuals and organizations who made this year’s Save North Korean Refugees Day possible. We stop for a moment to thank them, but our advocacy must continue until these refugees can reach safety and freedom.
Acta Non Verba,
Suzanne Scholte
Country Reports
Countries and cities where North Korea Freedom Coalition members sent letters for Save North Korean Refugees Day
Austria: Genocide Watch
Genocide Watch joined us this year and delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Vienna.
Canada: Kyung B. Lee
Kyung B. Lee hand-delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Ottawa and the PRC Consulate General in Toronto.
Colombia: Pastor Eduardo Ruiz, Pastor Fabio Sarria Garces, and Pastor Omar Boucha
Three colleagues of Bro. Adalberto Santiago in Colombia, Pastor Eduardo Ruiz, Pastor Fabio Sarria Garces, and Pastor Omar Boucha delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Bogota.
Costa Rica: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Brother Adalberto Santiago helped us deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in San Jose.
Guatemala (Guatemala City) was also represented by Bro. Adalberto Santiago. The PRC Embassy in Costa Rica handles Guatemala-related issues.
Cuba: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago helped us deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Havana. Bro. Santiago commented: “I am very grateful to the North Korea Freedom Coalition and to the Defense Forum Foundation for this wonderful opportunity to stand with North Korean refugees for their Human Rights and Religious Freedoms!”
Dominican Republic: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Santo Domingo.
Ecuador: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago helped us deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Quito on behalf of the North Korean refugees in China.
Finland: Mikko Heikkonen
Mikko Heikkonen joined us once again to hand-deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Helsinki.
France: Genocide Watch
Genocide Watch Representative in France delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Paris.
Japan: Kato Hiroshi of Life and Funds for North Korea Refugees
Kato Hiroshi delivered the NKFC appeal on behalf of the Life Funds for North Korena refugees to the PRC Embassy in Tokyo and the PRC Consulate Generals in Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Niigata, Osaka, Sapporo, and Nagoya. Kato commented: “The international society should never cease raising our voices for the human rights of North Korean defectors as they attempt to reach new safe environments where they will not be subject to constant danger.”
Kenya: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago helped us get in touch with his colleague in Kenya, and his colleague delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Nairobi.
Mali: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago helped us get in touch with his colleague in Mali, and his colleague delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Bamako.
Mexico: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago helped us get in touch with his colleague in Mexico, so the PRC Embassy in Mexico City and Consulate General in Tijuana can receive the NKFC appeal.
Pakistan: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago helped us get connected with his colleague in Pakistan. His colleague joined us this year from Pakistan to deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Islamabad and the PRC Consulate Generals in Karachi and Lahore.
Poland: Genocide Watch
Genocide Watch Representative in Poland delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Warsaw.
Portugal: Bro. Adalberto Santiago
Bro. Adalberto Santiago’s colleague in Portugal delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Lisbon on behalf of the suffering North Korean refugees in China.
South Africa: G.A.
G.A. joined us from South Africa with his colleagues to hand-deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Pretoria and electronically submitted the appeal to the PRC Consulate Generals in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. G.A. commented: “Our colleagues went to the Embassy of PRC today. As it is the case, they were not allowed on the premises. The security guys at the PRC mentioned to them that he recalled their faces as they were at the same Embassy on 24/09 last year. The security officer jokingly said, ‘you know the rules, right? You are not taking photos on the premises. Just go do your thing and put the envelope in that box on my lefthand side’.”
South Korea: North Korean Defector Groups
North Korean defectors, including Kim Ji-Young and Hu Kwang-Il, organized a rally in front of the PRC Embassy and hand-delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Seoul. On September 24, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, they held a Save North Korean Refugees Day press conference in front of the Central Post Office located right across from the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. Around 30 North Korean defectors representing five organizations — the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea, Free North Korea Radio, Korea Freedom Union, the Association of Victims of Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors, and the Association of North Korean Defector Small Business Owners — took part in the event. Kim Ji-Young delivered a letter of appeal to the Chinese government on behalf of the victims of forced repatriation and those currently detained in China. Hu Kwang-Il of the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea urged the Chinese government to abide by international agreements. Representative Ji Hannah of the Association of Victims of Forced Repatriation shared her personal testimony about her experience of forced repatriation. Afterward, Kim Ji-Young, Hu Kwang-Il, Ji Hannah, and Bae Kwang-Min, walked over to the PRC Embassy placed the letter of appeal in the mailbox.
Spain: Missionary Marta and Genocide Watch
Bro. Adalberto Santiago’s colleague Missionary Marta in Spain sent the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Madrid. Also, Genocide Watch Representative in Spain hand-delivered the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Madrid.
The Netherlands: Genocide Watch
Genocide Watch Representative in the Netherlands ensured that the PRC Embassy in The Hague received the NKFC appeal.
The United Kingdom: Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Christian Solidarity Worldwide submitted the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in London to ensure that the PRC knows the people of the United Kingdom care about the North Korean refugees in China. A Representative of Christian Solidarity Worldwide commented, “It was our pleasure to take part again this year. My colleague made the delivery of the letter in person. However she was unable to get images or video as she was by herself and they were quite hostile at the Embassy. The letter submitted to them was the one that you circulated over email. It was an honor to stand with North Korean refugees and call attention to China’s appalling policy of sending North Korean refugees back to one of the world’s most repressive regimes, where they risk abuse, torture and execution. We continue to call for China to allow North Korean refugees safe passage to South Korea or a third country where they can be safe.”
The United States of America
Chicago: Sally Jo and her friends represented Chicago and delivered the NKFC appeal with “Prayer and Worship.” Sally Jo commented, “Sally Jo along with her friend Jean from Michigan met their ‘neighbor’ from Wisconsin, Tori, to deliver their letter to the Chinese Embassy in Chicago. They delivered it with Prayer and Worship. While they did this, one Chinese consulate representative came outside. Sally Jo went over to shake his hand and explained that they were requesting the Chinese Government stop repatriating North Korean Refugees back to North Korea. A security guard stood close by. After this brief encounter the trio went to the other side of the building and put their hands on the brick building praying “Korean style” asking for Lord Jesus’ intervention. All three ladies felt the power of Holy Spirit. Soon the security guard was there to ask them to move along. They took the opportunity to explain to him the seriousness of the situation in China. He told us the Chinese consulate representative told him it was all ‘fake’ news. We feel we hit a nerve.”
Los Angeles: Richard Kim and Rand Millar represented Los Angeles and organized a prayer gathering. Rand Millar shared with us that although they attempted to hand-deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Consulate General, the staff refused to accept the appeal. Richard Kim commented, “We participated in the Save North Korean Refugees Day event in L.A. It was a meaningful gathering. Standing for an hour under the hot sun of L.A., we prayed against the Chinese government’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. We tried to deliver a letter to President Xi signed by all participants, but we couldn’t because the Consulate didn’t receive it.” Also, Rand Millar commented, “Our prayer and praise worship across the street from the PRC L.A. Consulate yesterday was beautiful. We were more than twice as many as last year, and we occupied all of the limited public space available. We had lots of petition signatures and as usual attempted to deliver it at the Consulate gate.”
New York: Jacqui Pak, James Park, Orson Maazel, and Michelle Kim of PSALT participated in this year’s Save North Korean Refugees Day in New York City. Michelle and her team shared about the SNKRD on their Facebook page, in addition to posting to the PRC. Also, Orson used social media to leave comments on several of the PRC posts, such as Facebook and X. Orson’s comments on Facebook and X included the contents of the appeal and the following message: “I will avoid buying products made in China until China stops repatriating North Korean refugees. Forty-three years ago today, China signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. NK refugees aren’t a burden for China since they can be resettled in South Korea.”
San Francisco: Bro. Adalberto Santiago represented San Francisco and submitted the NKFC appeal to the PRC Consulate General in San Francisco.
Washington DC:
Kenji Sawai, Johnny Park, and Suzanne Scholte attempted to hand-deliver the NKFC appeal to the PRC Embassy in Washington DC but the Embassy staff refused to receive it, so we snapped a photo and delivered it by certified mail. Kenji commented, “The current international situation is deteriorating, and South Korea is facing a form of hybrid warfare. In response to this crisis, patriotic freedom fighters have come together to attend many activities in DC the ‘South Korea Freedom Coalition.’ So, only Dr. Suzanne Scholte, Johnny, and I gathered to post the letter in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. After Suzanne rang the intercom, a Chinese staff member came out. Using a translation app on his smartphone, he told us he could not accept the letter we had brought for the Embassy. He spoke into his phone in Chinese and told us the translated message, possibly pretending he could not speak English. If he is a diplomat, it would have been appropriate—and respectful—to communicate in English, especially while stationed in the United States. Between us stood iron bars. His demeanor was closed off, and he refused even to let us leave the letter on the bars. These iron bars symbolize how the North Korean regime blocks all outside information. We must act urgently to save North Korean defectors in China and prevent their forced repatriation to North Korea. Through civil action and diplomatic efforts, we must raise our voices and urge China to honor its obligations under the Refugee Convention and protect those fleeing brutal human rights abuses.”
