On November 15th, the ‘Youth Forum of National Unification of Korea’ was held by the National Unification Advisory Council Seattle Chapter at the University of Washington. The purpose of this forum was to introduce the importance of peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula to young people.
The forum explained human rights violations in North Korea as a critical reason for the unification, rather than simply stating that North and South were originally one nation.
The event kicked off with a screening of a video clip about the injustice and corruption happening in North Korea. In relation to this short video clip, three keynote speakers shared their own personal experiences related to North Korea, including helping escaped refugees.
Robert Hyung-chan Kim, professor emeriti at the Western Washington University (WWU), spoke about severe poverty and human rights violations in North Korea. Pulling from his own research and four visits to North Korea, he gave thorough answers to many questions from the audience.
Park Chul a political refugee from North Korea and the President of North Korea Defectors gave a testimony on what it is like living under the Kim clan's dictatorship.
He mentioned, “I didn’t know Kim Jung Il had 5 wives and also had so many children when I was in North Korea.” and he added, “Kim Jung Il closed all of the karaokes in North Korea because he thought they were a hotbed of cultural decadence".
The last keynote speaker was Blaine Harden, former Washington Post correspondent and the author of the award winning book ‘Escape from Camp 14’, was quite popular at the forum. He talked about Dong Hyuk Shin, the North Korean defector who was the main inspiration behind his book, and the impact this refugee brought to the world.
The story of Dong Hyuk Shin triggered the UN to form the Commission of Inquiry on Human Right in North Korea. In addition, Shin brought renewed interest to issues of human rights in North Korea through his participation with the United Nation Security Council and the United States councils. Harden stated,
“Human rights violations and political oppression is still happening in North Korea.” and he claimed, “Be aware of it, and the responsibility is on South Korea.”
About 300 students and members of the advisory committee attended the forum from different cities including Seattle, Bellevue, Federal Way, and Tacoma.
Susan Lee, the president of the National Unification Advisory Council Seattle Chapter, stated “This is a very special and meaningful event, having lots of youth and students attending, because it would be what their parents’ generation cares more about. I hope they recognize the necessity and importance of peaceful unification.”
By Woo Jung Oh
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