Hello from LiNK Outreach Bay Area!
It's been a while, but we're excited for all the upcoming events we've planned for the rest of this semester. Come join us at our first major event!
National Geographic's Inside North Korea Documentary Screening
When: Tuesday, March 9 @ 7pm
Where: 60 Evans
Don't forget to bring out your friends and spread the news :)
- E-board
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, October 17, 2009
NK holding 154,000 political prisoners
SEOUL — North Korea is still operating six Stalinist-style labour camps holding 154,000 inmates, a South Korean lawmaker said Saturday.
Yoon Sang-Hyun, from the ruling Grand National Party, said the North had 10 camps holding about 200,000 prisoners until the late 1990s when it closed down four of them amid mounting international criticism.
"Currently, it holds 154,000 prisoners in six places," he was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
He cited a government report presented to the National Assembly.
Seoul had reportedly been aware of the camps since 2005 but had not disclosed the information for fear of harming inter-Korean relations, the conservative Dong-A daily said.
North Korea denies holding any political prisoners. Its official media say there are no human rights issues in the communist state where everybody leads "the most dignified and happy life."
Inmates at the gulags are reportedly forced to work more than 10 hours a day and denied access to medical care, receiving only 100 to 200 grams (four to eight ounces) of food rations, while the North Korean food ration for children of up to age four is set at 234 grams.
The inmates include not only political opponents or those who lost out in political struggles but also ordinary people who were penalised for making disrespectful remarks about leader Kim Jong-Il.
Political prisoners caught while attempting to escape are subject to public execution in front of all other inmates at the site. In addition, female inmates are frequently raped, the Dong-A daily said.
source: AFP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jLY3MNRy_e45vnQQC2Cf_xN-CIpQ
Yoon Sang-Hyun, from the ruling Grand National Party, said the North had 10 camps holding about 200,000 prisoners until the late 1990s when it closed down four of them amid mounting international criticism.
"Currently, it holds 154,000 prisoners in six places," he was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
He cited a government report presented to the National Assembly.
Seoul had reportedly been aware of the camps since 2005 but had not disclosed the information for fear of harming inter-Korean relations, the conservative Dong-A daily said.
North Korea denies holding any political prisoners. Its official media say there are no human rights issues in the communist state where everybody leads "the most dignified and happy life."
Inmates at the gulags are reportedly forced to work more than 10 hours a day and denied access to medical care, receiving only 100 to 200 grams (four to eight ounces) of food rations, while the North Korean food ration for children of up to age four is set at 234 grams.
The inmates include not only political opponents or those who lost out in political struggles but also ordinary people who were penalised for making disrespectful remarks about leader Kim Jong-Il.
Political prisoners caught while attempting to escape are subject to public execution in front of all other inmates at the site. In addition, female inmates are frequently raped, the Dong-A daily said.
source: AFP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jLY3MNRy_e45vnQQC2Cf_xN-CIpQ
Saturday, October 10, 2009
China Detects Nerve Gas at its North Korean Border
China has detected a deadly nerve gas at its North Korean border and suspects an accidental release from its neighbor, according to a Japanese news report on Oct. 9.
The Chinese military is intensifying its surveillance activities after identifying the highly virulent Sarin gas in November last year and again in February, according to a report from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, that cited anonymous sources from the Chinese military. The gas was found in Liaoning Province.
Chinese special operations forces found trace levels of Sarin gas when conducting regular surveys in winds blowing from North Korea, the report said...
from the Epoch Times
for full article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/23655/
The Chinese military is intensifying its surveillance activities after identifying the highly virulent Sarin gas in November last year and again in February, according to a report from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, that cited anonymous sources from the Chinese military. The gas was found in Liaoning Province.
Chinese special operations forces found trace levels of Sarin gas when conducting regular surveys in winds blowing from North Korea, the report said...
from the Epoch Times
for full article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/23655/
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Nine North Koreans Escape to Vietnam
By CHOE SANG-HUN for the New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea — Nine North Koreans entered the Danish Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday seeking political asylum and passage to Seoul, South Korean activists said.
The group entered Vietnam from China in recent weeks through smuggling routes, said Kim Sang-hun, a leader of the International Network of North Korean Human Rights Activists who assisted in the North Koreans’ escapes to Vietnam.
The rights network said the defectors carried a message in English: “We are now at the point of such desperation and live in such fear of persecution within North Korea that we have come to the decision to risk our lives for freedom rather than passively await our doom. The only power we have left is to appeal to you on our knees and with tears.”
Ole Brix Andersen, a spokesman at the Danish Foreign Ministry, confirmed that a group of people believed to be North Koreans had entered its embassy in Hanoi and “asked for help and protection,” The Associated Press reported. He said they would be allowed to stay at the embassy for the moment “because we do not send people out who could face some kind of persecution.”
full article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/asia/25korea.html
Reuter's article on the same event:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE58N11P20090924
SEOUL, South Korea — Nine North Koreans entered the Danish Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday seeking political asylum and passage to Seoul, South Korean activists said.
The group entered Vietnam from China in recent weeks through smuggling routes, said Kim Sang-hun, a leader of the International Network of North Korean Human Rights Activists who assisted in the North Koreans’ escapes to Vietnam.
The rights network said the defectors carried a message in English: “We are now at the point of such desperation and live in such fear of persecution within North Korea that we have come to the decision to risk our lives for freedom rather than passively await our doom. The only power we have left is to appeal to you on our knees and with tears.”
Ole Brix Andersen, a spokesman at the Danish Foreign Ministry, confirmed that a group of people believed to be North Koreans had entered its embassy in Hanoi and “asked for help and protection,” The Associated Press reported. He said they would be allowed to stay at the embassy for the moment “because we do not send people out who could face some kind of persecution.”
full article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/asia/25korea.html
Reuter's article on the same event:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE58N11P20090924
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
LOBA 2nd Gen. Meeting
Hey everyone!
It's already the 5th week of school and time for LOBA events to get started! To update you guys on what's going on in North Korea, what's going on with LiNK Headquarters, and what we're doing here at Cal, we'll be having a staff meeting this SUNDAY. So mark your calenders.
Who: YOU!
What: Staff Meeting
When: Sunday, Sept 27 @ 8 PM
Where: 255 Dwinelle
Why: to help spread awareness about what's going on in North Korea.
Hope to see you guys there.
- E-board
It's already the 5th week of school and time for LOBA events to get started! To update you guys on what's going on in North Korea, what's going on with LiNK Headquarters, and what we're doing here at Cal, we'll be having a staff meeting this SUNDAY. So mark your calenders.
Who: YOU!
What: Staff Meeting
When: Sunday, Sept 27 @ 8 PM
Where: 255 Dwinelle
Why: to help spread awareness about what's going on in North Korea.
Hope to see you guys there.
- E-board
Sunday, September 13, 2009
N. Korean Succession
Hey everyone,
just wanted to update with some interesting news about the succession of Kim Jong Il's youngest son as the next leader of North Korea.
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has launched a public propaganda campaign to prepare its people for the succession of Kim Jong Il's youngest son as leader, a news report said Sunday.
North Korea has mentioned Kim Jong Un by his full name — which it had not done in the past — and his qualifications in broadcasts through speakers installed in each house, Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unidentified source on North Korean affairs.
The broadcast campaign was launched in Pyongyang about two months, but it was not clear if it had been extended to other parts of the country, Yonhap said.
North Koreans are obligated to install speakers in their homes to listen to broadcasts on policy of the ruling Workers' Party and its propaganda, according to North Koreans who have defected to the South.
source: FOX News
for the rest of the article, go here:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549662,00.html?test=latestnews
just wanted to update with some interesting news about the succession of Kim Jong Il's youngest son as the next leader of North Korea.
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has launched a public propaganda campaign to prepare its people for the succession of Kim Jong Il's youngest son as leader, a news report said Sunday.
North Korea has mentioned Kim Jong Un by his full name — which it had not done in the past — and his qualifications in broadcasts through speakers installed in each house, Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unidentified source on North Korean affairs.
The broadcast campaign was launched in Pyongyang about two months, but it was not clear if it had been extended to other parts of the country, Yonhap said.
North Koreans are obligated to install speakers in their homes to listen to broadcasts on policy of the ruling Workers' Party and its propaganda, according to North Koreans who have defected to the South.
source: FOX News
for the rest of the article, go here:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549662,00.html?test=latestnews
Monday, September 7, 2009
LiNK - first informational mtg.
Hey everyone!
LiNK Outreach Bay Area is ready for another semester of reaching out to promote human rights awareness!
We will have our first informational meeting this coming Tuesday, September 8th @ 8 pm in 87 Evans Hall. Please come out to learn more about what's going with human rights in North Korea and what we're doing here at Cal to spread the word.
If you're interested in helping out, or just learning more about North Korea, come check us out! We'll be handing out staff applications for those of you who want to get more involved.
Hope to see you all there!
What: LiNK Outreach Bay Area General Meeting
When: Tuesday, Sept 8. @ 8 pm
Where: 87 Evans Hall
Sincerely,
LiNK Outreach Bay Area
LiNK Outreach Bay Area is ready for another semester of reaching out to promote human rights awareness!
We will have our first informational meeting this coming Tuesday, September 8th @ 8 pm in 87 Evans Hall. Please come out to learn more about what's going with human rights in North Korea and what we're doing here at Cal to spread the word.
If you're interested in helping out, or just learning more about North Korea, come check us out! We'll be handing out staff applications for those of you who want to get more involved.
Hope to see you all there!
What: LiNK Outreach Bay Area General Meeting
When: Tuesday, Sept 8. @ 8 pm
Where: 87 Evans Hall
Sincerely,
LiNK Outreach Bay Area
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