North Korea Freedom Week, Day 1: NKHR Exhibit Opening Ceremony

North Korea Freedom Week 2010 is underway! At 3 p.m. Sunday the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for an exhibit on North Korean Human Rights Exhibit that will run all week in two large rooms on the first floor of the Seoul Press Center.

The first room primarily focuses on Gang Gil-su and his extended family, who lived in hiding in China for about three years from 1999-2001 after escaping North Korea. On display are dozens of crayon drawings depicting their recollections of life in North Korea, as well as their diaries, letters, and thousands upon thousands of origami cranes they folded to pass the time.

The following drawing by Jang Han-gil was entitled 먹을게 없어 나무껍질 벗기는 어머니” (There was nothing to eat so (a) mother is peeling bark off a tree.).

The pile on the ground and the display case behind it contain thousands of origami cranes. The sign said 500,000! While i wonder if that could possibly be accurate, there sure was a great number of them. Also, they wrote a brief note on the back of each sheet of paper before folding it.

The second room had artwork by another artist, some multimedia, and on one wall hung airline tickets, calling cards, train tickets, etc., used by — if I understand correctly — activists and refugees they were helping.

Keep reading after the break for pictures of the opening.

Peter Jung, the head of Justice for North Korea, served as the emcee.

Here we’re cutting the ribbon.

After cutting the ribbon, it was time for some of the many scissors-wielders to speak. Here National Assemblyman Hwang Woo-yeo, who’s sponsored legislation addressing the human rights situation in NK, speaks.

People listening:

Suzanne Scholte, the head of the NK Freedom Coalition, which organized NK Freedom Week, salutes Moon Guk-han, who organized the exhibit and has worked tirelessly for years helping North Koreans in need (you may recognize him from Seoul Train).

The highlight of the day for me was getting to meet the little girl in red. She’s grown a bit since she appeared as a two-year old in newspaper photos across the world! Hanmi is now a very energetic 11 (Korean age) and kept fellow JFNK members Kristen, Lauren, and me happily occupied with 가위바위보 and another game she taught us.

Below is Moon Guk-han being interviewed by a couple of reporters.

The exhibit will be open every day 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Saturday, May 1st. To get to the Seoul Press Center, you can take the subway to City Hall Station (line 1 or 2), exit 4 or Gwanghwamun Station (line 5), exit 5.

There is a lot to soak in, and I hope to go back later in the week to see the rest.

Special thanks to Kristen for taking some of the photos above.

Next up on the schedule:

Monday, April 26th
10AM ““ NKFW2010 Opening Press Conference/Briefing (30min.) & NK Gulag Inmate List Press Release & Witness Testimony
Host: Crime Against Humanity Investigation Committee, Do Hee Yoon (dhy21c }at{ hanmail ]dot[ net), NK Gulag, Kim Tae Jin, Jung Gwang Il, Jee Hae Lee (jhlee.nkgulag [at] gmail {dot} com)
Location: Seoul Press Center, 19th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station

2PM ““ North Korean Human Rights Digital Screening
Host: Abductee & Defectors Human Rights Coalition, Crime Against Humanity Investigation Committee, Do Hee Yoon
Location: Seoul Metro Art Gallery, Hyehwa Metro Station
Transportation: Subway – Line 4, Hyehwa Station