History of PSCORE
Timeline
Ever since its establishment in 2006, PSCORE has always strived to make awareness about North Korean’s defectors. Check out the highlights of our work.
2023
January : Presented at the Conference on the human rights of women and girls in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
February : Hosted the second Model UN Strategic Framework Conference (ModelUNSF 2023)
March : Participated in the UN Human Rights Council and held a North Korea Human Rights Campaign
April : Organized a session between a North Korean defector and students from Peace And True Rights of DPRK (PATRON)
Head of the UN OHCHR James Heenan visited our office and met with PSCORE members
Visited the french embassy in Seoul
Submission of North Korean Human Rights-Related Report to CEDAW and UPR Russia
May : Workshop at the Seoul International School
Organized the Youth Global seminar in collaboration with The Asiatic Research Institute of Korea University and North Korean Human Rights
Visit of the DMZ to raise awareness on North Korean human rights, children’s rights, food shortage and missile tests
June : Releasing a new report on the Internet Freedom in North Korea: digital Hostages
A presentation on the corresponding report was held at the RightsCon
July : Speech event with a north korean defector with Korea University Summer school
70th year of armistice international youth work shop
Submission of North Korean Human Rights-Related Report to UPR China
Throughout the year : Education Support Program for North Korean Defector Students/Unification Specialist Educators
Operation of Internship Program for Foreign Youth
2022
January : Hosted a virtual lecture on the implementation of SDG’s in North Korea with Mr. Oh Joon, the 71st President of ECOSOC
Hosted Model UN Strategic Framework Conference (ModelUNSF 2022)
March : Hosted a Webinar on Digital Human Rights in North Korea
President Kim Tae-Hoon made an oral statement for the 49th session of the Human Rights Council
April : The team of PSCORE took a campaign trip to Baengnyeongdo
May : Started to offer computer programming classes to NK children of defector
July – Hosted an event with Korea University : Campaign trip to Gwangju (Seminars in Gwangju university, Gwangju central street Campaign)
August : Hosted the Model United Nations for Successful Corean Reunification (MUNSCR)
September : Field trip to the DMZ
October : Human Rights Watch, along with PSCORE other NGO, published an open letter directed to the Foreign Ministers of Member and Observer States of the UN Human Right Council
Campaign trip to Jeju (Street campaign)
December : Hosted ‘세계 인권 선언 74주년 기념 세미나’
2021
January – March : Submitted a report of human rights concerns in North Korea to the UN
March : Participated in the UN Human Rights Council’s 46th session, addressing the North Korean Anti-Reactionary Thought Law
April : Held Model United Nations for Successful Corean Reunification (MUNSCR) conference
May : Speaker event for North Korean Human Rights Awareness partnered with the Asian American Club at Belmont High School
December : The newly released report on Digital Human Rights in North Korea was presented in a virtual press conference
2020
July : Provided arts and crafts videos for North Korean defector elementary school students (40 videos in 2020)
Workshop series with North Korean defector teachers (5 times in 2020)
Peaceful Korean reunification online workshop 2020 (42 participants from 12 countries)
Imjingak/DMZ tour
September : Tribunal “Forced Labor in Political GDR Detention” from September 11th to 13th, 2020 in Cottbus, Germany
October : Street campaign for North Korean human rights and Korean reunification (Itaewon)
Imjingak/DMZ tour
November : Street campaign for North Korean human rights and the Korean reunification (Itaewon)
Speech event with Incheon Yeongjong High School
Webinar for Korean Reunification 2020
December : Released video interview series with North Korean defectors
2019
February : 50 Years of Korean Airlines Abductees to North Korea – Conference for the Return of Journalist Hwang Won and other Abductees
March : Held an Event at the 40th UN Human Rights Council and European Union Parliaments in Response to the 3rd UN UPR
April : Speech Event: Guest Speaker from Loxford
May : Lecture and Discussion Event on Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights at Daejin Women’s High School
June : Seminar on Sexual Violence and Improving Women’s Rights in North Korea
Held a Session at RightsCon 2019 on North Korean Human Rights
July : Talk Concert on Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights with Korea University Summer School Students
Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights Workshop at Daejin Women’s High School
Street Campaign on Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights
August : Speech event with CRCC Asia
Speech event with Jungnang Youth Center
School festival campaign with Daejin Girl’s High School
September : Street Campaign for North Korean human rights and Korean reunification
October : Speech event with New York University
Street campaign with Daejin Girl’s High School
November : Speech event with Yonsei University Japanese club
2018
January : Published a report about North Korean child labor, “Unending Toil: Child Labor within North Korea”
March : Participated in the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold North Korean Human Right campaigns
April : Held a lecture event on North Korean Human Rights in University of Amsterdam, Rotterdam School of Management
May : Hosted a movie screening (The Avengers) for defected North Korean children
June – July : Co-hosted a lecture on “Human Rights in North Korea” and “Peace in Korean Peninsula” with the GSIS Student Union of the Korea University
August : Street Campaign on Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights with Yonsei University (Sinchon)
September : Street Campaign on Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights (Itaewon)
October : Global Youth Seminar on Peaceful Reunification
DMZ Peace Campaign
70th Anniversary Celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Event at the 73rd Session of the U.N. General Assembly on North Korean Human Rights
Unification Education at the Korean Catholic Church in Philadelphia, USA
December : 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Resolution Conference on the Improvement of Human Rights in North Korea
2017
March : Participated in the UN Human Rights Committee to hold North Korean Human Right campaigns
Hosted North Korean Human Rights lecture in London, King’s College
May – November : Held street campaigns about North Korean human rights in subway stations, Migrant World Film Festival and Gwanghwamun Square
July : Hosted a cultural activity such as movie screening and summer camps for the defected North Korean children
Held a lecture for foreigners on North Korean human rights in Seoul Citizen Center and Korea University
August : Published “Age of Kim Jong Un: North Korea’s Recent Security Threat”
October : Hosted a lecture event with visiting professors from Australia and New Zealand
2016
Mar 7-10 : Conference at Dolphin School, Royal Holloway and King’s College and Brunel University in England
Mar 11-20 : Participation in the UN Human Rights Council and campaigns regarding the rights of North Koreans
Mar 21-25 : Lecture at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), IGFM (Germany) and the University of Le Havre (France)
May – Nov : Various campaigns regarding the issue of human rights in North Korea held in different areas and subway stations around Seoul
2015
Mar 11-25 : Conference at Eton, Radly and Bedales College in England
May – Nov : Road campaign to raise awareness and create discussion regarding human rights in North Korea (in Sangmyung, Hanyang, Seoul Tech, Dongkuk, Konkuk universities, at Yongsan stations, National Assembly, Yoeuido,…)
Jul 31 : Speech on human rights in North Korea with a North Korean defector and international students in Itaewon
Aug 22 : Benefit concert called “Rock Out Concert” created to raise funds for the purpose of giving support to North Korean refugee students
Sep 30 : Conference with visiting teachers from Australia and New Zealand
Oct 2-5 : Campaigns on the issue of human rights in North Korea at the Busan Film Festival
Oct 18 : Founder Young Il-Kim delivers lecture at Japanese TEDxAPU event
Nov : nternational human rights report called “Multinational Abuse and Exploitation” published (not available in Italian)
Dec : Published collection of testimonies of North Korean defectors in PSCORE book “Those without faces” (not available in Italian language)
2014
January 21 : Lecture at Dulwich College in London, UK
March 13-20 : Participated in the UN Human Rights Council and held North Korean Human Rights campaigns
March 20-27 : Held ‘London North Korean Human Rights Lecture Tour’ at different universities in London, UK such as Oxford University, Eton, and Radley Colleges
May 28 : Relocated our office to Gangseo-gu, Seoul
August 01 : Organized a support event to rescue North Koreans refugees with the British Ambassador
October 03 : Ran a North Korean Human Rights Street Campaign at the Busan Film Festival
November 21 : Held a screening of ‘Journey to Freedom’, an awareness event about PSCORE’s rescue missions in China
December 12 : Organized a North Korean Human Rights Poetry Contest
Throughout the year : Held five charity ‘Rock Out Concert’ to raise funds to support North Korean refugee students
2013
March 02 : Held a concluding symposium for the ‘North Korea Youth Education Mentoring Program’
March 06 : Published the 2013 edition of North Korean Human Rights casebook “Only the Freedom to Breathe”
March 07-13 : Participated in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
April 30 : Held a seminar about ‘Demand Analysis and Policy Suggestion for North Korean Students Customized Education Support’
September 01 : Produced a North Korean Human Rights album called ‘Music for Freedom’
September 16 : Submitted the North Korean Human Rights report to the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
September 22 : Hosted the benefit performance by Foreign Language High School Orchestra Union for PSCORE
October 03-06 : Held a North Korean Human Rights campaign as well as a cultural activity night for North Korean students at Busan Film Festival
October 10 : Published the North Korean Human Rights report
October 28 – November 06 : Attended UN meetings in New York and gave a lecture at Columbia University
Every Month : Organized street campaigns every month at subway stations, airport, train stations, and main streets in Seoul
2012
January 25-31 : Participated in the Myanmar human rights activists program held by the United States National Democratic Institute (NDI)
March : Held campaigns against the broadcast limitation of North Korea
April 17-30 : Hosted lecture events about reunification
April 25 : Participated in North Korea Freedom Week International Workshop; discussing the issue of North Korean human rights with the United Nations and the international community
August : Launched ‘North Korea Youth Education Mentoring Program’
August 09 – October 13 : Held the 4th Annual Essay Contest, “Let’s Talk About Unification,” and Awards Ceremony
September 10-14 : Participated in the Geneva UN Commission on Human Rights’ International Campaign
October 04-06 : Launched a North Korean Human Rights Campaign for the Busan Film Festival
November 03-04 : Global English Camp for North Korean defectors to learn conversation in English
December 15 : Rock Culture Festival Charity Concert
2011
April 12 : Held a speech event with Australian and New Zealand teachers from the Asia Education Foundation
April 27 : Hosted “A Desirable Direction for North Korean Human Rights Law” Seminar
June 04 : Registered as an official NGO affiliated with the Ministry of Unification (Ministry of Unification Room 109)
2010
January 19 : Participated in Round Table Discussion on North Korean Rights Issues (co-host: ELTF Australia)
January 29-30 : Held a PSCORE Leadership Training Session
February 26 : Recognized by the Ministry of Unification as a non-profit organization (Ministry of Unification, #259)
April 21 : Directed a program providing education about unification to students at Ganggyong High School
April 22 : Hosted Information Session for opportunity of scholarships to study abroad in Germany
April 30 : Hosted North Korea Freedom Week Seminar
May 20 : Hosted ‘North/South Korean Student Forum on Reunification’
May 24 : Had an opening speech in the press conference of the sinking of South Korean warship ‘Cheonan’
June 25-27 : Organized the Global English Camp
August 16 : Hosted the 3rd Annual Essay Contest “Let’s Talk About Reunification”
September 06 – November 21 : Held the annual PSCORE Youtube Video Contest about Democracy and Human Rights in North Korea
December 10 : Held “What Made Them Change? – Korean Wave in North Korea” Seminar
2009
January 14 : Participated in Round table discussion on North Korean issues (co-host: ELTF Australia)
February 20-21 : Held a PSCORE Leadership Training Session
March 24 : Held the 0.001 Campaign
April 20 : Hosted ‘Regime Change in North Korea and Human Rights Issues’ Seminar (co-host: Legislative Forum on Human Rights)
April 20 – August 20 : Held the Annual Essay Contest, “Let’s Talk About Unification,” and Poem Contest
April 30 : Held ‘Crossing Over’ Seminar (co-host: George Town University)
June 26-28 : Hosted Global English Camp (co-host: Hanns Seidel Foundation)
August 19 : Hosted a ceremony to celebrate the joint pledge of PSCORE and the Seodaemun Police Department to support education for North Korean defectors
October 19 – December 20 : Held the first Annual PSCORE Youtube Video Contest about Democracy and Human Rights in North Korea
November 27 : Hosted International Student Conference on North Korean Human Rights (co-hosts: Legislative Forum on Human Rights, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Korean Leaders Academy)
2008
March 29 : Participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) as a Delegate
April 26 : Participated in the U.S. ‘North Korea Freedom Week’
July 31 : Held the first Annual Essay Contest, “Let’s Talk About Unification,” and Award Ceremony
July 31 : Chosen by the U.S. State Department as a Human Rights Democracy Fun beneficiary
December 14 : Participated in training program ‘Political Education of a United Germany’
2007
February 08 : Participated in ‘Protection of North Korean Immigrants and Reform of Laws Regarding Their Settlement in South Korea’ Seminar
April 10 : Co-hosted Founding Ceremony for the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea
May 24 : Co-hosted Press conference for College Students Walk for North Korean Rights
May 25 : Co-hosted Yeollin Uri Party and Grand National Party Round-Table Discussion on North Korean Human Rights
May 26 : Co-hosted College Students’ Walk for North Korean Human Rights
June 08 : Hosted PSCORE Seminar at the University of Seoul
July 01 : Started education program for young North Korean defectors
August 23 : Co-hosted Future History Camp
October 25 : Co-hosted Unification Culture Expo
2006
July 09 : Discussed and officially established PSCORE
October 05 : Launched the PSCORE website
November 10 : Held first PSCORE Seminar
December 20 : Co-hosted Memorial Workshop for the International Students Conference on North Korean Human Rights