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Dear Friends and Colleagues: Freedom House is pleased to announce our first international event in a year-long advocacy campaign on North Korean Human Rights, to be held on TUESDAY, JULY 19th, 2005 at The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. This day-long conference will highlight the work of many dedicated individuals who have championed the cause of North Korean human rights. The event will feature distinguished speakers (including a bi-partisan Congressional delegation), exhibits, documentaries, panel discussions, breakout sessions, cultural...

OFK: Please tell us about your background–where you grew up, and what people, ideas, and philosophies influenced the shaping of your character. Jae Ku: I lived in Korea during my first eight years. I have two older brothers and a sister, so there were six of us. I grew up in Midwest, but mostly in Kansas. I spent most of my childhood in the town of Salina. I voted for the first time in 1988, for Mike Michael Dukakis. My...

One of the founders of the movement for human rights in North Korea, Dr. Jae Joong-Nam, passed away in his home from a heart attack on June 6, 2005, at the age of 60. He is survived by a wife and two sons. Dr. Nam was born at Andong, in present-day South Korea, in 1945. He graduated from medical school at Korea University and studied for his medical board certification at Georgetown University. After the successful completion of his certification...

One of the founders of the movement for human rights in North Korea, Dr. Jae Joong-Nam, passed away in his home from a heart attack on June 6, 2005, at the age of 60. He is survived by a wife and two sons. Dr. Nam was born at Andong, in present-day South Korea, in 1945. He graduated from medical school at Korea University and studied for his medical board certification at Georgetown University. After the successful completion of his certification...

109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 168 Condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the abductions and continued captivity of citizens of the Republic of Korea and Japan as acts of terrorism and gross violations of human rights. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 26, 2005 Mr. HYDE (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. PITTS, Mr. LYNCH, and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International...

109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 168 Condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the abductions and continued captivity of citizens of the Republic of Korea and Japan as acts of terrorism and gross violations of human rights. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 26, 2005 Mr. HYDE (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. PITTS, Mr. LYNCH, and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International...

Here is the full text of Norbert’s e-mail: __________________________________________________________ I finally got my exit order to leave South Korea before June 4. I will head to Tokyo in order to continue my activities regarding North Korean Human right abuses speaking to journalists, politicians, human rights activists and the family members of the abductees there – what I was no longer allowed to do in North Korea and now also in South Korea. After several speeches here in South Korea about...

Here is the full text of Norbert’s e-mail: __________________________________________________________ I finally got my exit order to leave South Korea before June 4. I will head to Tokyo in order to continue my activities regarding North Korean Human right abuses speaking to journalists, politicians, human rights activists and the family members of the abductees there – what I was no longer allowed to do in North Korea and now also in South Korea. After several speeches here in South Korea about...

Presented at Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) 2005 Spring Symposium 2255 Rayburn House Office Build by Dennis P. Halpin Professional Staff East Asian Affairs International Relations Committee U.S. House of Representatives Presented at Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) 2005 Spring Symposium 2255 Rayburn House Office Building May 19, 2005 ________________ This statement reflects my own views and not necessarily those of the International Relations Committee nor its Chairman Henry J. Hyde. _______________ Sang Joo, Members of ICAS, Distinguished Ladies and...

Presented at Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) 2005 Spring Symposium 2255 Rayburn House Office Build by Dennis P. Halpin Professional Staff East Asian Affairs International Relations Committee U.S. House of Representatives Presented at Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) 2005 Spring Symposium 2255 Rayburn House Office Building May 19, 2005 ________________ This statement reflects my own views and not necessarily those of the International Relations Committee nor its Chairman Henry J. Hyde. _______________ Sang Joo, Members of ICAS, Distinguished Ladies and...

Presented at Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) 2005 Spring Symposium 2255 Rayburn House Office Build by Dennis P. Halpin Professional Staff East Asian Affairs International Relations Committee U.S. House of Representatives Presented at Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) 2005 Spring Symposium 2255 Rayburn House Office Building May 19, 2005 ________________ This statement reflects my own views and not necessarily those of the International Relations Committee nor its Chairman Henry J. Hyde. _______________ Sang Joo, Members of ICAS, Distinguished Ladies and...

by Dennis P. Halpin, Professional Staff, East Asian Affairs International Relations Committee, U.S. House of Representatives ______________________ Presented at North Korea Freedom Week North Korea Human Rights Conference Sponsored by the Korean Association of Maryland Metropolitan Area and Jubilee Campaign _________________ New Covenant Fellowship Church Germantown, Maryland April 30, 2005 This statement reflects my own views and not necessarily those of the International Relations Committee nor its Chairman Henry J. Hyde. The recent death of John Paul II is a...

The demonstration at the Chinese Embassy was a numerical disappointment. Only 100 people, plus or minus a dozen, attended. We were vocal, but not sufficiently numerous to to budge Hu Jintao. About 1/3 were under 40, and about an equal percentage were non-Koreans. The families of the Japanese abductees were much in evidence again. Another Korean-American woman, about whom I’ll write more at some future date, was awaiting the release of her husband from a Chinese jail. He was caught...

If you think establishing a government in exile is a simple matter of renting an office and designing a flag, just pause to consider the history of past efforts that had backing in Washington. The Iraqi National Congress may have loosely united many of the Iraqi emigres in Washington, but it appears to have had little support in Iraq or among most of Washington’s own feuding factions. Angola’s UNITA lived up to its name by uniting the country’s only effective...

The demonstration at the Chinese Embassy was a numerical disappointment. Only 100 people, plus or minus a dozen, attended. We were vocal, but not sufficiently numerous to to budge Hu Jintao. About 1/3 were under 40, and about an equal percentage were non-Koreans. The families of the Japanese abductees were much in evidence again. Another Korean-American woman, about whom I’ll write more at some future date, was awaiting the release of her husband from a Chinese jail. He was caught...

If you think establishing a government in exile is a simple matter of renting an office and designing a flag, just pause to consider the history of past efforts that had backing in Washington. The Iraqi National Congress may have loosely united many of the Iraqi emigres in Washington, but it appears to have had little support in Iraq or among most of Washington’s own feuding factions. Angola’s UNITA lived up to its name by uniting the country’s only effective...

This is a story that should start with a description of how it ended. Other than a few well-connected activists, most of those in the room had been a select group–congressional staffers, think-tankers, diplomats, attaches from embassies . . . even Nelson Mandela’s nephew, a pleasant enough man, now wearing the uniform of a general. Before the event had even begun, one bored staffer had whined to another, “I’m sooooooo ready for the weekend. When the two men we had...

This is a story that should start with a description of how it ended. Other than a few well-connected activists, most of those in the room had been a select group–congressional staffers, think-tankers, diplomats, attaches from embassies . . . even Nelson Mandela’s nephew, a pleasant enough man, now wearing the uniform of a general. Before the event had even begun, one bored staffer had whined to another, “I’m sooooooo ready for the weekend. When the two men we had...