Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Action in 18 Countries, 42 Cities Worldwide:
Xi Jinping: Stop Killing North Koreans!

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Washington, DC Area Media please note:

• Prayer Vigil at the Lincoln Memorial: 11 am
• Demonstration and Appeal Delivery: 1:15-2 pm at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China 3505 International Place, NW, Washington, DC
• Congressional-Executive Commission on China Roundtable Briefing 3:30-5 pm visit cecc.gov

WASHINGTON D.C. —Tuesday, September 24, Save North Korean Refugees Day, the North Korea Freedom Coalition will join with activists and non-governmental organizations in 18 countries  to deliver appeals to Chinese embassies and consulates in 42 cities that call for President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to end his inhumane and illegal repatriation of North Korean refugees back to North Korea where they face certain torture, imprisonment and even execution.

Tuesday is the 42nd anniversary of the People’s Republic of China becoming a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the very agreement China is violating when it forces children, women and men against their will back to North Korea. Because of the horrific findings of what the refugees face when repatriated that were well documented in 2014 by the UN Commission of Inquiry’s Report on North Korea, China is also clearly violating another treaty: the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment which it signed in 1988.

The refugees were fleeing persecution in their homeland, trying to reach freedom in South Korea where North Koreans are openly welcomed by President Yoon Suk Yeol. President Yoon has appealed strongly to China to allow the refugees safe passage as they are citizens of South Korea under the Republic of Korea’s constitution. South Korea has already successfully resettled well over 34,000 refugees.

This coordinated action, Save North Korean Refugees Day, is organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition each year to show China that the international community is aware of their heinous actions and so that these refugees know that the world is aware of their plight.

According to Jang Sei-ul, a North Korean defector who is leading the demonstration in Seoul, “two North Korean women aged 39 and 42 years were tried on August 30, 2024 and then executed, while nine others were sent to slow deaths in a political prison camp with a life sentence.” Among the “crimes” the two women committed were helping 41 North Korean women get to South Korea. Hundreds of others who were repatriated have been sent to political prison camps, while another group is currently in extreme danger of repatriation. 

“This year in addition to these protests worldwide against Xi’s repatriations and his aiding and abetting Kim Jong Un’s crimes against humanity, we are also delivering a letter of heartfelt thanks to President Yoon Suk yeol for his efforts to try to save the lives of these Korean refugees,” said Suzanne Scholte, Chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

Pastor Star Lee of the Esther Prayer Movement, who is leading efforts in Washington, D.C., pledged, “South Korea, the United States, and the world will unite to protect North Korean refugees until the end.”

Letters of Appeal are planned in the following countries and cities which may also include protests, prayer vigils and other activities to raise awareness of this issue:

• Australia (Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney) 
• Canada (Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver) 
• Colombia (Bogota)
• Cuba (Havana) 
• Timor-Leste (Dili)
• Fiji (Suva)
• Finland (Helsinki)
• France (Paris)
• India (New Delhi)
• Japan (Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka, and Sapporo)
• Malawi (Lilongwe)
• Mexico (Mexico City and Tijuana)
• Micronesia (Palikir)
• New Zealand (Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch)
• Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby)
• Republic of Korea (Seoul)
• Solomon Islands (Honiara)
• South Africa (Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg)
• United States (Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, DC)
• United Kingdom (London, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Manchester)

In Washington, D.C., NKFC members will hold a prayer vigil at the Lincoln Memorial at 11 am hosted by the Esther Prayer Movement and then proceed to the Chinese Embassy to deliver an appeal to Xi and host a demonstration from 1:15-2 pm. They will then deliver a letter of thanks to President Yoon Suk Yeol before participating in a Congressional Executive Commission on China briefing on Capitol Hill on the current North Korea refugee crisis from 3:30-5 pm.

For further information contact, Suzanne Scholte (English) or Johnny Park (Korean).

Suzanne Scholte
Seoul Peace Prize Laureate
President, Defense Forum Foundation
Chair, North Korea Freedom Coalition

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July 7 to 13, 2024
Washington DC

Click Here for More Information

Each year, the International Day of Prayer and Fasting for North Korea’s Freedom falls on April 28, the anniversary of the first-ever North Korea Freedom Day hosted in 2004. We will host the Opening Ceremony and International Prayer Service on the evening on April 28 in the United States, which is the morning of April 29 on the Korean Peninsula. While everyone is invited to pray for North Korea on April 28, wherever they are, this event will feature prayers by North Korean Pastors and other international leaders.

매년 4월 28일은 2004년 제1회 북한자유의 날을 기념하는 북한의 자유를 위한 국제기도와 금식의 날입니다. 미국 시각으로 4월 28일 저녁, 한국 시각으로 4월 29일 아침에 개막식과 전세계에서 함께 드리는 기도와 예배가 진행됩니다. 북한을 위한 기도와 금식이 전세계에서 진행되는 동안, 본 행사에서는 탈북민 목회자들과 국제적 리더들이 기도를 인도할 예정입니다.

Join us for a pivotal UN Commission on the Status of Women event from March 17-21, 2024. Highlighting “North Korean Women: Overcoming Poverty and Discrimination Through the Market System,” this special panel will feature a distinguished delegation of North Korean defectors sharing their inspiring journeys.

Event Details:

• Date: Monday, March 18, 2024
• Time: 12:30 pm
• Location: Church Center UN, 10th Floor, New York City

Volunteer and Support:

We’re seeking dedicated volunteers for event coordination in NYC and Washington, D.C. Additionally, to support our delegation, we aim to raise $18,000 for travel, accommodation, and event costs. Every donation, big or small, helps elevate these critical voices at the UN CSW and beyond.

Your Impact:

By volunteering or donating, you’re not just supporting an event; you’re amplifying voices of change and joining a global movement for justice and equality.

For more information and to meet our courageous speakers, please click here:

Thank you for your support and generosity.

Warmest regards,

Suzanne

20^th Annual North Korea Freedom Week
September 17-September 23, 2023
Seoul

NKFW 2023: “Let’s End Kim Jong Un’s Hereditary Dictatorship to Liberate the People of North Korea who are the Slaves of Juche Ideology.”

Dear Friends:

For my opening introduction, Nancy Purcell summed up the 20^th North Korea Freedom Week the best, so I am just going to quote her as she has been to nearly every single NKFW since we started this event in 2004 to promote the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people. She knows best as an impartial observer, so here’s Nancy: “This year’s NKFW was the best yet, in my opinion. I sensed a new spirit among the North Korea defectors;one of hope, boldness, and courage. They were united in their messaging throughout the week’s events; united among the defectors who have been out of decades and those who escaped just this year. There was unity of purpose and focus as well among the Koreans, Japanese, and Americans. The top purpose and focus are to get information into North Korea by air, land, and sea with promises to spend more time, effort, and money towards that goal. I am excited to see that vision of bombarding North Korea with the truth come to fruition!” I agree with that message! Please enjoy this summary report that Johnny Park prepared for you.

Acta Non Verba,

Suzanne Scholte
Chair, North Korea Freedom Week 2023

Continue reading “North Korea Freedom Week 2023 Acknowledgements” →

Activists Worldwide Call on Xi Jinping:
Stop Repatriating North Koreans

Dear Friends:

Despite many years of advocacy and worldwide attention by so many of you, it was devastating to learn that China has started the repatriation of children, women, and men back to North Korea. It is unclear if the entire 2,600 that have been detained since COVID have all been sent back or if only half of them have been forcefully repatriated in groups of hundreds, but this advocacy must continue.

Even though it is extremely discouraging, we must continue this work and we should reflect on some significant developments that have resulted from your efforts as advocates for the North Korean refugees:

First, the UN Special Rapporteur, Elizabeth Salmon, and three UN working groups have spoken out strongly on this issue as well as the Special Envoys for South Korea, Ambassador Shin-wha Lee, and the United States, Ambassador Julie Turner.

Second, Xi Jinping and the CCP in China know that what they are doing is wrong, and they know the world is watching. Hence, the reason they are trying to do this quietly because of your success in raising awareness of this crisis.

Third, this will continue to be an issue until the tyranny of the communist regimes in North Korean and China end. 

Fourth, never underestimate the power of your actions and your words even if it sometimes seems in vain. I have shared this with many of you before but I had thought about how hopeless it all seemed until I met three different individuals: two North Korean women who had been victims of trafficking who had contemplated suicide and one South Korean man who had been beaten and tortured in jail in China. When they heard that people like you were standing up for them, it gave them the hope to live, to survive. You gave them the will to continue because they knew they were not suffering unknown and alone.

So, we pause briefly here for a moment with this report prepared for you by Johnny Park as we thank and show our great respect to the folks listed in these pages who raised their voices against great evil to be a voice for those who could not speak.

The fight goes on.

Acta Non Verba,

Suzanne Scholte

Continue reading “Save North Korea Refugees Day Report 2023” →

September 17 to 23, 2023

Seoul, South Korea

A Call to Support Crucial Legislation

In the face of daily hardships and human rights abuses, the people of North Korea persist. Yet, their struggle often remains unheard on the global stage. As we sit comfortably in our homes, we must remember our responsibility to use our freedoms to give voice to the voiceless.

This summer, we are partnering with the Korean Church Coalition (KCC) to urge Congress to take action on important legislation regarding human rights and freedom in North Korea. These bipartisan bills and resolutions, introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives, are aimed at alleviating the suffering of North Koreans and holding the Kim regime accountable for ongoing crimes against humanity.

Please join us in supporting the passage of these bills by signing our petition. The petition will be delivered to all members of Congress in mid-July by members of the Korean Church Coalition (KCC) during their annual visit to the nation’s capital who will be joined by members of the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

Please click here to sign our petition supporting the renaming of East 44th Street and 2nd Avenue Otto Warmbier Way.

Otto Warmbier was a 22-year-old American student who was arrested in North Korea in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel. He was released from North Korean custody in June 2017 in a comatose state and died just days after his return to the United States.

Warmbier was a student at the University of Virginia, where he was studying economics and had a bright future ahead of him. He was in China as part of a study abroad program when he decided to take a brief trip to North Korea. After his arrest, Warmbier was forced to make a public confession to the crime of stealing the propaganda poster, which many believe was coerced. He was subsequently sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, which he spent in captivity until his release.

Warmbier’s release came after months of diplomatic efforts by the US government. However, Warmbier’s tragic condition upon his return to the US quickly revealed the horrors he suffered at the hands of the Kim family regime. Warmbier’s family revealed that he had been in a coma for over a year and had suffered severe brain damage, likely as a result of physical torture and abuse during his captivity. The North Korean government denied any mistreatment, claiming that Warmbier had fallen into a coma after contracting botulism and taking a sleeping pill.

The death of Otto Warmbier is a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by the North Korean regime and the human rights violations committed against both foreign nationals, like Otto Warmbier, and against the citizens of North Korea.