Human Rights in North Korea (HRiNK) Awareness Report from Nov 2009

Thank you to the Academy of Korean Studies for providing a grant via the Korea Institute. The Harvard student organization, Human Rights in North Korea (HRiNK) was able to put on an amazing Awareness Week at Harvard in November 2009. Below is a summary of the HRiNK Awareness Week Activities:

 •Tuesday, November 10, 5:30-7:00 PM, Ticknor Lounge

 Speaker Event: North Korean Human Rights with Suzanne Scholte, Chairman of North Korean Freedom Coalition.

 Suzanne Scholte is the Chairman and Founder of the North Korean Freedom Coalition, President of the Defense Forum Foundation, and Vice Chairman and Founding Board Member of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. She has been working to publicize North Korea human rights issues internationally for more than a decade.

 Suzanne Scholte came to speak to a crowd of approximately sixty undergraduate and graduate students on her work on behalf of human rights in North Korea. She outlined what she considered to be the major obstacles to bringing relief to North Koreans within the country and safety to those seeking to leave the state. She shared her perspective of the situation within the country, and her suggestions on how the Harvard community could help in the movement to help bring freedom to the North Koreans suffering under the regime. She has been hosting the North Korean Human Rights Week every April in Washington D.C. to publicize North Korea’s human rights issues to the world. She mentioned her plan to host the next one in Seoul, Korea, as to educate South Koreans on the human rights issue north of the 38th parallel. After her speech, she took questions from the audience. Korean food was available as refreshments prior to Ms. Scholte’s talk.

•Monday, November 16, 10:30 AM – 2 PM, Science Center

 1,000 Daily Rations: Distribution of 1000 bags with a 1” by 1” square piece of a Rice Krispies treat that represented the equivalent of the amount of uncooked rice rationed per meal in North Korea.

 1000 plastic bags with Rice Krispies treats inside were distributed to passerbys outside the Science Center. Attached to each treat was a note telling the recipient that the average North Korean has a daily ration of 300 grams of food. The size of the Rice Krispies treat in each bag represented the amount of uncooked rice that would be the equivalent of the 300 grams of food allotted for each meal. The treats sparked interest amongst several recipients, who became interested in learning more about the food shortages within North Korea, and the issue of human rights more generally.

•November 17, 7:00-8:30 PM, Ticknor Lounger

 Speaker Event: North Korean defector, Mr. Yoo Sung Kim, the former 3* general in the North Korean army.

 Through a translator, a sophomore at the college fluent in both Korean and English, Mr. Kim answered questions from the audience, on his experiences in the North Korean army as the former general and the realities of the military and upper-class life in North Korea. He shared his perspectives on the structure of power in Pyongyang and the inner circle that Kim Jung Il relies upon. Mr. Kim is also a member of AIMES Korea, an organization dedicated to assisting North Korean defectors and refugees in unique ways, such as developing and implementing programs in democracy, human rights, and social adaptation. A representative from AIMES was also present, and a Power-Point presentation on the organization was available. The audience consisted of students and interested persons in the Greater Boston area.

 •November 20, 4:00-5:30 PM, Adams Lower Common Room 

Documentary Screenings of “To Know is the Love!” and “Show Me the Way!”

 The film “To Know is to Love,” follows students in South Korea who had formerly defected from North Korea, and their new South Korean friends, as they embark on a 7-day bicycle trip to Jeju Island. The documentary film, “Show me the Way!” follows 25 North Korean youth as they collaborate for the first time on a musical performance based on their life experiences. They depict the struggle behind adjusting to their new lives and identities, and also seek to bridge the gap between North and South Koreans. The audience consisted of interested students and persons in the Greater Boston area. Pizza and drinks were served prior to the start of the documentary screenings.