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The North Korean Human Rights Bill:

A Discussion of Future Government and NGO Use

DATE:   April 30, 2010;   1 pm – 5:30 pm.                                     

VENUE:  Press Center Building, Floor 19;

    Seoul, Republic of Korea

  • Host: PSCORE presents one of many events in North Korea Freedom Week.  A campaign to raise awareness of North Korean human rights abuses organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition.
  • Participants: North and South Korean university professors, international human rights organizations and activists (including Suzanne Scholte and Vitit Muntarbhorn) and members of the South Korean government.
  •  Sponsors: U.S. Department of State, South Korean Ministry of Unification and Free North Korea Radio.
  • Location: Press Center Building, Floor 19. Taepyeongno 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

On February 11, 2010, the South Korean National Assembly passed a bill authorizing the creation of a body to monitor North Korea’s human rights situation and support activists in the South. The North Korean Human Rights Bill marks the South’s first legislative response to the human rights crisis across the border: please join us to discuss this historic event!

  •  Program
    • Conference Begins
    • National Ceremony
    • Opening Statement : Kim, Young Il (Executive Director of the PSCORE)
    • Encouraging Speech : Suzanne Scholte (Chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, International Human Rights Activist)
    • Congratulatory Address 1: Hyun, Byung Chul (Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission)
    • Congratulatory Address 2: Hwang, Woo Yui (Incumbent member of the National Assembly )
    • Special Address: Vitit Muntarbhorn (UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
  • Discussants:
    • Session 1: A Review of North Korea’s Human Rights Violations within the Past Ten Years
      • Moderator :  Goo, Bon Tae (Chairman of the North Korea Research Institute)
      • Presenter 1 :  Park, Young Ho (Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for National Unification)
      • Discussant 1 :  Kim, Sung Min (Director of Free North Korea Radio)
      • Discussant 2 :  Park, Sang Hak (Chairman of Fighters for Free North Korea)
    • Session 2: Scholars and government officials discuss how the South Korean government and NGO’s can use provisions of South Korea’s recently enacted North Korea Human Rights Bill
      • Moderator :  Jhe, Seong Ho (Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights)
      • Presenter 1 :  Jang, Bok Hee (Professor of Sunmoon University)
      • Presenter 2 :  Kim, Tae Hoon (A lawyer from Hwawoo Law Firm)
      • Discussant 1 :  Tsutomu Nishioka (Professor of Tokyo Christian University)
      • Discussant 2 :  Lee, Ae Ran (Professor of Kyung In Women’s University)

simultaneous interpretation is available