Dear Ban Ki Moon: A Letter from the Commitee for Human Rights in North Korea

CHRNK,  taking heart from Ban’s words in a July 4th speech in Seoul, hopes that they will mark the beginning of something more sustained, and perhaps even remotely effective.

You are reported to have called upon the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to “take the necessary steps to improve their human rights situation”¦,” and said, “There are still many areas where human rights are not properly protected and even abused. This is an unacceptable situation.We agree, and trust your singling out this situation, which long has merited greater attention by the Secretary-General and the United Nations, will mark the beginning of a sustained effort to hold the government of North Korea accountable for its serious human rights transgressions.  [Part 1 –  hrnk-ltr-to-ban-ki-moon-08112008.doc]   [Part  2 –  hrnk-ltr-to-ban-ki-moon-08112008-part-21.doc]  

Sometimes, who is in charge tells you everything you need to know about what an organization will accomplish.  Ban’s elevation as General Secretary, following a career that had been built on appeasing North Korea and saying as little as possible about human rights where they are the most systematically denied, convinced me to abandon all hope in the U.N.  Ban, I believe, is destined to be remembered in much the same way that whatsisname who  headed of the League of Nations in the late 30’s isn’t.   

A deserving exception to this would be the North Korean people, who are entitled to remember Ban for his role in prolonging their suffering, and in shielding their oppressors from shame.  In the context of Korea’s long history, of course,  plenty of Koreans have meekly collaborated with the oppression of their countrymen.  The best I can say for Ban is that I hope a future Korean government won’t expropriate the property of his great-grandchildren.

Is the  CHRNK foolish enough to believe that Ban will defy the Chinese and speak or act decisively?   No, because it isn’t foolish at all.   CRNK is composed of very smart people of various political persuasions.  Its authors are some of the very brightest academics studying North Korea today:  Marcus Noland, Stephan Haggard, and David Hawk to name just three outstanding examples.  Of course, Lee Myung Bak’s election has the potential to sway Ban to some degree, but it will probably take sustained and forceful public shaming to get Ban Ki Moon to deploy the High Commission for Refugees to the Chinese border.

Another figure to whom sincere concern about human rights does not come naturally is Chris Hill, but CHRNK has also written to him, hoping to sustain the pressure Senator Brownback brought to bear.  This letter attempts to add structure  to the idea of  making human rights improvements an integral part of North Korea, something that both the North Koreans and Hill would probably prefer didn’t exist.  The letter makes a series of specific demands for essential improvements, including  closing down the gulags, lifting the information blockade, feeding the hungry.  Then, there is the matter of  linking those goals to the  aid without which the North Korean regime couldn’t survive.

Link Assistance to North Korea to tangible improvements in the regime’s human rights record: Assistance to the government of North Korea must be predicated on steps taken by it to protect the rights, including freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of conscience of the people of North Korea.  [hrnk-ltr-to-chris-hill-080320081.doc]

Thanks to Chuck Downs, the CHRNK’s new Executive Director, for forwarding both letters.  You can read my previous interview with Mr. Downs here.