Friday, May 1
DFF Congressional Defense and Foreign Policy Forum: TRUTH will set them FREE—Meet the NORTH KOREANS Leading the Way
Thank you to Esther Kim and Nancy Purcell for welcoming the attendees. Many non-governmental organizations, human rights activists, press, Hill staff, and prominent figures attended the forum. At the forum, each delegation member had an opportunity to share their message and what should be done for North Korea’s freedom.
Jae-Hee Lee shared that she experienced severe hardship and exploitation in North Korea, including the loss of her family during the Arduous March and years of forced labor in a Youth Shock Brigade without pay, food, or adequate protections. “North Korea teaches that this (joining the Youth Shock Brigade) is an honor for young people, but in reality, it was a place of forced labor and exploitation. Every day, we went to construction sites to carry stones, dig soil, and lift steel bars. We were also mobilized for hard labor such as road paving and power plant construction. But during those eight years, I never received proper wages or rations. There was no pay, no choice, and no freedom to refuse. This was clearly forced labor. We were always hungry. Even after working all day, there was not a single night when I went to sleep with a full stomach,” said Jae-Hee Lee. After arriving in South Korea, she learned the meaning of freedom and equal rights and called on the international community to continue investigating and addressing forced labor and human rights abuses against North Korean women.
On the importance of Operation Truth, Gwang-Min Bae mentioned, “The North Korean regime blocks the eyes and ears of its people and controls all information about the outside world. That is why sending outside information to the North Korean people is not simply a political activity. It is a work of saving lives, opening the door to new ways of thinking, and showing people the possibility of freedom. Operation Truth seeks to deliver truth, food, hope, and the Gospel to North Korean people who are isolated under the regime’s information blockade.” Simultaneously, he expressed his concern over the current South Korean government’s crackdown on the information campaign activities. “Recently, requests to stop leaflet launches, administrative orders, designation of danger zones, access restrictions, police inspections, and patrols have once again been strengthened…In addition, amendments to the Aviation Safety Act and the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers have restricted the operation of unmanned free balloons, such as balloons used for these activities, and have created a legal basis for police to stop them in advance. As a result, I believe that the direct ban structure previously ruled unconstitutional by the South Korean Constitutional Court is being restored through administrative controls and indirect legislation. This reality has also led to actual arrests and investigations,” said Gwang-Min Bae.
On the impact of outside information on the people of North Korea, Ga-Young Kim talked about her experience as a North Korean kindergarten teacher involved in early childhood indoctrination. “Children are taught to show loyalty to the Kim family above their own parents and that exposure to outside information is strictly controlled and punished,” said Ga-Young Kim. She also described secretly consuming South Korean media herself and noted that even limited exposure to outside information can challenge regime propaganda and create hope for change. “When I lived in North Korea, I also lived during the day as if I were loyal to the regime. But at night, I was just an ordinary person who loved South Korean dramas and songs. As I watched a free life on the screen — a life I had never experienced myself — I slowly began to understand what freedom and human rights meant. And at some point, I began to ask myself, ‘How long do I have to keep living like this?’ The people now called the Jangmadang generation in North Korea are people like me. In order to survive, they pretend to be loyal during the day, but deep in their hearts, they dream of a free and dignified human life,” said Ga-Young Kim. She also emphasized that North Korea’s system is sustained not only by weapons but by indoctrination, surveillance, and information control from an early age, and urged continued international support for North Koreans’ access to outside information and freedom.
Ji-Young Kim stated that North Koreans continue to strongly seek outside information and that such information, more than military force, is the most powerful driver of change in the country. She shared her own experience of secretly listening to foreign radio broadcasts as a child, which exposed her to truths about the outside world and inspired hope. Ji-Young Kim also noted that humanitarian aid often fails to reach ordinary people and can instead be diverted by authorities and warned that suspending radio broadcasts into North Korea would further limit one of the few remaining sources of outside information for the population.
After the program, the delegation gave individual interviews to RFA and VOA, urging the international community to support the freedom of North Koreans and sharing a message of hope with the North Korean people. Lastly, the delegation took some time to stop by Capitol Hill to take photos.
RFA interviews Posted on YouTube (in Korean)
Media Coverage
https://www.christiantoday.co.kr/news/374869 (KOR)
https://www.christiantoday.co.kr/news/374936 (KOR)
https://www.christiandaily.co.kr/news/159385 (KOR)
Private Dinner
Thank you to Dr. In-Hwan Oh and Washington DC-AKUS for hosting dinner for the delegation. The delegation had an excellent opportunity to engage in fellowship with the organization dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance and explore avenues for strengthening a future partnership that promotes the freedom of North Korea.
