Discussing North Korean human rights and a free unification through
the lives of “first-generation North Korean human rights activists”
Unification Ministry holds a talk concert on North Korean human
rights (November 25)
On November 25, the Ministry of Unification held a talk concert
titled “North Korean Human Rights: Across Two Death Lines, Towards
Hope” at the main auditorium of the Cultural Center for Inter-Korean Integration.
The concert was organized to shed light on the life of a
first-generation North Korean human rights activist* and to share
views on the practical approaches for improving North Korean human
rights in the future through open dialogue with the Jangmadang
Generation of North Korea.
* Kim Seong Min, Head of Free North Korea Radio, who risked his life
to escape North Korea in 1995. Despite enduring a long illness and a
terminal diagnosis, he has remained dedicated to spreading the values
of freedom and human rights among North Korean residents.
The talk concert began with opening remarks by National Assembly
member and North Korean defector Park Choong Kwon. In part one,
Minister of Unification Kim Yung Ho and Head of Free North Korea Radio
Kim Seong Min had a discussion under the theme “Beyond the North
Korean Human Rights Movement, Toward a Unified Future.”
In part two, first-generation defectors and Jangmadang Generation*
human rights activists discussed “The Past, Present, and Future
Directions of the North Korea Human Rights Movement.”
* Kim Eun Joo (author of “The Will of an Eleven-year-old”), Kim Il
Hyeok (spoke at the UNSC in August 2023), and Lee Si Young (from Free
North Korea Radio).
Additionally, at the end of part one, Kim Yung Ho, Kim Seong Min,
Park Choong Kwon, and about 30 North Korean defectors joined together
in a choir performance of “Arirang Alone.”
The Unification Ministry hopes that many citizens will gain a new
awareness of the passionate lives of first-generation North Korean
human rights activists and be inspired to take an interest in “North
Korean human rights and a free unification.”
