The corona virus cannot stop North Korea Freedom Week!
Although we are unable to send delegations to Seoul for the 17th Annual North Korea Freedom Week which will take place April 26-May 2, 2020, in South Korea, I am pleased to share with you that sessions will be posted on YouTube hosted by North Korean defector leaders each day discussing important topics AND everyone around the world is invited to watch online but also join with us in solidarity for a day of prayer and fasting for the people of North Korea on April 28th. The sessions are generally scheduled for 9 am KST (Korean Standard Time)– so folks in the USA would watch the evening before and sessions will be in Korean, of course.
For the April 28th day of prayer and fasting, we posted the photos and short bios of 9 key people in authority in the DPRK for special prayers in these times of uncertainty. Our NKFW theme is The Restoration of North Korea that the land once known as the Oriental Jerusalem would be freed from the demonic oppression under which its people suffer and be restored to God, so that North Koreans can live with freedom, human rights and dignity. Hence, we hope that folks around the world would join us in unity to pray for the freedom of North Korea and specifically pray for a change of heart in these 9 key leaders especially on the historic day of April 28th.
Visit NKFW.org For More Information and the Schedule
Here are the plans for the 17th Annual North Korea Freedom Week: The Restoration of North Korea
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
PRAYERS OF DEFECTORS WHO WISH THE SUCCESS OF THE 17TH NKFW (SAETU CHURCH)
11 AM KST / 10 PM EDT (4/25)
Host: Pastor Kang Chul-ho
YouTube Channel: Free North Korea TV
MONDAY, APRIL 27
ONLINE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE 17TH NKFW
THE ROLES OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES FOR THE COLLAPSE OF KIM JONG-UN REGIME
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (SUN 4/26)
Host: Huh Kwang-il, Kim Heung Kwang, Park Sang-hak
YouTube Channel: Free North Korea TV
TUESDAY, APRIL 28
ALL DAY: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING!
Visit https://www.april28.org/ For prayer points and information on 9 key leaders in the DPRK
TOPIC 1 – NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS GAVE BIRTH TO DEATH OF ITS PEOPLE FROM STARVATION
TOPIC 2 – ANALYSIS OF THE NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF NORTH KOREANS
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (4/27)
Host: Lee Ae-ran
YouTube Channel: Lee Ae Ran TV
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
NORTH KOREA’S TODAY AND TOMORROW: PANDEMIC AND NORTH KOREAN MARKET
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (4/28)
Host: Kim Heung-kwang
YouTube Channel: Kim Heung-kwang TV
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
WE CAN TELL NOW: USB, NOTETEL, RADIO
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (4/29)
Host: Choi Jeong-hun
YouTube Channel: NKPLF TV
FRIDAY, MAY 1
WE CAN TELL NOW: WATER BALLOON/ COMMEMORATION CEREMONY FOR NORTH KOREAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (4/30)
Host: Jang Se-yul
YouTube Channel: Jang Se-yul TV
SATURDAY, MAY 2
WE CAN TELL NOW: LEAFLETS TO NORTH KOREA
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (5/1)
Host: Park Sang-hak
YouTube Channel: Free North Korea TV
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ACTIVITIES, FOCUSING ON ANTI-CHINESE MOVEMENTS
9 AM KST / 8 PM EDT (5/1)
Host: Chung Sung-san
YouTube Channel: Chung Sung-san TV
THANK YOU TO OUR CHAIRS AND SPONSORS:
▣ Chairman of the event:
- Suzanne Scholte, Chair of North Korea Freedom Coalition
- Co-chairman: Kim, Tae-hoon, President of the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea
- Co-chairman: Lee, Yong-hee, President of Esther prayer movement
- Co-chairman: Tsutomu Nishioka, Chairman of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN)
▣ Participating organizations in South Korea
- Committee for Democratization of North Korea / Chairman Huh Kwang-il
- North Korean Defector Comradery / President Choi Ju-hwal
- Soong Eui Comradery / President Kang Jin
- NK Intellectuals’ Solidarity / President Kim Heung-kwang
- North Korea Strategy Center / President Kang Chol-hwan
- Fighters for Free North Korea / President Park Sang-hak
- North Korea People’s Liberation Front (NKPLF) / Choi Jeong-hun
- Gyereol United / Jang Se-yul
- New Korea Women’s Union / Lee So-yeon
- Tongil Mom / Kim Jeong-ah
- Center for Liberty and Reunification / Lee Ae-ran
- NK Information / Lee Hae-young
- Keun Saem Education Center / Park Jung-oh
- International PEN North Korean defector writers / Kim Jeong-keum
- Center for the Support of Self-reliance of North Korean Defectors / Pastor Kang Chul-ho
- NK Refugees Human Rights Association of Korea / Kim Yon-hwa
- Save North Korean Refugees / President Lee Myung-Ok
- Freedom Unification Culture Union / President Do Myung-Hak
- Free North Korea Radio / President Kim Seong-min
▣ Participating Organizations Abroad
- North Korea Freedom Coalition (USA)
- Moija / Kawasaki Eiko (Japan)
- International North Korean Defector Solidarity / Kim Joo-il (England)
- National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN) (Japan)
NKFW Background
North Korea Freedom Week is an annual event held to promote the freedom, human rights and dignity of the North Korean people. It first began in 2004 in Washington, D.C., as North Korea Freedom Day, the largest gathering of individuals to promote human rights in North Korea that had ever been held outside the Korean peninsula. U.S. Members of Congress credited North Korea Freedom Day as being the key catalyst behind the passage of the North Korea Human Rights Act that same year. Since 2005, the event was expanded to a week and has included rallies, Congressional hearings, protests, film screenings, concerts, prayer vigils, exhibits, and other events specifically to promote awareness and action on behalf of the world’s most suffering people. The most important quality of North Korea Freedom Week has always been the significant participation of North Korean defectors who testify, speak out and provide eyewitness testimony. Among the many highlights of past NKFWs have been the opportunity for defectors to meet with the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, Congressional hearings and briefings exposing the political prison camps, trafficking of North Korean women in China, the issue of South Korea and Japan abductees and South Korean POWs, North Korea’s illicit activities from proliferating nuclear technology to drug trafficking and counterfeiting, the horrors facing North Korean orphans, and the human rights abuses faced by North Korean men and women while serving in the DPRK Military. From 2004-2009, NKFW was held in Washington, D.C. and included events in New York City, while from 2010-2014, it was held in Seoul and included events in Busan. Since 2015, the week has alternated between the USA and South Korea. NKFW was established and co-chaired by Suzanne Scholte (North Korea Freedom Coalition) and Kim Seong Min (Free North Korea Radio).
