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
Saturday, October 17, 2009
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
Monday, August 31, 2009
We're Back!
Hello from LOBA -- LiNK Outreach Bay Area!
We're definitely looking forward to an exciting semester this fall :)
I know this blog hasn't been updated as often as we would have liked, but we'll do our best to keep you posted on some of the latest news sorrounding North Korea, the state of human rights (or lack there of) in the country, and some of our thoughts as well.
To start, here's part of an informative article from The Korea Times that touches upon multiple events that have occurred recently:
NORTH KOREA SEEKING TO ENGAGE SOUTH
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
North Korea seems to have begun a reverse engagement policy with South Korea by making a number of conciliatory gestures over the past few weeks.
Among others, the communist state freed five South Korean detainees, in addition to the release of two American journalists, and stressed the need for governmental talks between the two Koreas.
The move is similar to the late former President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy'' of engaging the North that started about 10 years ago.
On the other hand, the South Korean government is seemingly being less than enthusiastic about initiating dialogue.
The North's official Rodong Shinmun newspaper said, "There is no separation between authorities and civic groups when it comes to the implementation of inter-Korean joint declarations.''
The declarations refer to those signed on June 15, 2000 and Oct. 4, 2007 between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the late former Presidents Kim and Roh Moo-hyun.
North Korea has called on the South Korean government to abide by the two accords.
...
On Saturday, Pyongyang released four South Korean fishermen after 30 days of detention, the latest move to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. They accidentally crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) last month.
About two weeks ago, a South Korean employee working at the Gaeseong complex returned home ― after 130 days in detention ― following Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun's visit to North Korea and a rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The man was detained for allegedly making derogatory comments about the North Korean regime and attempting to entice a woman to defect to the South.
North Korea asked for nothing in return for the release, according to Unification Ministry officials.
For the late former President Kim's state funeral, North Korea dispatched a delegation to Seoul to pay its respects to the architect of the engagement policy toward Pyongyang, who held the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.
North Korea also agreed to resume reunions of displaced families from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 at its scenic Mt. Geumgang resort during inter-Korean Red Cross talks last week.
Seoul, however, appears unready to present conciliatory measures any time soon.
"It is true that the inter-Korean relations are thawing but the government cannot improve the ties if there is no advancement in denuclearization,'' a government official said, asking to remain anonymous.
Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung also said late last week that the government would not resume the suspended tour program to Mt. Geumgang unless North Korea guarantees the safety of South Korean tourists.
In July last year, a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier at the Mt. Geumgang resort.
North Korea has refused to conduct a joint investigation of the incident.
*Full article can be found at: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/08/116_50917.html
We're definitely looking forward to an exciting semester this fall :)
I know this blog hasn't been updated as often as we would have liked, but we'll do our best to keep you posted on some of the latest news sorrounding North Korea, the state of human rights (or lack there of) in the country, and some of our thoughts as well.
To start, here's part of an informative article from The Korea Times that touches upon multiple events that have occurred recently:
NORTH KOREA SEEKING TO ENGAGE SOUTH
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
North Korea seems to have begun a reverse engagement policy with South Korea by making a number of conciliatory gestures over the past few weeks.
Among others, the communist state freed five South Korean detainees, in addition to the release of two American journalists, and stressed the need for governmental talks between the two Koreas.
The move is similar to the late former President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy'' of engaging the North that started about 10 years ago.
On the other hand, the South Korean government is seemingly being less than enthusiastic about initiating dialogue.
The North's official Rodong Shinmun newspaper said, "There is no separation between authorities and civic groups when it comes to the implementation of inter-Korean joint declarations.''
The declarations refer to those signed on June 15, 2000 and Oct. 4, 2007 between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the late former Presidents Kim and Roh Moo-hyun.
North Korea has called on the South Korean government to abide by the two accords.
...
On Saturday, Pyongyang released four South Korean fishermen after 30 days of detention, the latest move to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. They accidentally crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) last month.
About two weeks ago, a South Korean employee working at the Gaeseong complex returned home ― after 130 days in detention ― following Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun's visit to North Korea and a rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The man was detained for allegedly making derogatory comments about the North Korean regime and attempting to entice a woman to defect to the South.
North Korea asked for nothing in return for the release, according to Unification Ministry officials.
For the late former President Kim's state funeral, North Korea dispatched a delegation to Seoul to pay its respects to the architect of the engagement policy toward Pyongyang, who held the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.
North Korea also agreed to resume reunions of displaced families from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 at its scenic Mt. Geumgang resort during inter-Korean Red Cross talks last week.
Seoul, however, appears unready to present conciliatory measures any time soon.
"It is true that the inter-Korean relations are thawing but the government cannot improve the ties if there is no advancement in denuclearization,'' a government official said, asking to remain anonymous.
Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung also said late last week that the government would not resume the suspended tour program to Mt. Geumgang unless North Korea guarantees the safety of South Korean tourists.
In July last year, a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier at the Mt. Geumgang resort.
North Korea has refused to conduct a joint investigation of the incident.
*Full article can be found at: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/08/116_50917.html
Friday, February 20, 2009
Temper Tantrum
South Korea's president Lee Myung-bak has been unimpressed by North Korea's recent threats and abuses. North Korea, upset with Mr. Lee's stance of only engaging with the North when it dismantles its nuclear capabilities, has threatened confrontation. According to the Economist, North Korea has "expelled most South Korean officials from the Kaesong industrial complex, a symbol of economic co-operation. In late January it repudiated a 1991 agreement on reconciliation, non-aggression and co-operation between the Koreas. It says it will no longer honour the western maritime boundary between the two countries, known as the northern limit line, long disputed by the North. This week South Korea’s press reported that the North Korea seemed to be making preparations to test-fire its Taepodong-2 missile." Mr. Lee has acknowledged the threats as serious but "not new".
Kim Jong-Il is likely employing these threats as a means of stirring up nationalism within North Korea while trying to maintain the attention of the United States as President Obama attempts to address domestic concerns, rather than to instill fear in the South Korean people. The
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has directed her attention to the North as she joined Yu Myung Hwan of the RoK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to assert their dedication to the Six Party Talks to achieve a verifiable end to the North's nuclear program. Clinton called upon the North to uphold is agreement to the 2007 Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks. Additionally, Clinton stated North Korea can not expect to have a productive relationship with the United States if it continues to abuse and threaten South Korea.
In related news, Clinton announced that Ambassador Stephen Bosworth is to be the special envoy to North Korea and will assume the position of U.S. chief negotiator at the Six Party Talks. Bosworth has served as a U.S. ambassador to South Korea most recently at the turn of the millennium, as well as to the Philippines and Tunisia. He was the executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) from 1995 to 1997, a group that, according to the Daily NK, "is in control of the aborted building of two light-water nuclear reactors in the North as part of a previous denuclearization deal".
Kim Jong-Il is likely employing these threats as a means of stirring up nationalism within North Korea while trying to maintain the attention of the United States as President Obama attempts to address domestic concerns, rather than to instill fear in the South Korean people. The
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has directed her attention to the North as she joined Yu Myung Hwan of the RoK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to assert their dedication to the Six Party Talks to achieve a verifiable end to the North's nuclear program. Clinton called upon the North to uphold is agreement to the 2007 Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks. Additionally, Clinton stated North Korea can not expect to have a productive relationship with the United States if it continues to abuse and threaten South Korea.
In related news, Clinton announced that Ambassador Stephen Bosworth is to be the special envoy to North Korea and will assume the position of U.S. chief negotiator at the Six Party Talks. Bosworth has served as a U.S. ambassador to South Korea most recently at the turn of the millennium, as well as to the Philippines and Tunisia. He was the executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) from 1995 to 1997, a group that, according to the Daily NK, "is in control of the aborted building of two light-water nuclear reactors in the North as part of a previous denuclearization deal".
Sunday, February 1, 2009
North Korea's New Cold Front
South Korea's president, Lee Myung-bak, and his ministries are experiencing newfound difficulty in progressing discussion with North Korea and its leaders. South Korea's unification minister, Hyun In-taek, the constructor of Lee's policy of offering aid and investment under the condition of the North's giving up of its nuclear arms. However, North Korea has obviously viewed this policy as an presumptuous infringement on their sovereignty, as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has refused to talk to the South for months now. According to The Economist, North Korea has vaguely threatened “all-out confrontation” in January, blaming the Republic of Korea's president for raising tensions. This hostile tone from the North is not a surprising response, given that the rumors of political instability following their dictator's stroke and resulting health complications have forced the North Korean government to present a stoic face to the world, as the nations of the globe speculate as to the future of the DPRK.
In other news, LiNK is preliminarily preparing for a screening national tour of the award winning film, Crossing. Acting as South Korea's official submission to the 2009 Academy Awards' Foreign-Language Film category, this film poignantly depicts a North Korean father and his epic journey as he is forced to travel into China to retrieve medicine and money for his ailing family. A trailer subtitled in English is available on YouTube here. The LiNK Crossing Tour: West will reach the following cities on the following dates:
March 15th-March 18th: San Diego, CA
March 19th-Marchl 24th: Orange County, CA
March 25th-April 3rd: Los Angeles, CA
April 4th-April 6th: San Louis Obispo/Santa Barbara, CA
April 7th-April 11th: Sacramento/San Francisco, CA - Bay Area take note!
April 13th-15th: Eugene, OR
April 16th-April 18th : Salem, OR
April 19th- April 25th: Portland, OR
April 26th-April 29th: Tacoma, WA
April 30th -May 5th: Seattle, WA
May 6th: May 8th: 21st: Spokane, WA
May 9th: Boise, ID
May 10h-May 11th: Salt Lake City, UT
May 12th –May 15th: Las Vegas, NV
More details are to come.
In other news, LiNK is preliminarily preparing for a screening national tour of the award winning film, Crossing. Acting as South Korea's official submission to the 2009 Academy Awards' Foreign-Language Film category, this film poignantly depicts a North Korean father and his epic journey as he is forced to travel into China to retrieve medicine and money for his ailing family. A trailer subtitled in English is available on YouTube here. The LiNK Crossing Tour: West will reach the following cities on the following dates:
March 15th-March 18th: San Diego, CA
March 19th-Marchl 24th: Orange County, CA
March 25th-April 3rd: Los Angeles, CA
April 4th-April 6th: San Louis Obispo/Santa Barbara, CA
April 7th-April 11th: Sacramento/San Francisco, CA - Bay Area take note!
April 13th-15th: Eugene, OR
April 16th-April 18th : Salem, OR
April 19th- April 25th: Portland, OR
April 26th-April 29th: Tacoma, WA
April 30th -May 5th: Seattle, WA
May 6th: May 8th: 21st: Spokane, WA
May 9th: Boise, ID
May 10h-May 11th: Salt Lake City, UT
May 12th –May 15th: Las Vegas, NV
More details are to come.
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