2013 Volunteer Seminar Series
April 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th at 7:30p

Every Tuesday in April, JFNK will be hosting its fifth annual Volunteer Seminar Series. A 7,000w charge will include coffee and snacks.

The weekly sessions will feature:

• April 9: International activist CK Park on the North Korean human rights situation, and the history of JFNK with JFNK director Peter Jung
• April 16th: Kate Phelps on JFNK’s future English tutoring program, and other volunteer tutoring opportunities in Seoul.
• April 23rd: Dan Bielefeld from NKnet on expat activism in Korea, and what the international community can do to help.
• April 30th: North Korean Freedom Week!: Screening of “On the Border” a documentary focusing on the experiences of North Korean defectors, followed by information on how to get involved with JFNK.

Directions: Go to Ewha Women’s University Station on Line 2 and go out exit 1. Walk straight; you
should pass a post office and take your second right then your first left, and the venue – Peace Community
Church – will be on your right, in the basement, next to Cafe la Paz.

RSVP: JFNKseminar@gmail.com
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/168454433311817/

Bi-Monthly Street Campaigns in Insadong
Ongoing; starting Saturday April 20th from 3:30pm-5:00pm

One of JFNK’s most unique initiatives the Rescue NK street campaign, held bi-monthly in Seoul’s famous Insadong area. Every campaign will include a live re-enactment of a North Korean refugee caught by a Chinese guard, as well as lots of materials with information on the North Korean crisis. The May 4th campaign will also include a live music performance.

The Insadong Street Campaign will happen every other Saturday, starting April 20th.

Directions: Jongo3(sam)ga Station, Exit 5.
RSVP for Volunteers: aaronelguapocr@gmail.com or 010-2174-3455

Cinco de Mayo Party at Dillinger’s Bar
Saturday, May 11th.

To commemorate National Children’s Day in Korea, JFNK will be hosting a fundraiser at Dillinger’s Bar in Itaewon. Proceeds will help benefit stateless North Korean children awaiting safe passage to South Korea in China and Southeast Asia. The night will include raffle prizes, live performances, and a chance to meet JFNK’s founder, Peter Jung.

Cover charge and further event info will be coming soon; like JFNK’s facebook page here or visit their website to stay updated.

Postcard Campaign for NK Refugee Rights in China
Ongoing; official launch on May 11th at the Dillinger’s Fundraiser (see above)

There are thousands of North Korean refugees living as stateless people in China. Claiming these refugees are only “economic migrants”, China forcefully repatriates them to North Korea, where they face: torture, imprisonment and even death for trying to escape. In doing so, China openly violates international law (UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; UN Convention Against Torture).

In response to this, JFNK is launching a campaign to petition the Chinese Embassy in the United States. This will be done through the mailing of specially-designed postcards, which have the above message printed in English and Chinese on the back. These postcards will be available at future JFNK events, starting from the May 4th fundraiser at Dillinger’s.

Published : 2013-01-22 19:36
Updated : 2013-01-22 19:36

Dongmyo Police Box performs at a previous CLASH event. (My Seoul Photography)

Expat and Korean musicians will perform Saturday in Hongdae to raise money for a North Korean human rights organization.

The CLASH event at Club Freebird will raise funds for Justice For North Korea, a volunteer organization that works to improve human rights North of the Demilitarized Zone.

JFNK was founded and is led by a South Korean pastor who has made it his mission to help the North Korean people. They campaign for improved rights in the North and to improve the situation for refugees fleeing the harsh conditions there.

One of the organizers of CLASH is Jane Park, who has been involved in North Korean issues for about 15 months and is in charge of North Korea Peace, which flies balloons into the North with socks and messages attached.

While North Korea Peace was on hiatus from balloon launches, she sought other options to help North Korea.

“When I heard about this event, I thought, if Justice for North Korea is involved, I’m in,” she said.

Park said she had first met the organizers of JFNK during the protests outside the Chinese Embassy last year urging Beijing to stop repatriating N.K. defectors.

“I think Justice for North Korea is one of the most committed and powerful groups that is working with North Korea,” she said.

The entertainment will be opened by singer-songwriter Tamara Kim, rapper KBomb and reggae artist JoshRoy. They will be followed by expat hip-hop from The Prime Minister of Sound and blues from Bluesnake.

In addition, there will be Korean hip-hop from ScoLL and acoustic rock from GnP.

A raffle will also be held to raise extra funds. Prizes include photo shoots, beauty products, and gym memberships.

JFNK will also give a short presentation explaining some things people might not know about the North Korea situation.

Saturday’s event will be the fourth CLASH. Previous editions have raised money for the Korean Unwed Mothers and Families Association, Angel House disabled shelter, and the Butterfly Fund, which supports victims of wartime sexual violence in Africa.

Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show runs until midnight. It is 15,000 won at the door plus a free drink; advance tickets are 10,000 won plus free drink.

For more information on JFNK, visit www.justice4nk.org/en. To find out more about the event, visit the CLASH Facebook page.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)

by Sandra Choi

December 18, 2012

The sharp decline in the number of North Korean refugees who have defected to South Korea this year has alarmed human rights advocates. Estimates provided by South Korea’s government indicate that only 1,400 made the perilous journey this year compared to 2,737 during the previous year. This 50 percent decrease dropped defection rates to a seven-year low.

Experts believe that the downturn emerged as Kim Jung Eun’s nascent administration enacted fresh efforts to lock down the nation’s borders. According to Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, a Korean Studies Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the new leadership in Pyongyang has been cracking down on underground defector communities in China as well as securing their borders in order to assert its legitimacy. Under-reported factors such as the South Korean government’s decision to discourage the efforts of former North Korean refugees, now settled in South Korea, to bring over family members has also contributed to the downward trend.

While the international community had hoped that the new leader would push for stronger economic reforms to improve the quality of life for his citizens and normalize ties with the global community, North Korean citizens remain as desperate as ever inside the country’s borders.  “There are few indications that the food situation or the protection of basic liberties in North Korea have improved this year,” says Dr. Lee.

China is also contributing to controlled security along the border it shares with its regional ally. Oh Gyeong-Seob, a Fellow at the Sejong Institute, states that China has been strengthening control and inspection of its three Northeast Provinces. Peter Jung, a missionary who heads the NGO Justice for North Korea, adds that China became aggravated by the negative international attention it received earlier this year in February when advocates demanded the release of 40 refugees detained in China.

Although Kim’s efforts to consolidate his grip on national power by tightening the border do not surprise many outside observers, South Korea’s role in the declining number of defectors has been rarely addressed publicly. One humanitarian advocate who wishes to remain anonymous claims that efforts to assist defectors were hampered due to the blacklisting of former defectors in South Korea whom helped refugees defect to China and to South Korea.

Figures provided by the Ministry of Unification, the South Korean government bureau responsible for facilitating communications between the two Koreas and operating a resettlement program for defectors, showed an unprecedented growth in defectors between 2000-2012 as the defector community had grown consistently each year—from 312 in 2000 to 2,737 in 2011. Over the past decade, female defectors have outnumbered male refugees, at times by a measure of four to one.

David Hawk, a scholar at the Institute for Human Rights at Columbia University and author of “The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps”, explains that a rise in defectors to ROK stems from initial waves of defectors using their income or government grants to bring more family members into the country.

North Koreans who manage to leave the country often struggle to bridge the social and cultural gaps between the community that they have left behind and the one in which they now reside, he adds, “There is a steady drip of stories about defector unhappiness and their lack of successful integration into the very competitive South Korean society,” Hawk says. A survey conducted by the International Crisis Group noted that a third of the defector community in South Korea suffers from depression.

This past October, Pyongyang publicized the “re-defection” of several people individuals whom had decided to return to North Korea. When asked to provide reasons for their “re-defection” during press conferences, the refugees cited their inability to adapt to South Korean society as well as deep feelings of shame for  betraying their state.

However, analysts believe that these events were the work of the state’s Musan National Security Agency (MNSA), which coaxed defectors back to the North in order to use them for propaganda purposes. “It would only make sense that North Korea would send MNSA agents to the South to pose as defectors etc., and have them cultivate relations with other North Korean defectors in the South to try to win them over—for intelligence” says Dr. Lee.

Historically, most North Korean refugees choose to settle in South Korea after they have defected. However, more nations have been hosting North Koreans in recent years. The United States is currently home to 123 former North Korean citizens. The North Korean Human Rights Act, initially passed in 2004 and renewed in 2012, provides resettlement programs for the minority that wishes to settle in the US.

By JFNK volunteers Brandon Hansen. Photography by Dustin Cole.

Peter Jung was working as a missionary in China in 1998 when he first witnessed waves of North Korean defectors being repatriated back to the country they had risked their lives escaping. Appalled, he found he could no longer stand the injustice and decided to do something to help. Regardless of the consequences, he quietly began helping the refugees to freedom.

On weekends and holidays he would travel to the Chinese-North Korean border, and it was there that he started meeting defectors, mostly women and children. After some time, he was invited to one of the secret shelters housing defectors hiding from Chinese authorities. During his visits, he would tutor the defectors in language, computer skills and the Bible.

Jung eventually decided to take it a step further and sneak the defectors into the South Korean consulate in Beijing, specifically women who were pregnant and people who were sick. This was in 2003 during the SARS outbreak, and he decided he needed to get them out of China as soon as possible.

It was during one of his attempts to sneak the defectors into the consulate when he was arrested and put in jail in China for more than a year. His captors forced him to undergo sleep deprivation and other forms of torture.

But his fight was far from finished. He returned to South Korea, where he founded Justice for North Korea to raise awareness about all he had witnessed and help ease the suffering of the North Korean refugees, who often live furtive half lives in shelters as they await the chance to escape. In the meantime, they risk being trafficked in China or detained in labor camps if caught, before being sent back to the North.

“The struggles of the North Korean defectors and stateless children are not a South Korean problem, but the world’s problem,” said Jung, a Korean national. “Support is needed from Koreans and foreigners alike.”

Founded in 2007, the group is a non-religious, non-governmentalal organization that actively opposes the ongoing human rights violations committed against the North Korean refugees.

Right before the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the group made its presence known by holding a 444-day demonstration in front of embassies and consulates in 13 countries throughout Asia and Europe, including China, Japan and South Korea. The group’s aim was to bring global attention to the Chinese government’s illegal repatriation of North Korean refugees – actions that violate China’s obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention related to the Status of Refugees.

Today, the group works in collaboration with NGOs all over the world to accomplish its goals. It continues to focus on helping defectors, primarily children and teenagers, escape China and repatriate safely in another country. Despite the considerable danger to himself, Jung continues to travel to other countries, predominantly to East Asia along the Chinese border, to rescue defectors, and then personally takes them to embassies.

“Regardless of North or South, we are all Korean; and unification of the Korean Peninsula cannot take place until there is justice. And justice cannot happen until human rights are restored to all,” he said.

Aside from Jung, the group’s membership consists of expats and South Koreans working side by side.

Member Vivvi Pierce said she sought out JFNK because, “it is a small group of passionate people with an overwhelming commitment to speaking out against policies and governments, assisting North Korean defectors and spreading awareness of North Korean human rights violations.”

When she was in graduate school, she studied security issues in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, primarily Chechnya and Afghanistan.

“It was during this time that I was exposed to some horrendous human rights violations and became interested in activism,” Pierce said. “After moving to Seoul, I really wanted to get involved in issues pertaining to North Korea and help spread awareness about the heinous wrongdoings happening there. I hope to take what I have learned through my volunteer experience here at JFNK and use it throughout a lifetime of activism.”

Should defectors find themselves in South Korea, the group has established tutoring and mentoring programs; programs that help young people obtain the necessary skills to put them on a path to a healthy and stable future. The group also contributes to several shelters in China, one that it fully supports, that provide a safe haven for defectors and stateless children from Chinese authorities.

There is still, however, far more that can be done. The group still needs more volunteers looking to get involved with fundraising, translating, editing and advocacy. There are also opportunities for social media volunteers and street team campaigners.

The campaigners will likely be familiar to people who have visited the tourist neighbourhood of Insa-dong in central Seoul. There, they stage regular street theater demonstrations that imagine the situation a defector might face if captured, with one person playing the role of a defector, another a North Korean guard and one more a Chinese guard. Caught between the Chinese policy of forcible repatriation of defectors and the prospect of being sent to a prison camp in the North, the defector is shown in an impossible situation. After a short hiatus, the demonstrations will start again this month and there are more planned for the spring.

The group will be hosting a fundraiser and holiday party at Dillinger’s Bar in Itaewon on Dec. 15. The event offers entertainment, a raffle and loads of holiday spirit, as well as a chance to get to know more about the group and its mission.

As Jung said of the event, “It is your support and ideas that will pave the path to a better life for the defectors. Your support will finally stop the appalling treatment and countless human rights abuses toward the North Korean refugees.”

***Tuesday Nov. 13 – Tuesday Dec. 4: JFNK Seminar Series***
When: Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. for four consecutive weeks
Where: V Center near Sinchon Station on Line 2
RSVP

JFNK is hosting a seminar series for anyone interested in learning about the human rights situation in North Korea and North Korean refugees in China. Whether you would like a general introduction, more in-depth discussion of the topic, or advice on how to help, we have the info for you!

The talks will focus on the role of the international community and how to get involved, and will feature guest speakers plus Q&A. Each session will cost 5,000 won at the door, and snacks will be served.

Schedule

• Tuesday, Nov. 13: International activist CK Park on the North Korean human rights situation.
• Tuesday, Nov. 20: Sue Kim from Jayoutor (a school for defectors) on the issues of North Korean defectors in China.
• Tuesday, Nov. 27: Dan Bielefeld from NKnet on expat activism in Korea.
• Tuesday, Dec. 4: JFNK Director Peter Jung on what the international community can do, and volunteer Breda Lund on JFNK’s activities and how you can help.

So mark your calendars! More details, including directions to the venue, are coming soon!

Saturday, Nov. 17: Making Kimchi With North Korean Defectors
When: Starting at 9 a.m.
Where: Unity Vision Self-Support Center near Gaebong Station on Line 1 (address: Seoul, Guro-gu, Gaebong 1-dong 118-26, 3rd floor; map available on their website)
What: With the money raised by the bazaar (see above), Unity Vision Self-Support Center plans to make kimchi for distribution to North Korean defectors living in Seoul.

WINTER EVENTS PREVIEW

Saturday, Dec. 15: JFNK Holiday Fundraiser
When: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Where: Dillinger’s Bar in Itaewon
What: Music, fun and holiday cheer! More info TBA.

For the Chuseok holiday, most Koreans visit their families and hometowns. However, North Korean defectors living in South Korea are unable to do so. Let’s help give defectors a happy holiday with a day of friendship, fun and sports!

9:30-10: Registration
10:30-11: Opening service
11-11:30: Team selection and cheering
11:30-3: Sports events including arm wrestling, relay race, tug of war, men’s soccer, women’s dodgeball, etc.
3:40: Awards ceremony
4:00: Finish

If you would like to participate, please contact the director of JFNK at justicenk@gmail.com.^^

(Address: Seoul, Guro-gu, Gocheok-dong 9-14)

After the demonstration, please join JFNK for our Fall Fundraiser Party at 9 p.m. in Itaewon. We are raising money to help North Korean defectors living in China.

Message from North Korean Freedom Coalition: Where in the World Will You Be on September 22nd? Will you join us to appeal on behalf of the North Korean refugees? This September 22 is the 30th anniversary of the date in 1982 when China became a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol–an international agreement that it is violating every time it forces a North Korean man, woman, or child back to North Korea to face certain torture, certain imprisonment and even execution for the “crime” of fleeing North Korea.

Even though we saw great progress and awareness of this crisis earlier this year, the systematic repatriation of North Koreans has not stopped and the situation at the border is more dangerous than ever before. We have seen a significant drop in North Koreans escaping because the brutal crackdown and collusion between China and North Korea has increased since Kim Jong-Un took power.

We must continue this effort until China reverses their illegal, inhumane, and barbaric policy which has led to the torture, imprisonment and execution of thousands of innocent men, women and children.

Petition letter to be delivered to the Chinese embassy:

September 22, 2012
His Excellency Hu Jintao
President, People’s Republic of China
c/o Ambassador Zhang Xinsen
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
54, Hyoja-Dong, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, 110033, South Korea

Dear Mr. President:

We are joining today in solidarity with over 70 nongovernmental organizations representing hundreds of thousands of citizens as well as individuals all over the world to recognize the 30th anniversary of the day in 1982 when China became a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol to call upon you to stop forcefully repatriating North Korean refugees back to North Korea.

When China signed this agreement it showed its commitment to the international community and its desire to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in dealing with refugees. However, China continues to forcefully repatriate North Korean refugees back to North Korea who face certain torture, certain imprisonment and even execution. We understand and respect China’s concerns about individuals entering China without permission as they flee starvation and deprivation in North Korea, but we simply ask that China work with the international community to resolve this situation under international law.

We urge the end of your repatriation policy that has contributed to an environment of violent activity in China; where North Korean agents roam freely assassinating humanitarian workers helping refugees; where the majority of North Korean female refugees end up being subjected to human trafficking. As your Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai stated earlier this year, “The Chinese government has the responsibility to protect people’s safety and property, and to curb violent activities. That is the most important human right for the people.”

Ending this policy would not only have a very positive benefit for China, but would also increase the potential for reform in North Korea, which is also in China’s best interest. The North Korean refugees, who risk their lives to flee to China, do not want to leave North Korea, but they feel they have no choice because of the conditions in their homeland. If China were to end its forced repatriation policy and work instead with the international community to resolve this problem, it would send a strong signal to the Kim Jong Un regime of their need to open to the very reforms China wishes to see.

North Koreans entering your country are unique in that they have the ability to be immediately resettled in South Korea, under Articles 2 and 3 of the Republic of Korea constitution. In fact, already over 27,500 North Korean refugees have been safely resettled in over twenty nations.

Please honor your treaty commitments and bolster the forces of humanitarianism by working with the UNHCR and the international community to resolve this issue and end needless suffering.

Sincerely,

Justice for North Korea (www.justice4nk.org)